July 2007What a busy spring – lots of activities going on all over the province, it’s been great!
New NCCP/Equine Canada Equestrian Specific 2-day Workshop
The OEF held three courses this spring. The first was in Lively (near Sudbury) the weekend of March 10 and 11, followed by one at the new OEF Office in Richmond Hill the weekend of April 14 and 15 both with facilitator MH Lessard. Our third course was offered thanks to funding from the Coaches’ Association of Ontario and in recognition of Coaches’ Week and was held in Kenora with facilitator Betty-Ann McPhedran from Manitoba. So far the comments from participants of this course have been very positive. Visit our website at www.horse.on.ca for a schedule of upcoming courses in Ontario.
Remember – this course will be replacing the NCCP Introduction to Competition Part A and the Equine Canada Learn to Teach as the prerequisite course for Instructor and Coach 1 candidates as of January 01, 2008. The Learn to Teach course will no longer be offered after December 31, 2007.
Western Update Clinic
On April 1, Barbara Newlands facilitated a Western Update Clinic at Kemptville Campus near Ottawa. She provided an overview of the new Instruction of Beginner program and other updates from Equine Canada. Barbara also demonstrated the lunging requirements for Rider IV and General Component and she did some teaching demonstrations of common problems coaches encounter when dealing with riders from levels I to IV. Thank you to Trudy Ouimette and the riders from Kemptville Campus for their assistance in organizing this workshop.
OHTA/OEF Spring Eventing Seminar
The OHTA/OEF held a Spring Eventing Seminar at Dreamcrest Equestrian Center on March 25, 2007. Barbara Mitchell started the day with a clinic on coaching the Entry/Pre-training rider over fences, followed by a session for coaching the Training/Preliminary rider over fences. Barbara also discussed Riding the Rhythm with the group, followed by MH Lessard doing a brief discussion on the changes to the coaching program. MH also did a Making Ethical Decisions (MED) module as an update for Coaches who need to go online to do the online MED evaluation. For more information on taking the online Making Ethical Decisions module, visit the OEF website at www.horse.on.ca.
English Instructor Workshops
The OEF held three Instructor Workshops this past spring. Not only were these workshops beneficial for Instructor candidates to earn mentoring hours through demonstrating lunging and teaching opportunities, but it was also an excellent opportunity for certified Coaches to find out what to look for as a possible mentor for future Instructor candidates. The Workshops began with an overview of the new Instruction of Beginners program, a discussion of Emergency Action Plans, following by participants doing some unmounted lessons, lunging demos and mounted lessons. Many participants were in agreement that the new system is far more objective and provides mentors, candidates and evaluators with the tools to fairly assess candidates. Coaches who plan to mentor candidates for the Instruction of Beginner Program should attend an Instructor Workshop. Many thanks to our three host facilities, Manestay Equestrian Centre in Cambridge, Windsong Equestrian Centre in Orono, and Pinecrest Farm in Merrickville, and to the “guinea pig” riders who volunteered their time.
Thunder Bay Clinics
Victoria Andrew was in Thunder Bay the weekend of April 7 and 8 and, again, the weekend of May 19 and 20 to work with a group of candidates preparing for their Instructor certification. The workshops included riding clinics on the flat and over fences, mentoring for lunging, teaching, stable management and rider level testing. Thank you to The Farmers at The Dell and Laura Jones of Dreamfields Riding Centre for the use of their facility, and also to Connie Hollinsworth for helping to coordinate these activities.
Clinics at Knowlton Ridge
On Saturday, June 02, the OEF held an English & Western Instructor Workshop facilitated by MH Lessard and Barbara Newlands. The Workshop provided an overview of the new Instruction of Beginners Program as well as lunging and teaching demonstrations for both English and Western disciplines. On Sunday, June 03, the OEF held a New English Learn to Ride Clinic, demonstrating the new Rider levels. Rider level candidates and Coaches had the opportunity to discuss the standards and requirements of the new levels. Thank you to Bobbie and Gord Cardwell of Knowlton Ridge for the use of their facility and to the volunteer riders for their participation over the weekend.
Update – New English Learn to Ride Program
Information on the new English Learn to Ride Program is now available to candidates on a CD for purchase from the OEF. This CD includes an outline of the standards for stable management and riding on the flat (including flat tests) and over fences (including courses) for levels 1-8. To order your CD, visit the OEF website at www.horse.on.ca or contact the OEF Office at 1-877-441-7112.
As a reminder to Coaches who were testing under the old Rider Level I to III program, please remember to submit all tests to the OEF Office, even if a candidate was unsuccessful. Candidates have until December 31, 2007 to successfully complete components of a Rider level in the old system. If at that time, they have been unable to complete the test level, they will need to test into the new program at the appropriate level.
CAO Launches Coach of the Month Award
One of the top priorities of the Coaches’ Association of Ontario (CAO) is to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions that Coaches make to both sport and athletes all across the province. The CAO has created a new program to highlight some of the great men and women who dedicate their time to enhancing the quality of sport in their community.
Each month, one outstanding Coach will be identified and featured on the CAO website and within their local community. Applications are currently being accepted and the first coach was featured in June 2007. Nominations will be accepted on an ongoing basis and will be kept on file for up to six months. All fields of the nomination form must be complete and consent from the nominated Coach is required.
The OEF would like to encourage all riders, parents, officials and Coaches to nominate certified, active Coaches in equestrian sport. Visit the OEF website www.horse.on.ca for a link to the Coaches’ Association of Ontario’s Coach of the Month Nomination Form.
Congratulations to the following successful Instructors and Coaches who received their certification:
English Instructor:
Nadine Abrams, Aurora
Erika Belanger, Ajax
Elizabeth Bouchard, Thornhill
Vanessa Gonyea, Kendal
Angie Moorcroft, Ajax
English Coach 1:
Kristin Emslie, Spencerville
Vanessa Gonyea, Kendal
Heather Kirk, Indian River
Rachel McGibbon, Newcastle
Lindsay McMullen, Stittsville
Jessica Smith, Trenton
Allie Springall, Midland
Western Coach 1:
Nonie Smart, Dunrobin
Message from Barbara Newlands, OEF Western Master Course Conductor
A year has passed since I took on the position of Master Course Conductor for Western Coaching. I have used this time to get a better understanding of the Coaching Program in Ontario; to find out what was needed by our Coaches and how to help them. What I found was a great many hard working, committed people who want to learn more, improve themselves and give more to their students.
My responsibilities with the Coaching Program are concerned with Instructor, Coach 1 & 2. These levels introduce riding skills and competition. As I traveled around the province doing Coaching Evaluations, Rider Testing and Update Clinics, I came to realize that, in the desire to move forward, some basic concepts are being lost or misunderstood. I have met Coaches who understand theories yet admit having a difficult time passing the theories to their students. When questioning riders, I found many different answers to the same questions.
There is a need to “go back to basics” and a need to check skills previously learned for true understanding of how concepts such as rhythm, suppleness and straightness are interconnected. The basic building blocks of riding need to be introduced from the beginning and then continually reintroduced. All riders, whether competitive or recreational, benefit from a deeper understanding of the sport they have chosen.
The first opportunity to address this will be at the next Western Update Clinic in October 2007. It will be set up with coaching demonstrations and hands-on workshops. I see this as the first step to offer important, continuing education to Coaches and Mentors who are the backbone of our system.