Coaches’ Corner

A reminder to all Instructors and Coaches regarding updating requirements:  along with maintaining your annual OEF membership and Equine Canada Sport License, holding a current first aid certificate with a copy on file at the OEF Office, you are also required to complete and submit proof of updating hours to the OEF every 3-year period.  If you are unsure of your updating period, please contact the OEF Office.

Status letters will once again be sent out before the end of this year indicating your current coaching status.  Please remember that your OEF membership and Equine Canada Sport license expire as of December 31, 2007, so submit you renewals early!

OEF Annual Conference

The OEF Conference Committee has planned an exciting educational event for everyone.  The 2007 OEF Annual Conference “The Leading Edge: Striding into the Future” will once again take place at The Nottawasaga Inn in Alliston from Thursday, November 22 to Sunday, November 25.  We are starting a day earlier to accommodate the new NCCP/Equine Canada Equestrian Specific 2-day Training Workshop for Instructor and Coach 1 candidates.  A Making Ethical Decisions Session has also been included on Friday morning ~ it is not mandatory for Coaches to take this session, but those who still need to do the online Making Ethical Decisions evaluation, it is recommended you attend this session which will assist you with the process to do the evaluation.  Two St. John’s Ambulance Emergency First Aid courses are scheduled, one on Thursday and one on Friday.

The OEF is pleased to invite all Instructors and Coaches, in all disciplines, to attend the first-ever, free-of-charge Coaches’ Forum taking place late afternoon on Friday.  This forum will be facilitated by Gary Yaghdjian, Conference Committee Chair, member of the OEF Board of Directors and a certified Equine Canada Coach 2 in both English and Western, and will have a speaker panel including MH Lessard, Ontario Master Course Conductor for English, Mary Ruth Moore, Ontario Master Course Conductor for Saddle Seat, Barbara Newlands, Ontario Master Course Conductor for Western, and Catherine Barker, Education Coordinator with the OEF.  There will also be a representative from Intercity Insurance available to answer questions relating to insurance.  Come and express your concerns and opinions, network with colleagues, and learn about the current state of coaching programs in Ontario including mentoring, rider level programs, updating requirements and more.

English Instructors should plan to attend the Instruction of Beginners Jumping Module Workshop.  Starting in 2008, a new opportunity for Instructors will be available.  Instructors will have the option of being assessed to teach jumping skills to students up to Level 4 of the Equine Canada Learn to Ride Program.  Instructors attending this session will earn mentoring hours analyzing riders’ jumping positions and learning to apply the appropriate corrections.  This is also an excellent opportunity for Coaches interested in mentoring candidates.

There will also be two Coach Development sessions on Sunday, November 25, the morning session will be Mental Training, Motivation & Sports Psychology, and the afternoon session will be Developing a Sport Program.  These sessions are actually two modules of the NCCP Introduction to Competition Part B theory course, which is a prerequisite for Coach 2 candidates.

Do you have any adult beginners as students?  Having held an extremely successful Youth Day geared to Junior members last year, the OEF is pleased to introduce a Youthful Day on Saturday, November 24, for adults who have discovered horses later in life and would like the opportunity to participate in an interactive workshop to learn some of the many aspects involved in equestrian sport.  Topics will include safety around horses, alternative disciplines to Western and English, and rider fitness held at the Nottawasaga Inn in the morning, followed by hands-on practical sessions held at Cedar Peaks Farm to learn about bandaging, conformation, grooming & hoof care, horse health check and feed & feeding.

Your young students should also plan to attend Youth Day on Sunday, November 25, a half-day, interactive program for OEF junior members at Cedar Peaks Farm.  Youth Day will consist of 8 stations around the barn covering educational topics such as bandaging, anatomy, horse health check and more.  New this year is the addition of a complimentary Parent Information Session taking place back at the Nottawasaga Inn.

The 2008 Coaching Schedule will be posted on the OEF website in December.  Please remember that all assessments, evaluations and examinations are set-up through the OEF Office, please contact Catherine Barker for more information.

Congratulations to the following successful Instructors and Coaches who received their certification:

English Instructor:

Nikki Charbonneau, Cambridge

Nicole DeAraujo, Bloomfield

Cindy Duffy, Carleton Place

Rebecca Greene, Trenton

Heather Loree, Harrow

Kelly MacDonald, Antigonish, Nova Scotia

Natalie Maskell, Kanata

Natasha Nadon, Bancroft

Tammy Seed, Stittsville

English Coach 2:

Leahona Rowland, Eventing Discipline, Orangeville