British Horse Society

May

2015

BHS Horse Ownership Course

I’m in the office today, preparing lecture handouts, determined to make rugs an interesting a topic as possible!

These are for my Level 1 BHS Horse Ownership Course, which is starting next month. The course covers aspects of basic stable management and horse care, and is suitable for first-time horse owners, riders keen to learn more about horse care, or parents of pony club children.

The course is run on an official BHS syllabus, and is part of a series of four levels. As you progress through the levels, you cover more wide ranging topics and more detailed knowledge is required. Each course results in a recognised qualification if students are successful in the optional exam.

Classes are small groups of no more than four, cost £20 and will run on Saturdays 10am to midday for eight weeks.

If you would like to find out more about what the course covers, or register to take part, please get in touch by 30th May, thanks!

Mar

2015

BHS Horse Ownership Course

Exam day today for the level 2 Horse Ownership Course I’ve been running since the start of the year.

I really enjoy creating the exam papers for these courses from the syllabus that I’ve worked through with the students. I get to use the knowledge I gained completing my PGCE to devise different ways of testing students’ learning.

It is important to use a variety of questioning techniques, as candidates excel in a range of areas. Some may be good at writing essays, others may feel stronger when providing shorter answers.

Oct

2013

FBHS and BHSI Training Day with Darrell Scaife FBHS

Riding in the dressage demonstration lesson

I had a fantastic lesson with Darrell on Revelation 2 (kindly lent by owner Antonia Findley) who competes at advanced level. We worked on achieving greater connection, and more expressive lateral work, particularly in the half pass. He went very well, displaying his lovely big paces to good effect and, as always, behaved impeccably.

It was a great day for learning out of the saddle too, as I was able to observe Darrell’s coaching. He demonstrated his thoughtful and calm approach during three jump lessons in the morning. The sessions ranged from gridwork for young horses, through to experienced combinations jumping courses of 1.20m+.

The afternoon sessions were devoted to dressage private lessons, such as mine, and again featured a variety of combinations competing at levels ranging from elementary to advanced.

Thanks to David Sheerin and the team at Wellington Riding for hosting this super informative day.

Oct

2013

BHS Autumn Convention with Yogi Breisner

An interesting and very enjoyable day!

The day was made up of four sessions, concentrating on training the event horse from BE100 right through to Advanced, and hosted by Yogi Breisner.

Yogi is obviously an excellent coach, but what stood out for me was how impressive his observational skills are. He instantly identified weaknesses, and was able to bring about rapid improvement in performance by prioritising his feedback.

He used common sense when coaching and a calm, friendly approach which really brought out the best in the riders, some of whom would have been understandably nervous at the crowd of hundreds!

The exercises Yogi chose were challenging, and clearly represented the requirements of the level at which the combinations were competing. He was also excellent at differentiation, using intricate exercises to provide a variety of routes for different combinations to follow. This was not dissimilar to the alternate routes available at tricky combinations on a cross country course.

He made the day as interactive as possible too, with questions taken formally after each session, as well as addressing relevant queries whilst coaching.

I found the day very inspiring ahead of the Final of the Coach of the Year Competition next week.

May

2013

BHS Spring Coaching Convention

Knowledgable, and super-practical advice and coaching from Stephen Clarke FBHS…

This was a fantastic opportunity to see some top quality horses, working at all levels from promising youngsters through to Prix St. George and Grand Prix. It was an informative day, with expert, and refreshingly down-to-earth, coaching from Stephen Clarke FBHS.

Pictured are Stephen, with participant Fred Hodges BHSI.

Riding in the dressage demonstration lesson

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