I have been on many training days – and indeed held many training days – where this is the first question asked. We are then given 10 or so minutes to write down, in our groups, what attributes we think a ‘Good Coach’ needs. Usually the answers go along the lines of:- Good sense of Humour (normally my first go to!) Good knowledge, Balanced confidence (not tipping over into arrogance)  Communication skills, Listening skills, (those last two probably should be the other way round!) Patience, Positive body language, punctuality…etc etc

Undoubtedly these things, and more, are important and will all serve to improve our ability to work with a whole variety of people.

Whilst working towards the Coaching qualifications we look at how people learn and how to work with riders who are at different stages of training.  The main focus tends to be on the rider and the horse but it’s also relevant to the coaches’ learning and development.
How many times I have said something to a rider and they say – “I have never been told that before…”  In my mind I’m thinking they probably have but have not been ready in their learning to be able to absorb the information and be able to do anything with it.

From my own experience of this, I have to point out here that I spent a long time training for my BHSI. On the way back from yet another day of training I had received a golden nugget of information that I couldn’t wait to add to my notes at home – it was a ground breaking moment for me and now I knew it my life in the equestrian training world was never going to be the same!!  As soon as I was home I opened my file to add the newly acquired knowledge to my notes – and yes you’ve probably guessed it, I had already got it neatly written down from about two training sessions earlier…Maybe this is why it took me so long to get the qualification, memory retention not up to par. or was it that I had to go back a few steps to get the foundations in more securely, to be able to build on them and have a better understanding of the process to able to develop my skills as a coach.

Whatever level you coach at its worth remembering the path you have taken to get to where you are as well as the paths taken by your riders and their horses that are in front of you.  Sometimes, actually quite often, you have to go backwards to go forwards!