We and our member bodies encourage anyone who coaches or wants to become a coach in equestrian sport to become qualified. The process and the learning taken will ensure your practice is safer for those you’re coaching and will ensure the outcomes for both human and equine athlete are improved.
There are three pathways you can choose from to become a qualified equestrian coach...
To help you navigate the pathways and to help make an informed decision about which one would be most suitable for you, we have produced a set of FAQs.
The BHS Coach in Complete Horsemanship Pathway is globally recognised. Through this pathway you will learn all elements of equitation, horse care, stable management and coaching to become a complete coach in the equine industry. This pathway supports the fundamental skills required to coach both entry level and professional competitive equestrians and care and management and riding. You will learn practical, real-world skills within a structured platform to support you along your journey.
The Pathway begins with Stage 1 and progresses from there, with the ‘Teach’ element coming in at Stage 2. A milestone achievement is the Stage 3 in Complete Horsemanship because this qualification allows you to join the BHS Accredited Professional Coach (APC) scheme. As an APC you will have access to benefits such as branded clothing, an online business toolkit, first aid and safeguarding courses, access to an exclusive online professional community with free business support and resources, and the option to take out Public Liability insurance for the duration of your membership. Of course, you can continue to progress after Stage 3 right through to the BHS Fellowship. BHS Fellows are renowned throughout the global equine industry as ambassadors for the equestrian profession and are leading coaches in their field.
For more information on the BHS Coach in Complete Horsemanship, or the other career pathways that the BHS can support, click here.
Being a Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Coach is a uniquely rewarding challenge, offering the chance to unlock potential in everyone you work with. Whether you’re thinking about starting your coaching journey or taking your skills to the next level, the RDA Pathway will help you learn, practice and build confidence in yourself – it might even inspire you to go further.
There are three levels of coaching qualification available, with a seamless pathway from Green Card training onto the coaching pathway...
There’s a range of practical and theory modules that need to be completed as you work towards each qualification in order to give you the training needed for assessment. The modules are all in bite-sized chunks, meaning they can be delivered as a whole module or in separate sections, so there’s the option of flexible learning if needed.
The RDA has links to the Equestrian Coaching Certificate and BHS qualifications, for anyone wishing to come forward with qualifications already recognised.
For more information on how to become a coach with the RDA, click here.
This pathway of qualifications is currently endorsed by the UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) and is the route for most of our sport-specific Member Bodies. It’s part of a framework that has been adopted for coaching qualifications by a large number of sports outside of equestrian.
NB. When we use the terms ‘riders’ or ‘riding’, it includes carriage-driving and vaulting activity.
All four levels of the Equestrian Coaching Certificate comprise of a number of days of taught content, followed by formal assessment. To find out more about each of the individual levels that make up the Equestrian Coaching Certificate, click here.