K V Equestrian - BHS Accredited Professional Coach, APEC Advanced Coach

A little update from behind the scenes…

Alongside my practical coaching, an increasing part of my work is now focused on the broader development of coaching and education within equestrian sport.

I’ve been really fortunate to be involved in work supporting the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and British Carriage Driving, helping to write, review and develop coaching and technical qualifications and the pathways that sit around them.

It’s much broader than simply writing course content. It involves looking strategically at how people enter and progress through coaching and technical pathways, what knowledge and practical competence should look like at different levels, and how areas such as horse welfare, safeguarding, participant welfare, inclusion and good coaching practice are embedded throughout.

An important part of this is ensuring that individual qualifications and pathways sit within the overarching standards and criteria required by the British Equestrian Federation and CIMSPA, whilst remaining progressive, robust and relevant to the practical needs of each discipline. It’s about creating clear progression through the levels, with the right technical knowledge, coaching competence, welfare and safeguarding expectations embedded throughout.

In many ways, this work brings together two sides of my career. Alongside my coaching, much of my wider professional career has involved strategy, organisational development, governance and looking at how structures and systems work as a whole. Being able to bring that experience into equestrian sport, alongside my practical knowledge as a coach, is something I really enjoy.

I’m particularly pleased to be able to support some of our smaller governing bodies and organisations in this way. British Carriage Driving is a sport I’m personally involved in and care a great deal about, so being able to contribute to the development of its coaching and technical pathways is particularly rewarding. Equally, I’m delighted to be supporting RDA and para equestrian sport, helping to develop pathways that recognise the particular technical, coaching, welfare and safeguarding considerations within that environment.

It feels like a very natural meeting point between my professional career and my life in equestrian sport, and I’m thoroughly enjoying being able to contribute in this way.

It’s a real pleasure to be increasingly asked to speak at conferences, exhibitions, learning events and training sessions, bringing together the different strands of my career, from equestrian sport, coaching and applied psychology, to senior leadership, organisational development and my MSc research.

My research captured the experiences of hundreds of women, exploring the emotional, psychological and physical challenges that can affect confidence, performance, wellbeing and continued participation in sport. While undertaken within an equestrian setting, the findings have much wider relevance across sport, particularly around welfare, inclusion, communication, culture and the environments we create around people to enable them to participate and perform well.

What makes this work particularly interesting for me is how naturally it dovetails with my wider career. Alongside many years working practically within equestrian sport and coach development, my background in senior leadership, organisational policy and strategic development brings another perspective to the conversation, moving from understanding individual experiences to considering how organisations, governing bodies, policies and education can create meaningful and sustainable welfare reform.

There is a great deal of crossover between research, leadership, coaching, welfare and policy, and I’m very much looking forward to sharing that thinking, challenging some established practice and contributing to conversations about how we build sporting environments that are progressive, inclusive, evidence-informed and centred on the welfare of both human and equine athletes.