Our Coaches always want to keep learning!

Learning keeps our Coaches up to date and relevant. They need to be up to date to ensure the best outcomes for our riders.  For our riders, their Coaches are very important people. The Coach listens very carefully to what the rider wants to achieve. The Coach also talks to the other important people in a rider’s life. This could be their parents or teachers. The Coach gathers lots of information, plans the rider’s programme and then makes it happen.

But we need to keep training our Coaches! New Coaches and experienced Coaches are all on their own learning journeys and they love learning. We must support them on these journeys.

To get better outcomes for our riders, we need to train more Coaches and train them well.

I’d like to introduce you to Taygen. Taygen is one of our Coaches and she loves learning more about how to support our riders.

This is what Taygen has to say about why she is a Coach.

“I Coach Because … RDA changed my life, I never really understood how loving your job could be life-changing. The horses constantly amaze me, their ability to heal and bring happiness and friendship to their riders. Seeing the bonds that are created, the empowerment it gives the riders. I am constantly being taught by my riders, being in awe of them and what they accomplish. Being a Coach at RDA has fulfilled me as a person. I love my job.”

Taygen also wanted to let you know why she thinks that RDA is so good for riders.

“RDA truly is a magical place. It’s inspiring, humbling, challenging and rewarding. It has made me a better person. The riders and horses amaze me on a daily basis. No day is ever the same. I want to be the best coach I can for my riders to help them reach their goals. The RDA’s environment is absolutely incredible. I have so much appreciation for the horses that help make RDA the special place it is.”

Let’s meet one of the horses that Taygen might select for a rider. She will select the horse that best meets the needs of the rider. She does this by analysing all the rider information she has gathered and applying her coach training.

Here is Pippin, one of the wonderful RDA horses. Pippin has a very smooth and steady gait. Ideal for a rider that needs some stability and help balancing.

The aim of RDA is to enable and support our riders achieve great outcomes by providing safe and effective therapeutic horse riding programmes.

Our Riders may experience a variety of challenges. These could be physical, intellectual, social, or emotional.

Epilepsy is an example of a medical condition that Coaches might need to learn about. It is a condition that a number of riders may have. With the training our Coaches receive they can assess risk and put measures in place to keep riders safe so both riders and their families can relax. Coaches ensure there are no barriers to riders participating in an effective programme.

Therapeutic horse riding provides all riders with the opportunity to set and reach goals which can have positive life-changing outcomes. Riders gain strength, improve confidence and increase independence. Our Coaches enable this entire process.

Coaches learn and gain skills from our face-to-face workshops, from webinars, from interactive online forums, by phone or email, and by talking to and working with our internal experts, as well as completing their qualifications through written assignments and being assessed on their practical skills.

Leading workshops, assessing coaches, verifying coaches’ skills, providing updated learning materials. It all takes time. But it is what is needed to ensure that Coaches have the background they need to provide a specialised, individualised service – tailored to each and every rider.

Taygen has some more to say about the Coach training that she is doing.

“I am enjoying my training, learning all about different Medical Conditions and a lot of complex challenges that our riders face on a daily basis. Being able to attend workshops with other coaches, learning from them and getting more experience has assisted me greatly in my learning.”

Today you have an opportunity to make a donation that will enable our Coaches to provide safe and effective riding. Be part of making it all happen!