Best Tips for Top Marks in EC’s Instructor Certification

I was lucky enough to be selected for the first cohort of students that participated in the Online Instructor Certification. It was with Helen Richardson who is the lead on the Provincial Stable Program for Ontario. Helen is an active Equestrian Canada (EC) licensed coach and she was the former Coaching Coordinator at EC. I had no doubt that I was in good hands.

The course was pricey at over $500, but this included a lot. It was months of instruction, dedicated one-to-one meetings and opportunities to engage with my classmates. There were a range of different activities weekly. I have to say that when I signed up in the summer of 2022 for a September start, I was not entirely sure what I was getting myself into. Lesson learned. It was a lot of work.

How it All Worked

The course lasted 17 weeks and in that time there were 15 meetings of various lengths. At the beginning we got to know each other. The cohort wasn’t that big, there were about a dozen of us and a few coach developers joined to assist Helen in the delivery. Starting with a training overview, things were going well. Then we needed to meet twice a week where we took the EC NCCP Long Term Equestrian Development and EC NCCP Planning an Equestrian Practice (which took 2 weeks to complete).

These topics were super interesting and Helen did an excellent job of trying to engage us. The courses took place over Zoom, so this was a challenge. I think Helen managed to keep us all focused to the best of her ability. This type of stuff was necessary, but I have to say that there were times when I struggled to maintain focus. It has been a long time since I was a student, and I realized that my ability to sit in class was sort of weak! Anyway, we made our way through this type of material and then we got down to the important stuff.

The Important Stuff

We had to prepare an Emergency Action Plan (or an EAP), which I already knew about. But I think the nice part was that EC provided a template and at the beginning. Much of it I could easily fill out. There were other pieces that were a bit more challenging, but I felt like having the template got me off to a really good start. I was then able to submit the rest of the EAP with ease.

After this, we wrote a test. The information on the test came via a link and we were proctored while we wrote it. This included leaving our cameras on. This test was not difficult. I came out of it with a 94, and if you have done your rider levels, the test should be a breeze. It is a lot of the same information. The difference is that it is from an instructor perspective rather than a rider perspective. No surprise, there were questions relating to the EAP. This seems rather obvious on reflection. I was so happy that I had submitted and got feedback on my EAP before I wrote the test.

Making Videos

Once this was done, we moved into the video component. For the Instructor Certification, you have to submit multiple videos. I submitted a practical video, an unmounted video, a mounted video (plus a jump video if that’s your thing, which I did), and a lunge video. So, let’s talk about it.

The practical video was stable management stuff. I had to put on polo bandages and boots. At first, I thought this was so simple, but then when we got right down to it, it had to be perfect. At this point I was thankful that it was on video and I could have multiple attempts because, for example, my polo bandage might not always finish exactly on the outside, but for the video it needed to be exact. Having few attempts to get one I was really happy with was a real benefit.

Then we had to write lesson plans and conduct an unmounted video. Mine was on bridle fitting. Helen looked at my lesson plan and gave me some feedback before I moved to video.

My Reflections

I think one of the really important pieces is that you need to listen to the coach. Even if you think they are being picky or that they are just plain wrong, you need to conform to their requirements. They are the examiner, so keeping them happy is crucial. I think I will get a lot of hate for saying that, but it’s true. You just have to do it for the exam. If you want to go back to your old ways after the exam, that is up to you.

I will say, however, that this was NOT my experience. As a novice, I needed to hear exactly what I was missing. I WANTED to incorporate this stuff into my lesson. Thus, I found some very kind and willing students and completed my unmounted lesson. It was the same for the mounted lessons. Helen, and some of the other coaches that were helping with the cohort, gave me some really helpful advice on what I needed to think about. I then completed my videos and prepared them for submission. Watching the videos back gave me some really good opportunities for reflection.

I was most worried about the lunge video. I had to lunge a rider and there were a lot of requirements. I needed a cavesson, side reins, and a rider that was willing to participate. It’s interesting that this was my area of concern because it was only walk and trot. I didn’t need to prepare a lesson plan for this section. But! I had heard through the grapevine that a lot of people failed this part, so I was anxious.

What made it worse was that we had a lot of ponies in our program and my cavesson and side reins were full size (thus not suitable), so I needed a horse. I really didn’t have one that was appropriate, so I had to use my young horse for this. I picked a more advanced rider just to make sure that things were going to go well. Ultimately, I actually did really well on the lunging video in the end.

Wrapping Up

There were DEFINITELY things I would have done differently, but overall it turned out OK and Helen was very kind.

At the end of the program, we wrapped up and had one-to-one meetings with Helen. Her dedication to the program was apparent and I learned a lot of new things as a result. And I passed, which was great. I think this sort of training is important for our sport. If you are thinking about taking the EC Instructor Certification Program, I would highly encourage you to reach out and sign up with some of the wonderful coaches that are running it!

If you want to see my Practical Video as an example, It’s here, but mine is CERTAINLY NOT an example of perfection!

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