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COACH OUTREACH PROJECT
The Coaches Outreach
Project is an initiative that the Ontario Horse Trial Association first
launched in the fall of 2006. Since then it has grown to include over 120
Ontario based coaches.
The purpose of the
program is two fold:
If you are a member looking for a Coach in
your area, simply click on the appropriate area code and information below
regarding coaches, facilities, areas of specialization and contact information.
If you are a Coach and would like to be included
on the list or would like to up date your information, please contact Stephanie
St Pierre sst.pierre9@hotmail.com
and she would be happy to help. The information in this database is offered as a service to our
members and coaches.
An Invitation To....
2012 Ontario
Coaches Conference
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Over
60 riveting workshops to choose from
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Sport experts:
Dr. Joe Baker, Dr. Vicki Harber, Bruce Craven,
Sommer Christie, Carolyn Taylor
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Trailblazing Coaches:
Sheilagh Croxon, Greg Henhawk, Chantelle Hanley
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Respected sport leaders:
Ian Troop, TO2015, Paul Melia, Peter Fonseca
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Inspiring keynotes from humanitarian,
Ian Hill, and Canadian sport icon,
Bruce Kidd
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Networking socials and tradeshow
We dare you to leave no stone unturned and reignite your
passion for coaching. Spaces are filling up quickly and
some clinics are already sold out. Subsidized rates and
flexible day packages are available to suit your
coaching schedule.
click here for the full weekend schedule and to
register.
You Asked....
Send along your riding
and training questions and one of our Coaches Corner
experts will give you some advice...
Dear Coaches Corner,
Hi I have a 15yr old
strawberry roan Appaloosa mare and i would like her to
start working in a frame. My sisters horse works in a
frame and when I ask on her she gets all confused. She
just got her eye removed because of cancer so in a week
I can start riding her, I would have to start from the
basics so I figure this would be a good a time as any
to have her start working in a frame. Any advice?
Thanks
Serena
The best way for you to start working your mare in a
frame would be to find a coach that you could work
with. That would be a great first step. They could
help with explaining what aids you should be giving
in the moment. Next you also want to ensure that
your bridle and saddle are fitted correctly. These
are all things a coach could help you with.
As you are looking for a coach and in between
lessons, you could try some of these exersises.
Warm up on a long rein. This allows her muscles to
warm up and to stretch her neck. After your warm up
(aprox. 10 min) start doing some walk halt
transitions. Make sure you use your leg to halt, by
dropping the weight into your heels and seat, and
not just your hands. Once halted, don't keep a hold
of her mouth, soften so she is rewarded for doing
the correct thing. This is where working with a
coach can really help. They can instruct you on the
timing of your aids.
Once you have done lots of transitions, a good idea
is to work on suppleness. A great exersise for this
is serpentines. Start with a 2 loop and work up to
a 4 loop. A common mistake riders make is that they
don't make each loop the same size. Riding
accurately makes you a better rider. Repeat the
serpentine loop until she starts to feel softer at
the rib cage and in her mouth. It takes alot of
patience and dedication to teach a horse to be soft
and round in a frame. It may take alot of
repetition. Another common mistake is for your
contact to be inconsistant. Try and keep a feel of
your horses mouth, without pulling back. Try and
push with your leg so the horse seeks the bit. She
should start to soften in her mouth. When you feel
this, be sure to reward her. A verbal "good girl"
or scratch on the withers are useful. There are
some great books dedicated to this topic. My
favourite is Walter Zettl's 'Dressage in Harmony'.
It is great that you want to ride your horse in a
more correct manner. I have trained a horse that
also lost an eye. It never seemed to phase him.
However we would ensure that he had lots of space in
his approach to jumps. But you could never tell he
only had one eye.
I hope this has been some help,
Siobhain O'Connor
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