Skills Record | The British Horse Society

The Skills Record is an integral component of your assessment process. It is designed to help support you as you develop through your career. It also provides a way of recording your achievements as you learn new skills. Skills which cannot be assessed at an assessment day. Your Skills Record will assist you as you undertake training and ensure that you are fully prepared for your assessments, as you progress through your BHS Career Pathway from Stage 1 to Stage 4.

Please look after your Skills Record as it contains a wealth of information to guide and support you. It also has relevant sign off pages to confirm you are ready for assessment and necessary templates for coach endorsements.

It is compulsory for your Skills Record to be signed off before you sit your assessment. This includes:

Ready for Assessment
Any Coach Endorsement or Trainer Endorsement sign off that applies to your assessment
A completed ‘My Details’ page (page 3) if photo ID cannot be brought to the assessment

This applies to assessments at Stage 2, 3 and 4. You will be required to present your completed Skills Record to your assessor at your assessment. If you arrive at your assessment without a Skills Record, or your Skills Record is not signed off correctly, you will not be able to go forward to take the assessment and will be asked to leave the assessment centre.

it is the candidate’s responsibility to check the Skills Record sign off for the assessment they are due to take. Ensuring the Ready for Assessment, and if applicable, Coach Endorsements are completed correctly. The Skills Record must be signed off by an Accredited Professional or Approved Centre Coach with the relevant qualification at least one level higher than what is being signed off.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure plenty of time for the elements to be signed off appropriately. The Skills Record should be signed on an ongoing basis as you undertake regular training. We would recommend Skills Record sign off should be completed at least one month before the assessment date.

You can download and print your own Skills Record (link below), or you can purchase a copy for only £5 from our online bookshop.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a Skills Record?

You can download and print your own Skills Record (link below in downloads), or you can purchase a copy for only £5 from our online bookshop.

What is the difference between ‘ready for assessment’ and ‘coach or trainer endorsement’?

In your Skills Record, you will have a ready for assessment form that needs to be signed off by your coach – this is recommended for Stage 1 and compulsory for Stage 2, 3 and 4. This allows you to ensure you are ready to take the assessment and will not feel out of your depth on the day.

In addition to this, some awards require a coach/trainer endorsement for particular assessment criteria. These are criteria such as clipping a horse or loading a horse safely. These criteria must be signed off under the supervision of a coach in advance of the assessment day.

You will need to ensure you take your Skills Record with you to any assessment.

What happens if my Skills Record isn’t signed before my assessment?

After 1 October 2022, if you arrive at your assessment and your Skills Record is not completed appropriately, you will not be allowed to continue with your assessment. You will be asked to leave the assessment centre.

You will not be eligible for a refund of your assessment fee, and will need to rebook your resit at full price.

What happens if I can’t find an Accredited Professional Coach in my area to sign off my training? Can my assessor do this on the assessment day?

We pride ourselves in having an ever growing membership of Accredited Professional Coaches committed to being their best and continually evolving their coaching craft – find an Accredited Professional Coach in your area.

Remember, a coach at a BHS Approved Centre can also sign off your Skills Record, so we are confident there will be someone close by. If you are struggling, please contact our Education Team who can help point you in the right direction.

The ready for assessment sections cannot be signed on the day by your assessor. Similarly, the coach endorsements cannot be signed off on the day, as these cover sections of the assessment criteria that we are unable to assess on the day (such as clipping a horse and bathing a horse).

I'm an overseas/remote candidate. How do I get my Skills Record signed off?

Any candidate who cannot access a relevant Accredited Professional Coach or Approved Centre of the correct level should contact our team. They will guide you on what we can offer - this may be by reference or video if deemed necessary. This could be due to the candidate being an international candidate or from a very remote location where the BHS do not have Accredited Professional Coaches or Approved Centres within a reasonable distance.

Can I transfer my assessment if my Skills Record is not signed off in time?

We encourage you to have found an appropriate Accredited Professional or BHS Approved Riding Centre before booking your assessment. Your trainer will be able to support you with a training plan working towards a suitable assessment date. We understand that for various reasons obstacles can get in the way of your training which may cause delays with being ready to have your Skills Record signed off. Regular training and contact with your trainer should identify any risk of this happening as early as possible.

If you do need to transfer your assessment to a later date to allow more time for your Skills Record to be completed please follow our transfer policy within our Booking Terms and Conditions.

A family member is an APC / Approved Centre Coach, can they sign off my Skills Record?

Your Skills Record is part of your assessment process and sign off should be independent, just like your BHS Assessment is. Therefore, no, a family member should not sign off your Skills Record as this would be a conflict of interest.

Downloads

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please complete our enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly. Alternatively you can call us on 02476 840508.