BHS Stage 4 | The British Horse Society

About Stage 4

Stage 4 will equip you with the specialist knowledge and technical skills to be able to:

Promote and provide ethical care and training
Progress and establish your career
Fulfil a managerial or leadership role
Earn a higher salary
Start or expand your own business
Manage, support and mentor others
Understand different perspectives and approaches to working with horses and people.

Direct entry

If you do not hold BHS qualifications already but feel you would like to start at Stage 4, you can enter via direct entry using other equine qualifications or evidencing your experience in the industry. Please refer to our Direct Entry guidance.

Stage 4 qualifications

There are six qualifications at Stage 4. As with every Stage you have the choice to complete the qualification suited to your goals and aspirations. At Stage 4 if you follow Riding and Coaching qualifications you can hone your skills to a specific discipline, focusing on your passions as you carve out your career with horses.

To gain a qualification you must complete any compulsory unit indicated plus one optional unit from the selection below.

Click on the links in the table below to read the qualification syllabus.

Responsive Table with Hover Effects

	Stage 4 Qualifications
	Senior Yard Manager	Senior Yard Manager with Riding*	Senior Coaching Riders*	Senior Eventing Coach*	Senior Dressage Coach*	Senior Show Jumping Coach*
Unit 1: Stage 4 Senior Care	Compulsory	Compulsory		Compulsory	Compulsory	Compulsory
Unit 2: Stage 4 Senior Management	Compulsory	Compulsory		Compulsory	Compulsory	Compulsory
Unit 3: Stage 4 Senior Lunge		Compulsory		Compulsory	Compulsory	Compulsory
Unit 4: Stage 4 Senior Ride for Training Eventing		Optional		Optional	Optional	Optional
Unit 5: Stage 4 Senior Ride for Training Dressage		Optional		Optional	Optional
Unit 6: Stage 4 Senior Ride for Training Show Jumping		Optional		Optional		Optional
Unit 7: Stage 4 Senior Coaching Eventing			Optional	Compulsory
Unit 8: Stage 4 Senior Coaching Dressage			Optional		Compulsory
Unit 9: Stage 4 Senior Coaching Show Jumping			Optional			Compulsory

*Achievement of the qualification requires completion of all Compulsory units plus one Optional unit.

Further information about each qualification is available in the full Level 4 Qualification Specification for BHSQ qualifications. An overview of content is below.

Stage 4 Senior Care

You will be assessed on:

Selecting, fitting and evaluating a range of specialist tack
The principles of nutrition, physiology and improving fitness
How to assess the conformation and health of horses
How to care for a variety of horses
The foaling process and the care of mares, foals and young stock

This is a practical assessment with some professional discussion. The assessment may take up to three hours 30 minutes but may be split up into different sessions over a day.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Stage 4 Senior Management

You will be assessed on:

How to manage a yard and staff management
The requirements for self-employment
Customer care and how to apply this in your business
Record keeping and the upkeep of facilities
Financial requirements of a business, marketing opportunities and grassland management. For the assessment of these three topics you will be given a case study and asked questions in relation to the assessment criteria. Download an example case study.
How you demonstrate effective interpersonal skills. This is assessed via an informal group debate/discussion. The that you may be asked to discuss are:

Tethering horses: Should this activity be banned?
Turnout: Should horses live out 24/7 and only come in to be worked?
Rugs: Do all horses need them? 
Horse owners: Do they need a license?

This unit is assessed via professional discussion and informal group debate. The assessment is usually via video call, however a face-to-face assessment may be available upon request. The assessment is usually three hours, split into two sessions over one day.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Stage 4 Senior Lunge

You will be assessed on:

Lungeing to improve a horse’s way of going, including lungeing over poles
Assessing the horse’s way of going in all three paces, evaluating the work and suggesting a progression plan for the horse
The use of training aids for lungeing.

This is a practical based assessment, with some professional discussion. This assessment may take up to one hour, but you may be required at the assessment centre for longer than this.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Stage 4 Riding options

We are delighted to offer riding assessments in three disciplines; eventing, dressage and show jumping.

On completion of a riding unit you will be able to use your broad experience in the industry to confidently assess and train a variety of horses. You will be able to provide in-depth explanations, analysis and solutions for training horses to improve and maintain performance and way of going in your chosen discipline.

Senior Ride for Training Eventing

You will be assessed on:

The training of horses from birth to riding away and further to competition level
Riding empathetically with consideration for welfare and safety for yourself, the horse and others at all times
Riding and assessing horses to develop their way of going. The riding sessions are:
- Ride an inexperienced dressage horse
- Ride a trained horse in a double bridle up to Elementary level
- Ride an experienced show jumping horse over show jumps up to 1.10 metres
- Ride a horse over cross-country fences up to 1 metre
Evaluating your ridden sessions and future plans to develop the horse’s training.

This is a practical assessment with some professional discussion. You will ride four horses. Each ridden session is approximately 30 minutes, to include discussion with the assessor. This assessment may take up to four hours, split over different sessions throughout the day.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Senior Ride for Training Dressage

You will be assessed on:

Training of horses from birth to riding away and further to competition level
Riding empathetically with consideration for welfare and safety for yourself, the horse and others at all times
Riding and assessing horses to develop their way of going. The riding sessions are:
- Ride an inexperienced dressage horse
- Ride a trained horse in a double bridle up to Elementary level
- Ride horses that are used to train others. You will ride one horse on the flat, and one horse on the flat using poles and/or floor patterns
Evaluating your ridden sessions and future plans to develop the horse’s training.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Senior Ride for Training Show Jumping

You will be assessed on:

Training of horses from birth to riding away and further to competition level
Riding empathetically with consideration for welfare and safety for yourself, the horse and others at all times
Riding and assessing horses to develop their way of going. The riding sessions are:
- Ride an inexperienced horse over show jumps up to 1 metre
- Ride an experienced horse over show jumps up to 1.10 metres
- Ride horses that are used to train others. One session may include grid work or related distances.
Evaluating your ridden sessions and future plans to develop the horse’s training.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Stage 4 Coaching options

We are delighted to offer coaching assessments in three disciplines; eventing, dressage and show jumping.

On completion of a coaching unit you will be able to use your broad experience in the industry to coach a wide variety of clients. You will be able to show genuine improvement of horse and rider in both training and competition environments while demonstrating a sound knowledge of coaching methods and principles.

Senior Coaching Eventing

You will be assessed on:

Safe coaching practice with the health, safety and welfare of horse and rider maintained throughout
Coaching a rider on the lunge to improve their position
Coaching an individual dressage lesson up to Elementary level
Coaching a group show jumping lesson (up to 1 metre)
Coaching a semi-private simulated cross-country lesson (up to 1.10 metres)
Understanding of relevant coaching techniques and motivation for clients, and the ability to assess the horse and rider combinations.

This is a one-day practical assessment with professional discussion. You will coach four lessons. The lunge lesson is 30 minutes, the other three coaching sessions will be 40 minutes duration. This includes discussion with the assessor.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Senior Coaching Dressage

You will be assessed on:

Safe coaching practice with the health, safety and welfare of horse and rider maintained throughout
Coaching a rider on the lunge to improve their position
Coaching an individual dressage lesson up to Elementary level
Coaching a semi-private dressage lesson up to Novice level
Coaching a group lesson on the flat with poles
Understanding of relevant coaching techniques and motivation for clients, and the ability to assess the horse and rider combination.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Senior Coaching Show Jumping

You will be assessed on:

Safe coaching practice with the health, safety and welfare of horse and rider maintained throughout
Coaching an individual show jumping lesson up to 1.10 metres
Coaching semi-private lesson using gridwork or related distances up to 1 metre
Coaching a group lesson on the flat with poles
Understanding of relevant coaching techniques and motivation for clients, and the ability to assess the horse and rider combination.

Check out the full structure below to find out more about what you will do at your assessment.

Getting started

1. Practical training

You must train with a BHS Stage 4 Trainer who can sign off your Skills Record (see below for Skills Record information).

Find a Coach (select "Stage 4 Trainer")

Find a BHS Approved Centre.

The BHS also offer training events and advertise external training events offered. Please note the presenters at these events may not be able to sign your Skills Record.

Find a training event or course.

We also have a dedicated closed Facebook group for people requesting or advertising training for BHS assessments.

Join the Facebook group.

2. Self-study

Top up your training with some home-learning.

For our Care, Lunge, Ride and Coaching assessments, our ‘BHS Complete Horsemanship Volume 4’ is our essential guide. You will also find extensive information in the BHS Veterinary Manual and the BHS Complete Manual of Horsemanship. Visit our online shop.

We also have lots of information on horse care and welfare and business management including stable safety and fire procedures.

3. Stage 4 Skills Record

The Stage 4 Skills Record forms part of your Stage 4 assessment. A proportion of the theory content within each unit is signed off in the Skills Record prior to your assessment and then sampled on the assessment day via a discussion with the assessor (referred to as a Viva assessment).

You must take your completed and signed off Skills Record to your assessment. Your Skills Record must be signed off by an Accredited Professional Coach (APC) or by a Coach within a BHS Approved Centre. The Coach must be registered with the BHS as a Stage 4 Trainer and must hold the relevant qualification at Performance or BHSI level.

We strongly recommend that you start training with a Stage 4 Trainer before booking your assessment to ensure you can set realistic timescales for completion of the Skills Record prior to your assessment day.

Find out more about the skills record.

Find a Coach (select "Stage 4 Trainer")

Find a BHS Approved Centre.

4. Assessments

All BHS Assessments are to be taken at BHS Approved Assessment Centres.

View our assessment dates

Our assessments close for bookings three weeks before the assessment date. You must book before this deadline.

Ready to book your assessment? Book online or alternatively call our team on 02476 840508. It will take about 15 minutes. To make the process smoother have your BHS Membership number and a credit or debit card to hand for payment.

Information about the assessment day

All BHS assessments involve practical tasks and discussion with the assessor.

The Stage 4 Care, Lunge, and your chosen Ride assessment can all be taken on the same day or if you prefer can be booked for separate occasions. If all units are taken on the same day the Care, Lunge, and Ride is a full day assessment (approximately, 8.15am-5pm). Short breaks in-between sections, and a lunch break of 30 minutes will be allocated throughout the day.

Stage 4 Management is held on a separate day. This unit is assessed via professional discussion and informal group debate. The assessment is usually via video call, however a face-to-face assessment may be available upon request. The assessment is usually three hours, split into two sessions over one day.

The Stage 4 Coaching assessment will be held on a separate day to the Care, Lunge and Ride. This is a full day assessment (approximately, 8.15am-5pm). Short breaks in-between sections, and a lunch break of 30 minutes will be allocated throughout the day.

If you are not taking any assessment in full, you may be required to be at the assessment centre for longer than the time allocated for that activity. Your activity or unit may not follow straight away after the assessment welcome and introduction. You may be required to wait for your section to begin.

5. Entry requirements

Entry requirements for Stage 4 Care: Stage 3 Care or equivalent via direct entry.
Entry requirements for Stage 4 Lunge: Stage 3 Lunge or equivalent via direct entry.
Entry requirements for Stage 4 Ride Eventing: Stage 3 Ride Dressage and Stage 3 Ride Jump or equivalent via direct entry.
Entry requirements for Stage 4 Ride Dressage: Stage 3 Ride Dressage or equivalent via direct entry.
Entry requirements for Stage 4 Ride Jump: Stage 3 Ride Jump or equivalent via direct entry.
Entry requirements for any Stage 4 Coaching unit: Stage 3 Coach or equivalent via direct entry.
There is no qualification prerequisite requirement for the Stage 4 Management unit.

Additional entry requirements for Stage 4:

A minimum age of 18 years old on the day of the assessment.
Gold Membership. If you are taking your assessment at one of our international centres, you must be an International Full or International E-Member.
Skills Record. The completion of your Skills Record is not required to book your assessment but must be completed before you take your assessment.

Assessment fees

For Stage 4, assessment fees are:

Stage 4 Senior Care

£248.00

Stage 4 Senior Management

£193.00

Stage 4 Senior Lunge

£110.00

Stage 4 Senior Ride for Training (Eventing, Dressage or Show Jumping)

£276.00

Stage 4 Senior Care, Lunge and Ride for Training (same day assessment)

£607.00

Stage 4 Senior Coaching (Eventing, Dressage or Show Jumping)

£303.00

If you are a BHS Accredited Professional, we are pleased to be able to offer a 25% discount to your assessment fee. This discount can only be applied to the full price. If you’re not an Accredited Professional, join us today.

We’re here to support you

There may be funding available to you.

If you feel you would like additional support at an assessment please follow our Access Arrangements guidance.

If you need a bit more guidance or you’re not sure where to start, our friendly team will be happy to help. Simply get in touch by phone (02476 840508) or use our enquiry form.

Full qualification syllabus

To ensure you are prepared with all the details you need, download the full qualification specification for BHSQ qualifications here.

Polices and procedures

Our qualifications are delivered to the highest standards possible. We have policies and procedures that we follow before, during and after the assessment. This ensures that our assessments are fair and offer you the best quality and service we can provide. We encourage you to be familiar with our policies and our assessment terms and conditions. These explain what you can expect from us and what we expect from you as a candidate at a BHS assessment. Your experience and satisfaction is very important to us. If at any point you feel disappointed in the service we provide the information below will also inform how you can let us know.

BHS Assessments policies

BHS Assessment terms and conditions

IGEQ Equestrian Passport

A BHSQ Stage 4 Senior Coach can apply for an IGEQ Level 2 Equestrian Passport.

The Equestrian Passport offers easy to carry confirmation of coaching qualifications. It enables coaches to have their qualifications recognised and accepted in IGEQ member countries, thus easing the difficulties of teaching in other parts of the world (subject to national legal requirements).

BHSQ

BHS Qualifications (BHSQ) is an awarding organisation recognised and regulated by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, SQA Accreditation in Scotland, Qualifications Wales (QW) and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland. BHSQ works in partnership with a variety of organisations to develop and award qualifications for the equestrian industry. This ensures BHSQ qualifications are fit for purpose for the sector.

As the awarding organisation, BHSQ is responsible for the processes which learners undertake to obtain certification. BHSQ is responsible for verifying that assessment practice in approved centres is conducted systematically, effectively, securely and to national standards specified within the qualification.

The British Horse Society (BHS) is approved as a centre to deliver qualifications regulated by BHSQ. BHSQ and the BHS developed these qualifications in line with feedback received from extensive industry consultation.

Learners taking BHSQ Level 4 (Stage 4) qualifications will either be seeking employment at management level or will already be employed in the industry with a desire to progress their career by advancing their skill and knowledge. It is essential these qualifications meet the needs of employers and learners. To satisfy these requirements, the qualifications have been developed in collaboration with employers, colleges, coaches, students, and expert groups.

BHSQ awards and regulates the following Stage 4 qualifications:

BHSQ Level 4 Senior Yard Manager (Stage 4)
BHSQ Level 4 Senior Yard Manager with Riding (Stage 4)
BHSQ Level 4 Senior Coaching Riders (Stage 4)
BHSQ Level 4 Senior Eventing Coach (Stage 4)
BHSQ Level 4 Senior Dressage Coach (Stage 4)
BHSQ Level 4 Senior Show Jumping Coach (Stage 4)

BHS Accredited Professionals membership

The BHS’s Accredited Professionals Coach or Groom membership will provide you with a competitive package of exclusive benefits and resources alongside a supportive community, for all you need to work self-employed. An exceptional insurance package can be added to your membership for peace of mind.

Find out more

Next step - BHSI

Take your career to the next level and show your ability as a highly experienced coach with the BHSI qualification

BHSI