As a coach you will not only be able to have a positive effect on horse welfare and wellbeing, but you will develop valuable interpersonal skills through your coaching experiences. If you're passionate about horses and seeing others learn and improve, then a career in coaching could be perfect for you.
How to become a Coach
The skills you will need to become a coach include - a broad knowledge base covering horse care and riding, empathy towards others, great organisation and planning skills, creativity to inspire others, ability to adapt plans to suit the situation and great communication skills.
You can develop these skills along with your equine knowledge and skills through BHS qualifications. BHS Coach in Complete Horsemanship qualifications are unique in the industry as they combine qualifications in care, lungeing and riding with coaching. This makes sure you have a strong knowledge on how to care for and train horses, which you can then pass on through your coaching, ensuring the wellbeing of the horse. This is one of the reasons our qualifications are so well respected worldwide.
BHS Coaching qualifications have a clear progression route starting with BHSQ Stage 2 Foundation Coach in Complete Horsemanship all the way up to Fellow of the BHS which is the highest possible achievement. A coach who has followed this progression through the system is highly sought after as they can coach not only experienced and professional riders, but also beginners and novices. The skills they have developed enable them to be highly knowledgeable and versatile.
Benefits
There is great demand for coaches in the industry, meaning there are lots of job opportunities. You can work in any area of the UK or even work overseas. As a coach you will meet and train a wide range of people, watching them progress is hugely gratifying – you may be coaching a young rider today who could become a future winner at Badminton!
As a coach you can find employment in riding centres, colleges or even set up as freelance coach and run your own business. If your first passion is riding and training horses, coaching is a great way to supplement and support this area of your business by providing a regular income.
Many of the skills you learn as part of coaching are transferrable to different industries, so if your situation changes these skills can support a change of career. Working as a coach the skills you gain are highly sought after in any career that requires good people skills, this might include careers in sales, hospitality, mainstream teaching and social care, amongst many others.