The equestrian world often focuses on horse training, their performance, problems, and so on. There is a tendency to be naive about the reality that the most significant influence on horses is the knowledge, skill, and experience of the human sitting in the saddle or holding their lead rope.
If you talk to equine professionals or organisers of equestrian associations, they will all tell you the same thing - horses are easy, but people can be difficult.
This course aims to change this perspective, because people become less difficult to handle when you understand how equestrians learn and are influenced.
This thoughtfully designed online program is for interested equestrians including horse trainers, instructors, coaches, equine health professionals, leaders of equestrian clubs, and enthusiasts keen on enhancing their instructional skills in influencing people.
The objective of this course is to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively teach equestrians, emphasising the application of human learning theories, understanding and recognizing the barriers and unique challenges of working with horses, and the role of competence on learners' confidence.
Course Overview
This course has been designed to provide an in-depth and practical exploration of teaching people how to work with horses. It will also demonstrate how enhancing education can improve performance, welfare and safety in equestrian activities.
Topics covered include:
Foundations in Human Learning Theories:
Explore essential theories of human learning and expertise development, and learn how to apply these to equestrian teaching.
Understanding Equestrian Learning Barriers:
Gain insights into the common misconceptions and challenges in horse training, and develop strategies to address these effectively.
Fostering Competence and Confidence:
Focus on enhancing competence and confidence in learners, understanding their critical role in the learning process.
Strategies for Engagement and Relationship Building:
Learn how to create and implement effective strategies for engaging with the equestrian community and building lasting relationships.
Creating Processes and Resources:
Learn how to develop your own resources to document and improve your effectiveness at helping equestrians learn.
The course is delivered online and can be taken in two ways.
1. Fully online (self paced) - You can take this course at your own pace over a 12 month period. This means you can view the education material, resources and participate in the assessments at a time that is convenient to you.
2. Fully online (structured delivery) - This will be available twice a year and will be delivered over a 6 week period. During this 6 weeks you will be invited to engage in Zoom tutorials and discussion. Assessments will be due on a schedule (however, this can be modified for each participant if necessary). The dates for this delivery for 2025 remaining are 5 January - 9 February 2025. Please email [email protected] for any query regarding dates.
The curriculum is organised into 5 modules, each targeting a key aspect of equestrian education:
Module 1:
Introduction to Human Learning Theories
Module 2:
Effective Teaching Methods & Practices
Module 3:
Overcoming Barriers in Equestrian Learning
Module 4:
Developing Skills and Expertise in Equestrian Activities
Module 5:
Develop Resources to Document and Improve Teaching Equestrians
Yes, there are three types of assessments all designed to help you learn how to understand and apply what you have learnt.
1. Quiz -The course contains a quiz in Module 1 to test understanding of the various learning theories detailed in the module presentations.
2. Case Studies - There are TWO (2) case studies where you are given a scenario and asked to analyse and report on the situation from learning perspective associated with the Module topic.
3. Reflection - These are FOUR (4) reflection activities that require you to consider experiences from your own background and write a brief account for participation in tutorial events.
4. Program, Presentation, Course or Activity Plan (Optional) - Do you have an educational program, presentation or activity could you offer to your equestrian community? You might be a coach, trainer, instructor or equine professional (or considering to be one) and this assessment will focus on you developing the plan this resource that will be designed to maximise learning and engagement. This assessment is optional as it might not be relevant for all participants.
Once you have completed the course materials and successfully completed all required assignments you will issued a course completion certificate.
You will then be invited to do the following:
1. Have your name be listed on my website of people that have completed this course. This will allow people to identify coaches, instructors, trainers or other enthusiasts that have increased their understanding and expertise in how to teach people in the unique realm of equestrian activities.
2. Enrol in the second stage of my program to enter the pathway of becoming one of my recommended trainers, coaches and mentors. This has 2 Phases:
Phase 1: Become the student & enrol in my Reboot Program and work through my courses with my guidance & feedback submitting videos through the steps with two different horses. The time for completing this phase will take approximately 3-12 months.
Phase 2: After completing Phase 1 successfully, you can enrol in my Mentorship Program where you combine your human teaching and horse training skills. Where we work through real life cases & events together. The completion time for this will be approximately 12 months. First intake will be November 2024.
This two phase program is designed to help you develop your competency at training horses through my Reboot program (round penning, groundwork and building a riding foundation). Once you have completed both phases you can be listed as one of my recommended trainers, instructors or coaches that I can direct people to that have enrolled in my programs and desire hands on help. I have decided to create this recommended trainers, instructors, coaches or mentors list rather than have official CWC Horse Trainers, as I have seen this become problematic because each trainer etc. is an individual with their own unique set of skills and I wish to encourage this. However, I need to be able to identify people from around the world that I have evaluated and assessed at being competent at my program before I recommend them to others. For more information on my Mentorship Program please email [email protected]
The course can be self paced or structured delivery. See "How this Course is Delivered" above.
You have lifetime access to the course. However, if you are doing the self paced option, you only have 12 months from the time of enrolment to submit assignments.
Yes, see "Are there Assessments" section above for more information.
In the structured delivery of the course you will be invited to attend weekly Zoom tutorials over the 6 week time period of the course. However, there is also support available from Dr Shelley Appleton for the self paced version as well.
Yes, see "Course Certificate & Benefits" above for more information.
If you have any questions that are not answered here please email Dr Shelley Appleton via [email protected]
