Pony Club Information and Guidelines for Parents
(information updated from Coaches Conference 2015 DDPC parents evening)
Coaches
Coaches are the foundation of the pony club. Coaches are enthusiastic, knowledgeable horse people who are willing to share their expertise. Please remember that coaches have different strengths and varying levels of experience, but they all have something to give – their time and willingness to coach. It is important that children and parents alike, are courteous and respectful towards coaches at all times.
Children
Please always encourage your child/ren to be courteous and show them respect. As a minimum courtesy please ensure that your child/ren:
Parents
Parents can help by:
Be open to allowing your child/ren to swap ponies at rallies in situations where coaches think it is safe (only safe ponies of course). Children improve immensely and develop a feel and understanding when riding a variety of ponies.
Private Lessons outside of Pony Club
Some children are lucky to have access to attending private lessons outside of pony club. Please understand that this is a different environment to pony club as they will be working in groups and undertaking a variety of learning at pony club. What works in a private lesson may not work so well in a group situation. Pony club provides quality and sound riding coaching based on tried and true principles with a strong emphasis on safety. In addition to teaching riding skills, Pony club also teaches comradery, teamwork, horsemanship and offers an environment with other horses, which helps when out competing. Pony club aims to have members become knowledgeable all-round riders and able to care for their mounts independently. Every coach whether private or at pony club, has something to offer and riders need to be encouraged to be open to trying different approaches.
One of the most important roles a parent can play at pony club, is that of positive parental influence. Understanding some of the psychology involved in riding horses is beneficial to parents. Andrew Scott who is himself a very accomplished rider (to Olympic level), lectures at Massey in sports psychology as well as being a top level coach and parent. He gave a very thought-provoking speech at Pony Club conference 2015 and some of these points are great for parents to consider and take on board
There are 3 types of fear in sport
• Fear of injury
• Fear of failure – letting down supporters, family, sponsors
• Fear of embarrassment or being made a fool of
Find out what type of fear drives you or your child/ren most and work on that . Courage and bravery is not the absence of fear but the ability to move beyond that fear. Don’t send kids out on the cross country or show jumping ring wondering if they can do it – send them out knowing they can do it – practise and schooling comfortably a level higher than aiming to compete at.
Child proteges need driven, committed positive parents. Do not be negative around sports fields, rallies or competitions. Teach your child/ren to turn fear to a positive – teach them to never give up You attract that which you concentrate on most – so focus on the positive and good feelings.
Avoid Accidentally Hypnotising your children. This is subconsciously being hypnotised into a negative frame of mind by people you respect.
• Happens when emotions are high
• Caused by someone you respect or want to impress (often parents)
• Mostly young and impressionable are most effected
• Occurs without your knowledge
• Has long term effects but easy to cure
Example of this is parents discussing lack of performance or lack of improvement or put downs when they think their child is not in ear shot when expectations of parents not being met – child takes it on board, think they aren’t ‘good enough’ which in turn affects their performance and they lead themselves to believe they aren’t going to achieve – so they don’t achieve =downward spiral.
Teach your kids that the judge, umpire or referee is always right. Teach them to adapt their play and learn their interpretations to up their game. Encourage your kids to be coachable – pure talent is nothing without commitment, respect and Cooperation
Some inspiring quotes / comments
Riders Safety Gear
It’s really important that parents ensure that their child/ren have well-fitting, standards approved safety gear ie. Helmets for all activities and back protectors for cross country activities.
Helmets
A list of the approved helmet standards and a guide to fitting is available on the NZPCA website http://www.nzpca.org/asset/downloadasset?id=507f25a7-b2b5-4b32-9c6a-e3ffe373b471 Helmets must be comfortable for the rider and should be replaced after any serious falls involving their head. There are many very affordable standards approved helmets on the market so don’t be fooled into thinking that you have to buy the helmets that cost hundreds of dollars unless you wish to.
Back Protectors
Back protectors are to be worn for all cross country schooling and competitions. These must now be safety approved to meet BETA EN13158 2009(or newer) Level 3 or ASTM F1937. The back protector policy can be found on the NZPCA website - http://www.nzpca.org/asset/downloadasset?id=3a7e32a5-4599-4988-adbb-27af69c10310
Stirrup iron fit
Remember kids’ feet grow all the time, new boots can be different widths – so stirrup fit should be checked regularly and always after buying new boots. Don’t wait till you are out at an event to be told. When the foot is in the stirrup with your riding boots there should be a minimum of 2cm gap if you put your foot to one side (or approximately a large adult finger). Coaches will undertake safety checks at rallies, but this is an important role at home before going to pony club too.
Check Gear for Wear and Tear / Damage Regularly at Home
Help your child/ren check their gear for damage – worn or cracked leather/synthetic materials, broken or worn stitching, damage to buckle etc as these can all cause a major accident if left unchecked. The best time to check is while cleaning gear. Presenting to pony club for a rally involves a safety check at the start of the rally, it saves a lot of time and stress if gear is regularly checked at home. The worst time to find dangerous gear is just before a rider is about to go out and compete ie show jumping or cross country at a gear check. If gear is found unsafe at a gear check it will need to be changed and rechecked and the rushing around can cause riders to become very stressed, unprepared, and unfocused before heading out to jump.
Saddle Fitting
Think BBC!
B – Balance – what is it doing to the rider? ie. Tipping forward or back
B – Bearing – no bridging – panel contact even
C – Clearance – sufficient clearance – must never touch the spine
Saddle fitting is important for the riders to be balanced and for the horse to be comfortable and pain free. Often bad behaviour can be associated with poorly fitting saddles – high head carriage, girthiness, cold backed, bucking, unwillingness to bend – there are many things that could be associated to painful saddle fitting or pain caused by it. One of the most common faults seen is a saddle that is fitted too far forward and held tightly in place with a breastplate. Most saddles will push back to the correct spot behind the scapula is allowed to. There must be freedom for the scapula to rotate Some saddle fitting basics
To feel how a horse feels if a saddle is sitting too far forward and pressing on shoulder blades, get down on your hands and knees and get someone to press down very firmly on your shoulder blades – the immediate reaction is to hollow your back away from the pressure.
White saddle cloth/dirt pattern – reading the ‘dirt map’.
When trying a new saddle, once you’ve ascertained it is the correct fit for the rider (seat size, flap size, type etc) and you’ve checked the general fitting – place a thin white clean saddle cloth on under the saddle and ride the horse for at least half an hour or more – enough to make an imprint in the saddle cloth. When removing it, lay it underside up and see what the imprints tell you. Go to 'Photo Gallery" tab and look up Useful Information Photos for dirt map diagrams.
Certificates and Exams
We aim to set riders up for success not failure. If a head coach does not feel that a rider is competent enough to pass an exam, they will not be put forward. The ages and timing of certificates in the manuals are guides only. Every rider has different strengths and learns at different levels.
No one wants to fail and having riders fail affects coaches a great deal. If it means waiting a bit longer to achieve a pass, the head coach will make that call. Parents can help with this process by not putting a high expectation on timing of sitting exams according to the time since the last exam was sat, the age of the rider or how soon another rider gets to sit the exam.
Please support the decision of your branch head coach or district chief coach.
Badges and Certificates in Equine Skills
Certificate in Equine Skills
These programmes offer additional achievements for riders of all levels and competencies. The junior equine skills certificate programme is aimed at riders 7-12 years and senior at 13 years and over. The ages are a guideline only and the head coach can advise which level to enter the programme at - ie. riders younger than 13 who have their C certificate could enter the senior programme.
Riders without horses can work towards these certificates also, if they continue on at pony club after attaining their RWOH certificate.
Badges
Badges are a wonderful way to be rewarded for achieving knowledge of various topics and these are encouraged for use to help members work towards certificates. Where it may take 2 years to achieve the requirements for a particular certificate, it may only take a lesson or two to achieve a badge and it helps to provide a progressive approach to achieving. RWOH also benefit by being able to achieve badges along the way to working towards their certificate.
Qualifying for Events
The committee and head coach will keep you up to date with any upcoming team competitions and their requirements. Qualifying for events is primarily to ensure that the rider/horse combination are competent and safe to compete at the level required .
Many competitions and require riders to qualify. These may be qualifications set by the competition organisers or if branch competitions or branch team selection, they may be set by the branch committee in addition to any competition qualification requirements.
Having a team selection policy is recommended to avoid conflict and to provide a transparent process for coaches, committee, parents and riders alike so everyone knows what the requirements are ahead of time and the approach is consistent for all. Ask if your branch has a policy or procedure.
For team competitions like Springston Trophy, Southern Teams, Area or South Island Dressage, Games or Show jumping championships, utilising of a team selection policy, ensures that all parents and riders know they have to perform well in order to achieve a place in the team/s and that they are being fairly considered according to this. This makes things very clear to parents and riders alike and protects the coaches/committee making those decisions.
Smaller branch/district level competitions like Frank Clarke are for encouraging participation for all. Try to encourage older riders to ride in teams to support and mentor those just starting out (even if it seems babyish or not ‘their thing’) – it provides amazing levels of confidence and the younger riders really feel important being in teams with their older more experienced counterparts. Remind your older riders that they started out little or inexperienced once and it’s a way of putting something back into the club and to model team culture.
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