Why having lessons on a school horse is beneficial?

The interesting thing about horse riding education/instruction in Australia is that there is no compulsory governing body for qualifications.

Instructors DO NOT need a qualification to teach.

Instructors DO NOT need insurance to teach.

There is no compulsory, safety guidelines to follow.

BUT

What we do have available is our performance governing body, Equestrian Australia.

Within this organisation (EA) there is an in-depth coaching education process which enables future coaches to work through 4 levels in 5 areas…

General

Dressage

Show jumping

Eventing

CarriageDriving

The 4 levels to work through are Introductory – Level 1 – Level 2 and Level 3.

Each Level has 3 components –

*Horse Management

*Riding

*Coaching

The Horse Management and Riding needing to be passed prior to the commencement of the Coaching at each level.

Within each component there are 3 parts for assessment –

*Theory

*Practical

*Oral

Before commencing the Coaching components, candidates must have completed their Working with Children check, completed their Level 2 First Aid and completed a ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) online exam.

On a yearly basis when registrations are due it is compulsory that each coach produces evidence of self-education which is based on a points system and to have also taken part in bi-yearly EA Coaching update. These updates are for any new information necessary for Equine coaches to know including insurance updates, Equestrian Australia or Equestrian Victoria rule changes.

Overall, it is a very in-depth education process that produces Coaches/Teachers of the highest standard.

At Avoca Park we feel it is particularly important for us to only use EA qualified coaches for our teaching. The SAFETY and WELL-BEING of our non-horse owner and horse owner students is paramount to us.

We also encourage all our Team members starting at Junior level to take part in our courses, this enables us to have the whole Team on the same page regarding any information given for horse or rider.

For us here at Avoca Park enjoyment is in the education and the way it is delivered.

And for you, our clients, the safety of you and your families whilst taking part in one of, what we all feel here, one of the most wonderful hobbies there is.

“Working with Horses”

Why having lessons on a school horse is beneficial?

The first question you should ask is what does the school horse have that can benefit you?

People come to Avoca Park for many different reasons –

To regain confidence after an incident with their own horse.To learn to ride for the first time (often an adults bucket list)To get back into riding after a break… Sometimes one year, sometimes 20 years.To learn some different exercises on a more educated horse.To keep riding if their horse is on spell or injured.

We have a variety of school horses at all levels, something to suit everyone, from FEI horses to horses completely suitable for the new rider to learn their skills or a nervous rider to regain their confidence.

For parents it is a wonderful way to nurture the passion of a child without the initial commitment of time and money.

It is really interesting to watch and work with the school horses, they know their job and they take their jobs very seriously.

They look after people. Adults and children.

They allow them to learn. 😊

How to decide on the best riding school fit?

Every riding school has something different to offer weather it be the types of arenas, level or qualifications of teachers, the types of riding done, age of the teachers, experience of the teachers or how the horses/ponies are trained.

So, there are a few questions that needed to be asked.

What is it you are looking for? For you or your child/children?

What sort of environment do you want to learn in?

Do you want an indoor as an option?

Or is the outdoor experience enough?

Would you like individual / private lessons?

Or are you more interested in the social aspect with group lessons?

How would you like the horses to be trained?

What sort of insurance does the facility have?

The list can go on forever….

You should spend the time, give your interested facilities a call, speak to them regarding what you are after, if necessary make an appointment to visit, meet the Team, be it ponies and humans and get a feel.

This Equine journey is here to be enjoyed. 😊

Why should you choose Avoca Park?

Avoca Park Equestrian’s purpose is to “To educate horse lovers to better understand and train horses in a logical step by step process providing a beautiful environment” and our mission is “To create an equine learning facility where horse lovers can come to develop their skills from all around the world”. We pride ourselves in the fact that we can offer a safe and educational facility where the welfare of the horses and our clients come first.

For lessons we insist that all coaches are EA qualified, please see the importance of an EA Qualified Coach in the linked question of why they are beneficial. We also insist on kind, compassionate but firm coaches- to help our clients learn in a positive environment.

When horses come to Avoca Park for training Leanne works with your horses personally. One on one training daily from both the ground and on top (depending on what training and where the horse is at). We receive wonderful reports from our clients as they go on to train and race succesfully or return to the show ring competitively.

With our full care agistment, you can rest assured your horses are left in the best of care. We ask all our staff to enrol with Equestrian Australia and receive their qualification of Introduction to Horse Management while working with us here at Avoca Park. Our staff provide the best of care and love to your beloved horses.

Please check out some of the questions answered on this page which are just some of the several reasons we believe you should choose our facilities over others in the area.

How do we maintain the health and well-being of our school horses at Avoca Park?

Our Team of school horses have the same maintenance program that our competition horses do that is as well as our agistee and older horses too.

We are very structured how we do this –

Our horses worming program is a combination of worming pastes plus faecal tests. We give the horses an Equest Gel paste on the first Monday in December and June, at the commencement of Summer and Winter. Then we take faecal tests on the first Monday in March and September, any of the horses or ponies with an elevated worm count, that is one over 300 EPG or eggs per gram. With these guys we will give them a worming paste.

We get our CHAMPION dentist James Harvey out once year in September to get all our horses and ponies a dental assessment. They get a filing where necessary and sometimes a tooth removal or two.

Every 5 years all our horses and ponies have a tetanus booster, we do this on the years that end in 5 or 0, it makes it very easy to remember when it is due.

Our WONDERFUL farrier Paul Beath is generally here weekly or fortnightly to keep up with all our trims and shoeing’s, especially once spring starts to enter and our horse’s feet grow that much quicker.

Our Equine physiotherapist, Katrina Varcoe-Cocks is here 2 – 4 times a year to keep our kid’s bodies in a way conducive with being able to do their jobs comfortably.

We are incredibly lucky to have a super vet practice, Elite Equine, with a great group of vets to service us at very short notice if necessary. They look after all facets of our horse’s health and well-being.

If necessary, all our horses are medicated for any disorders they may have developed as they have moved on in age. This enable them to them to do their jobs to the best of their ability.

The care that we put into our horses allows us to present them to our riders in the best capacity possible for them to enjoy. 😊

Are Avoca Park’s school horses trained?

Here at Avoca Park we pride ourselves on the quality of school horses and ponies we have available for our riders.

We believe that for our riders to continue to learn it is advantageous for the horses to continue to learn too.

So, on a weekly basis our school horses get ridden and continually trained by our teachers.

Our ponies are also quietly lunged between lessons to maintain their balance for the children.

TWHY IS THIS BENEFICIAL?

AThe benefits are for a number of reasons….

Our teachers are very familiar with our horses from a riding perspective so they can help our students better understand the aids needed.

Our school horses continue to be educated between lessons to aid their development and their education.

The training we do with the horses continues to develop their symmetry which gives a more educated ride.

We are able to keep their responses to the aids very similar, this aids us with our teaching.

The ENJOYMENT of our students is of utmost importance to us. 😊

What gear do we use on our Avoca Park school horses and ponies?

At Avoca Park we like to use the best quality equipment available.

3 out of our 4 school horses, Oke, Louise and Felix all have a personally fitted, Peter Horobin handmade dressage saddle.

Stormy has a handmade Rich & Son dressage saddle imported from the UK.

Our ponies are all in personally fitted Bates all purpose or Wintec saddles.

All our school horses have their own named girths. Our bigger horses have either a handmade Peter Horobin girth or a bates flexible fit girth.

The ponies all have a personal wintec girths. All named to prevent the need to share of gear.

All our horses and ponies have their own named bridles with a simple full cheeked snaffle bit or a tom thumb bit.

Our saddles, bridles and girths are cleaned monthly and checked for any wear and tear issues.

All our saddles are fitted yearly to our horses and ponies by our saddle fitter Paul Buckland.

All their saddle blankets are washed on a monthly basis.

We feel that the comfort of our school team is exceptionally important, as it enables the guys to do the best jobs possible to allow riders to improve their skills.

Why should you choose Avoca Park?

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