The Confidence of having an ESNZ Coach

As a rider, you can be confident that your ESNZ registered Coach is safe and knowledgeable and demonstrates a high level of professionalism. They have:

Been evaluated at a high level and meet ESNZ standards for professionalism and competence as an equestrian coach.
Maintained their certification, and therefore dedicated to learning and advancement through regular professional development.
Obtained relevant insurance to protect themselves and their students.
Completed a police background check within the past five (5) years.
Current First Aid training and are trained in health and safety, and in dealing with equestrian incidents.

What’s it like to be an ESNZ Coach?

New Zealand’s highest German-qualified Dressage Coach Andrea Raves has accompanied two of her riders to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She has also represented New Zealand internationally at Grand Prix level three times. Andrea shares her insights from coaching over 35 years since she emigrated from Cologne, Germany. Currently, she is the Dressage Development Officer on the Dressage New Zealand Board and the Chair of the Development Committee. She talks about her love of coaching and the philosophy that she embraces. in our ESNZ Podcast.

Interested in becoming an ESNZ registered Coach?

There are no prerequisites for joining the ESNZ Coaching programme, however, we do require students to be at least 18 years of age. If you are currently coaching equestrian, you can enter at a higher level via Recognition of Current Competency (RCC) with skills assessment.

Programme learning

The ESNZ Coaching programme is designed to facilitate a “blended learning approach”, whereby activities and practical tasks can be completed face-to-face or a distance learning environment. Study in your own time, at your own pace, but we do prefer each level completed within two years (as occasionally work content may be updated). ESNZ Coaching workbooks vary in price from $40 to $400 depending on the level of study. ESNZ Coach Educators complete the marking of your work at approximately $20 per module of theory and $25 per half hour of practical assessment.

Registration

You first need to set up an account on HorseReg, the online database provided to ESNZ by Interpodia. Then go to the HorseReg Shop and select your Coaching workbook and go to the check out. If you are a current member of ESNZ and already have a HorseReg account, then log in to HorseReg and go straight to the Shop, select your Coaching workbook, and go to the check out.

Currently it’s free to list yourself on the ESNZ Coach database and also means you are covered for public liability insurance under ESNZ’s insurance policy. You can also join our ESNZ Coaching community Facebook page for regular updates and activities.

Once a Coach has obtained any of the ESNZ Coaching levels, they may then choose to become an ESNZ registered Coach. For this they are also required to have a current first aid certificate, ongoing development and a NZ Police check every four years (through ESNZ).

Coaching Levels

Introductory – ESNZ’s first coach level, coaching beginner and inexperienced riders, learning the foundations and fundamentals of being an equestrian coach
Development – ESNZ’s second coach level, coaching early competitors riders, begins to develop performance goals, but still balanced with equestrian sport being fun
Performance – ESNZ’s third coach level, coaching 4th-5th level Dressage, up to 1.30m Jumping, 1.15m Cross-Country or up to 120km Endurance.
Elite – ESNZ’s top coach level, coaching up to Grand Prix Dressage, Grand Prix Jumping, 4* Eventing and 160km Endurance

Each of the ESNZ Coach training pathways is divided into three sections: Equine Management, Riding, and Coaching. Course outlines are below, with more details in the tabs at the bottom of this page.