If you're looking for a strong bond with a healthy, happy horse, the Challenge Awards are perfect for you.
BHS have developed a range of awards that provide you with the opportunity to develop your understanding of horse care and rider skills. Enhance your knowledge at your own pace and advance on what's important to you. The BHS Challenge Awards are designed for horse owners, loaners and recreational riders (no matter what your experience or ability) who want to learn more about horses and develop their skills for personal achievement - anyone who completes an award will be recognised with a certificate, and if you complete all awards in a level you receive a medal!
Learn how to care for horses, develop hands-on, practical skills and get stuck in with the day-to-day tasks. You can even improve your riding skills too.
Whether you own or loan a horse we welcome you to an equestrian community which will encourage and motivate you to achieve your personal goals.
THE AWARDS
Each challenge award comes with a supporting information booklet that introduces the knowledge and skills within the award. Our coach will issue them to you upon registering for the award. The information booklet also includes your award checklist; this is a checklist that our coach will sign off as you complete parts of your award. Once all sections have been signed you have achieved the award!
The challenge awards are split into two main sections:
ABOUT THE HORSE (Knowing Your Horse, Caring For Your Horse, Handling Your Horse, Lungeing Your Horse) ABOUT THE RIDER (Riding Fit, Riding Flat, Riding Jump, Riding Out Safely)
Each section has four topics and within them there are three levels of award; bronze, silver and gold.
There are also ‘introduction challenges’ for horse care and riding; suitable if you have none, or limited, experience with horses.
Whilst the awards are not a professional qualification, they do offer entry to transition into the suite of BHS professional qualifications. For example, completion of the Silver About the Horse awards will provide entry to BHS Stage 2 Care, and likewise completion of the Silver About the Rider awards will provide entry to BHS Stage 2 Ride.
You can check out the full information about the awards here, on the BHS website: https://pathways.bhs.org.uk/challenge-awards/
CHALLENGE AWARDS IN AGDRC
As one of the first Riding Clubs to organise and offer the BHS Challenge Awards, naturally we're very excited!
Kate Broadway is a BHS Stage 3 Coach in Complete Horsemanship (APC), and is one of the first BHS Accredited Professional Coaches in our area to be approved to deliver the brand new BHS Challenge Awards. Her clients have been flying through their Awards, with Kate having assessed over 20 since the soft launch in late 2018. We're very lucky to have her on board to deliver and assess these awards for our members - the ONLY prerequisite to taking the Challenge Awards is that you must be a Silver or Gold BHS member. Bonus: as a member of AGDRC (and as such BRC) you can receive a 30% discount off your first year's BHS membership fee!!
The BHS Challenge Awards are suitable for Juniors and Seniors alike!
To find out more, please email info@aspleyguiseridingclub.com and we'll help get you started on your journey.
Keep an eye on our calendar for dates we're arranging for Challenge Award training and assessments!
