Your Skills Record

What is the difference between ‘ready for assessment’ and ‘coach or trainer endorsement’?

In your Skills Record, you will have a ready for assessment form that needs to be signed off by your coach – this is recommended for Stage 1 and compulsory for Stage 2, 3 and 4. This allows you to ensure you are ready to take the assessment and will not feel out of your depth on the day.

In addition to this, some awards require a coach/trainer endorsement for particular assessment criteria. These are criteria such as clipping a horse or loading a horse safely. These criteria must be signed off under the supervision of a coach in advance of the assessment day.

You will need to ensure you take your Skills Record with you to any assessment.

What happens if I can’t find an Accredited Professional Coach in my area to sign off my training? Can my assessor do this on the assessment day?

We pride ourselves in having an ever growing membership of Accredited Professional Coaches committed to being their best and continually evolving their coaching craft – find an Accredited Professional Coach in your area.

Remember, a coach at a BHS Approved Centre can also sign off your Skills Record, so we are confident there will be someone close by. If you are struggling, please contact our Equine Excellence Team who can help point you in the right direction.

The ready for assessment sections cannot be signed on the day by your assessor. Similarly, the coach endorsements cannot be signed off on the day, as these cover sections of the assessment criteria that we are unable to assess on the day (such as clipping a horse and bathing a horse).

I'm an overseas/remote candidate. How do I get my Skills Record signed off?

Any candidate who cannot access a relevant Accredited Professional Coach or Approved Centre of the correct level should contact our team. They will guide you on what we can offer - this may be by reference or video if deemed necessary. This could be due to the candidate being an international candidate or from a very remote location where the BHS do not have Accredited Professional Coaches or Approved Centres within a reasonable distance.

I’ve lost my Skills Record, how do I get a new one?

Don’t worry – should you lose your Skills Record, please contact our Equine Excellence Team and we will be able to replace this at a fee of £5. Of course, we cannot replace the endorsements and record of achievements and skills you would have perhaps gained, so please do take care of it.