Become a
Coach at RDA

02

Fiona Orr

Level 1 Coach

 
“As the children step off the bus they are beaming, mirroring the enjoyment on our volunteer’s faces.”
 

Buzz: 5am alarm

Screech: 6am arrive at the Centre

I swing the metal gate open to RDA Oaklands and begin my pre-dawn ritual. As I drive through and the tyres crunch the gravel, the horses recognise this as their alarm clock and gather at the gate, waiting for their cuddles. They are please to see me and on a cold morning, they nuzzle close with their warm breath against my cheek. This is always a special time I have with each horse and I love getting to know each of their personalities. I make up their feeds and hay, fill their water buckets: breakfast awaits and their routine begins.

Once they are fed it’s time to read my notes on riders from the previous week…and my breakfast!

Although this begins my day, my work really starts on a Sunday afternoon where preparations begin for the week. Quite often the phone starts ringing and messages roll in, mostly when volunteers are unable to attend. This is the most challenging time for me as a Coach. Can I run the sessions? Do I have enough volunteers? Do I have enough horse handlers or side walkers to run safely? Sometimes I lie awake, wondering how it will work out and feeling a sense of
guilt if it doesn’t.

Back to my normal morning: volunteers start arriving, we talk about the arena set up for the day and what activities are needed, whilst other volunteers tend to horses or prepare for riders to arrive. Phone calls from the schools start, letting me know what riders we have coming. The chatter and excitement increases. As a Coach, you welcome their enthusiasm and feel a sense of pride in their commitment to RDA.

Private lessons begin at 8.30am and when I return, all volunteers have arrived ready to start our first group lesson at 9.45am. I welcome everyone with a chat and disperse information about the day, while the horses are warming up and awaiting the bus to arrive with our riders.

Screech and creak: the gate is opening to let in our riders for the day. As the children step off the bus they are beaming, mirroring the enjoyment on our volunteers faces, ready for activities and trail riding. The chatter increases at morning tea with volunteers writing up their notes on a riders’ session, often becoming animated over their progression. The second group arrives by 11.15am, everybody truly in their stride now. Lunch follows before the final group arrives at 1.30pm. During lunch time, I oversee that the horses have hay and water, talk to volunteers about our riders and try to have a quiet moment, usually towards the end of lunch break. Sometimes I need
to hide to gather my thoughts! At times I might have a training coach with me who needs guidance or will need to go through the lesson plan. If it’s a Saturday morning, I enjoy my time sitting with the parents and listening to them. This time to connect and discuss their child is invaluable to me and to them.

Pack up begins whilst the last group is out trail riding. I make sure all the equipment is away and check the horses are fine to go back to paddocks; always taking the time to say good bye to them as they plod back home. As a Coach, I am the last to leave which could be 3.30-4.00pm as I tie up loose ends. Although tired from having walked 12-15km, it is paired with a quiet contentedness, fulfilled with a rewarding day.

Once home, I spend time reading through volunteers notes, adding comments if needed and get ready to do it all again tomorrow.

 
Fiona Orr
RDA Victoria

03

Sally Watson

RDA National Assessor

 
“I am passionate about RDA, that is why I have been involved since 1988 and I continue to be today.”
 

RDA Centres play a vital role in the community, not only for the activities provided for the riders and drivers, but for the volunteers. There is a sense of belonging to an RDA Centre, where people from all walks of life can get together to benefit the participants.

Volunteers are well trained in the roles they must perform and this too builds confidence and self-esteem.

RDA National Assessors play an important role in the development of, not only RDA Centres, but the people that work within them too.

National Assessors have 3 roles to play:

• Mentor
• Coach Educator
• National Assessor

As a Mentor, the Centre can be established and guidance given on horse acquisition and training, fundraising, finding a suitable venue and communicating with Disability service groups or schools to find participants for the program.

As a Coach Educator, volunteers are trained the RDA way, the safest way, to handle horses, assist participants and then teach. Suitable, willing coach candidates are trained with expert guidance, allowing for their own individual coaching style to develop. There is a mutual respect between Assessors and Coach Candidates. Coaches must have the respect of the volunteers they are working with too, so it is important that the Centre Committee endorses the candidate for training as a Coach.

As an Assessor, on Assessment day for the Coach Candidate, there will be nerves, deriving from the respect for the Assessor. It is helpful for the Assessor and Candidate to know each other prior to this day to help alleviate the nerves!

I have been in all of the above situations: a new volunteer, not knowing if riders understood English, to a Coach Candidate with a Mentor and then Assessor that I respected but was so nervous of because I didn’t really know them!

As an RDAA Coach Educator and National Assessor now, I try very hard not to make people nervous. This can be very hard and sometimes I have had to hide behind the mounting ramp! Riders can get nervous too if they have not met you before which is why being a Mentor to the Centre can break the ice and help you become more familiar to everyone involved.

My experience in RDA includes begin a Centre Coach, Region Coordinator, State Coach, Mentor, Coach Educator and National Assessor. Without the support of some wonderful RDA Coaches, I would not have had this experience and therefore would not be able to assist riders, volunteers and Coaches as I do today.

I am passionate about RDA, that is why I have been involved since 1988 and I continue to be today.
 
Sally Watson
RDA Victoria

 
Sally Watson was acknowledged for her many, many years of voluntary service to RDA, winning the RDA National Volunteer Service Excellence Award in 2018!