THE POWER OF COACHING: Releasing Surprising Potential in Equestrian Athletes

The

Power of Coaching Releasing Surprising Potential in Equestrian Athletes Islay Auty BA FBHS and Penny Pollard MA

Kenilworth Press

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We would like to dedicate this book to our loving husbands, David and Keith, who have provided unconditional moral support and practical advice. We are particularly grateful to Keith who suggested that we collaborate on this project, and for helping us create the framework for the book.

Copyright Š 2016 Islay Auty and Penny Pollard British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 000 0 00000 000 0 The right of Islay Auty and Penny Pollard to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patent Act 1988. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

Designed and typeset by Paul Saunders Artwork by Karen Mortimore Printed in

Kenilworth Press An imprint of Quiller Publishing Ltd

Wykey House, Wykey, Shrewsbury, SY4 1JA Tel: 01939 261616 Fax: 01939 261606 E-mail: info@quillerbooks.com Website: www.kenilworthpress.co.uk

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Contents

Foreword by Carl Hester mbe

7

Acknowledgements

8

Note on How This Book Proceeds

9

1. An Introduction to Coaching

11

Explaining coaching; Creating learning opportunities; The coaching process; Choosing a coach; Managing relationships; Insights

2. Core

36

Regeneration and development; Limiting psychological traits; Positive psychological traits; Learning from experience; Judgement and planning; Insights

3. Thinking

68

Concepts related to learning; Learning ‘how to learn’; Control versus empowerment; Critical analysis; The learning journey; Beliefs, attitudes and mindsets; Barriers to learning; Role models; Insights

4. Emotional

92

Managing external influences and pressures; Personal blocks; The transition curve; Dealing with expectation, disappointment and success; Insights

5. Spiritual

122

The relationship between horse and rider; Training horse and rider; Insights

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6. Delivery

149

Overall approach: coach-led or rider-led?; Questions, questions, questions; The coaching delivery process; Receiving and giving feedback; Insights

7. Where Next?

184

Legacy; Mentoring within sport coaching; Further development as a coach Appendix 1 Guidance for Establishing a Coaching Philosophy

195

Appendix 2 British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Coaches’ Code of Conduct

198

Further Reading

202

Index

204

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Foreword by Carl Hester MBE

Some riders have not been taught how to coach, however, there are now more opportunities to learn and master the skill of coaching. This book is one of those offerings.

There are many important aspects that need consideration in order to be the best coach one can be. This book highlights many of these. The coach’s role is to help ‘make it happen’, recognising where each rider’s ceiling is, and therefore all parties need to have different expectations. I’ve rarely come across someone not trying to do their best, so coaches need to understand and manage the rider’s frustrations. The coach can fulfil many roles and ideally should encourage the rider to work on what they can’t do rather than what they can do – helping them to be non-defensive and resist showing off. Both praise and criticism are essential, delivered with confidence and conviction. The coach also needs to understand when to push on, and when to leave the problem for another day. Would you, as a coach, deal with a client in the same way as a close friend? Probably not.

In equestrian sport it is more necessary for the rider to have the right support around them to achieve success, including an appropriate type of coach, as talent is not enough. There are cases of riders with less talent, but there are many high achievers who have had the right horses, coaching and all-round support to enable them to succeed, often at a high level. Sadly, some riders with greater talent are not able to access that all-round support and are therefore not so fortunate.

I recommend this book for all coaches who wish to enhance and refine their coaching skills.

Carl Hester MBE International rider and coach, Team GBR – dressage

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following people for their help with writing this book: Keith Humphrey, Jill Day, Nick Burton and Melissa Russell for their constructive reviews and feedback.

Carl Hester MBE for his inspiring foreword.

Our friends and colleagues who provided insightful quotes (David Hunt, Judy Harvey, Amanda Bond, Dickie Waygood, Heather Rabbatts, Heather Killen, Lynn Petersen, Yogi Breisner FBHS, Christopher Bartle FBHS, Phoebe Peters, Amy and Holly Woodhead, Natasha Baker, Jennie LoristonClarke MBE FBHS, Di Lampard, Ruth Edge, Rosie Thomas, Scott Brash, Corinne Bracken, Nick Burton, Lady Madeleine Lloyd Webber, Nick Harding and Professor David Peters).

Tilly Williams (main picture – eventing), Phoebe Peters with Peter Storr (dressage coaching), and Millie Allen (Young Rider European Showjumping Championships Arezzo, Italy), for permission to use their photographs on the front jacket.

We would also like to thank: Core Context Consulting Ltd for their administrative support.

Lynn Petersen, Chief Executive, British Horse Society, and Sara Branch, Cool Equestrian, for their kind offers and suggestions.

Karen Mortimore for her creative images.

Kevin Sparrow, Tanzy Lee and Millie Allen for their kind permission to use their photographs.

And huge appreciation to Melissa Russell for her tireless hard work and patience with typing and integrating our writing.

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Note on How This Book Proceeds

This book assumes that the coach has the relevant knowledge relating to a horse’s correct way of going for the rider’s chosen discipline. The content will therefore concentrate on coaching as a highly valuable competence in its own right, albeit that it might sit alongside other competencies such as judging, stewarding, strategic thinking, programme management, etc.

We will explore the many, multi-faceted issues and opportunities that can affect the clear pathway of development, whether you are a coach or learner. The authors have combined their respective experiences as coaches from the equestrian and commercial worlds to provide practical guidance on how to be an amazing coach. In the chapters that follow we will expand on the concepts and frameworks introduced in this chapter in more depth under the following headings:

Chapter 1 – An Introduction to Coaching Explaining the aims and key processes of coaching; outlining how to choose a coach.

Chapter 2 – Core The coach and learner’s intrapersonal processes, such as what motivates them; their aspirations; limiting psychological traits.

Chapter 3 – Thinking Reference points such as the theory of learning; learning channels; barriers to learning.

Chapter 4 – Emotional Breaking personal blocks; increasing resilience; channelling and managing feelings.

Chapter 5 – Spiritual In an equestrian context, the relationship between the horse and rider; mindfulness (awareness of self and others); developing empathy.

Chapter 6 – Delivery Coaching styles and behaviours; delivery cycle.

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Chapter 7 – Where Next? Summary and next steps; the difference between coaching and mentoring; further development opportunities; equestrian forums.

We believe that the concepts and ideas in the book are relevant to both coaches and learners, as both parties will need to be open to learning in the pursuit of excellence.

Thinking

Delivery

Core Spiritual

Emotional

The five areas of competence to ensure excellent coaching.

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1. A n Introduction to coaching Point of view A basic human motivation is mastery: to become more capable, competent, efficient, elegant, confident and therefore more productive in the areas we choose to strive in. Coaching is a powerful assisting process which enables us to develop ourselves and reach our goals, hopes and expectations. Coaching is valuable for all ages, and one is never too old to learn! The need for learning may be triggered by a stretch objective or ambitious target. Life events, for example, a significant change in personal circumstance, create moments of truth that can trigger major insights.

This book is written for the benefit of both coaches and learners and, throughout the text, we make the point that developing and strengthening the coach-learner relationship is crucial to both parties. This being the case, many of the points addressed primarily to coaches are valid to, and valuable for, those learning, and vice versa. Therefore, we have not attempted to make arbitrary divisions of the subject matter into ‘material for coaches’ and ‘material for learners’, rather, regardless of who might be viewed as the ‘lead’ reader at any point, it is our hope and belief that the information provided will be of value to all.

This chapter will explore the benefits of coaching, the role and responsibilities of a coach, and highlight the need for both parties (coach and learner) to be open to learning. This foundation will enable coaches and potential coaches to develop and establish your coaching philosophy (please see Appendix 1 for a summary of the areas that you may wish to include). For the learner, it will address the question of why anyone would want to receive coaching. We are able to solve a proportion of our problems and create new

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strategies ourselves, but we sometimes have blind spots and/or a clear need for help. Learners can benefit from an external influence, in the form of a coach, who can provide additional and/or different perspectives and suggest courses for action in response to a challenge and/or an opportunity.

‘Everyone has (at least) one blind spot, and sometimes it takes an outsider to see what we can’t. Whether it’s your spouse, your boss, or a mentor, that person is your coach.

There’s a lot that sport can teach us about life and business, and the value of coaching is one area where the sports example is especially strong.’

Heather Killen, CEO H&C TV

Explaining coaching EQL Ltd’s (the awarding body for equestrian activity) definition of coaching is as follows: Coaches help make sport a safe, enjoyable and rewarding experience for participants by taking a participant-centred philosophy. This means that everything a coach does, he/she does with his/her participants in mind. Session plans are designed to maximise learning and enjoyment.

Exercises are created to help participants learn. Feedback is given to help them improve. Questions are asked in order to help participants to develop their own problem-solving skills. Everything a coach does should be with the aim to help their participants become independent, self-teaching sports people.

Engaging in learning, whether as the coach or learner, can be exciting and rewarding; and is an excellent way of helping us improve our performance, maximise our potential (of both human and horse), and achieve our goals.

Learning is a lifelong quest that can deliver many tangible and intangible rewards for both the coach and learner. Individuals are always changing – influenced by our own evolving needs, such as the need for affection, inclusion and achievement, and by external factors, for example, pressure from others to succeed, or new opportunities arising. So coaching can help learners make informed and significant choices rather than reactive decisions. However, the preconditions for progress, whether for the coach or learner, are a commitment to learning, a desire for mastery, and a belief in

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c h a pt e r 1 • a n i n t r o d u c t i o n t o c oac h i n g

true partnerships. One of the goals should be to build an interdependent relationship where there is mutual respect, and trust.

‘I have spent most of my career without a coach and now try to coach others. In so doing I have learnt how important it is to have this resource in your career, especially as you become a leader in your business/organisation. To have a safe place where you can truly let go and discuss with total honesty the challenges, people issues and personal doubts is invaluable. In the best of coaching both parties continually learn and grow and this ultimately helps to develop those leadership qualities that are often elusive.’

Dame Heather Rabbatts (DBE), Independent Director of the FA, Chair of FA Inclusion and Advisory Board, Member of UEFA Media Committee

The coach will, of course, learn a great deal from the relationship, but this will be as a consequence of the primary focus being on the learner. The coaching process must be useful and consistent in its application. The learner should see coaching as a major investment towards their success within their area of endeavour. It should not be seen as an extravagant cost; rather it is a powerful necessity in the structured development of the learner.

Historical perspective Over the previous seventy years the education of riders has changed drastically in a sport that evolved primarily from a military origin to a leisure and competitive recreation. Trainers in sport are called different names.

Team sports (football, rugby) tend to have a coach, but so do swimming and athletics which, like equestrian sport, are often predominantly regarded as individual sports. Riders have benefited from ‘instructors’ or ‘teachers’ for generations, but modern sport favours ‘coach’ as the word to describe the educator or trainer who helps the person to learn.

In the business world there has been an extraordinary growth in executive coaching. Twenty years ago, if an employee had a coach, it was usually because there was a serious performance issue. Also, others often viewed the learner as remedial (whether they were or not), so there was sometimes a reluctance to ask for a coach, or engage with coaching if it was offered or ‘suggested’. However, the reverse is now true – an ambitious executive would expect to be assigned a coach, often external to the organisation, in

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‘Having access to top-level coaching can make or break a career; that’s true in business as well as in sport. One of the most fundamental leadership skills is the ability to coach and develop talent. Success only comes from realising the maximum potential from those you work with; and there is nothing more rewarding than that.’

Amanda Bond, Executive Manager, Equestrian Affairs, The Hong Kong Jockey Club

order to maximise their potential. They are likely to start with ‘chemistry meetings’ to make sure that they are comfortable with the style and experience of the potential coach. They may also have an internal mentor – a more senior, well-networked executive, who can help them navigate the organisation’s politics, and facilitate business relationships and opportunities. Coaching, as distinct from formal leadership development programmes, can be more impactful and helpful for the individual as it’s based on ‘live’ opportunities and challenges.

The learner therefore benefits from practical actions and outcomes that are relevant to their particular context.

Coaching, in many different environments, is now recognised as an important skill in its own right.

In recent years there has been more discussion and emphasis on the term applied to the role we have in business or sport as educators. Most dictionary definitions make reference to:

– Imparting knowledge.

– The profession of ‘giving instruction’.

– To instruct or discipline.

– To prepare.

– To inform.

– To teach.

– To direct.

– Give guidance.

– To order or command.

– To train.

– To prepare for examinations or competition.

On that basis, we think we are secure in calling ourselves coaches and, for ease and consistency, this book will refer to the educator as ‘the coach’ and the recipient of the education as the ‘rider’ or ‘learner’ as appropriate to the context. In some broader contexts, the term ‘athlete’ is also used.

Core values of the equestrian coach It is essential that the equestrian coach holds the core values of training the horse as sacrosanct. They should understand that the training of the horse requires clear principles that are consistent in application, so that

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