In Canada, we have had rider levels for a long time: riders have to do a ridden test, a barn management test, and a written test to pass each level. I had previously found their progression questionable, but thought I would give it another look to potentially be a certified coach…but I can’t do it: the levels and progression still baffle me, and the books need a significant edit.
I am curious if the US has a similar (but hopefully better) program?
We have Pony Club, which has a level system. It’s primarily focused on horsemanship with some riding as well. I definitely think it’s a good program!
I’d say Pony Club is equal parts riding and horsemanship, but they have that in Canada as well. Otherwise, people are just randomly labeled beginner, intermediate or advanced, which can vary widely from place to place. For instance as a lowly 8 year old D2 pony clubber (the second lowest level), my son was labeled “advanced” in riding at a general purpose summer camp, where most of the kids riding had no horse experience at all. At a local lesson barn, he’d probably be intermediate, since he could WTC and jump 18". In my mind (and Pony Club’s) he was still a beginner.
Just to provide some background for those outside Canada, this rider level program is a program developed by the national federation that is then administered by the provincial federations (I believe).
You can get tested by an approved evaluator (basically a coach who has been granted this power) and if you pass, you receive a certificate.
There are 10 levels, with the highest requiring a 1.0m - 1.10m course, a third level dressage test or training level eventing, and the ability to ride unfamiliar horses.
To become a certified coach, you must have passed at least the 8th level of rider testing.
(someone please correct me if any of this is wrong - it’s been 20 years since I got tested for a rider level so my knowledge of the current system is just from observation).
Not something I ever saw the point in. Just a money grab, with little value or meaning. Just as useless as the coaching certification program turned out to be. And I got coaching certification when first offered… 1983 And five years later, I wrote to Equine Canada to ask them to please remove my name from this list of certified coaches, having seen who else in my area that they had passed. (And switched to training racehorses instead. There was also a testing required for that as well, but I felt that that test was at least an adequate assessment of ability.)
I don’t know the answer to this issue, how to get quality coaching… other than trying to vet, examine and license those who offer the service. How to figure out what “level” of rider you are depends a lot of the quality of your coaching, AND how well you do in open competition with a selection of adequate judges, I guess. The Pony Club levels are adequate for children, IMO. No need to have two separate systems that are similar.
sadly EC still doesn’t produce a consistent quality of coach in my opinion but that isn’t stopping them from making it a requirement to coach at sanctioned shows. One thing to require safe sport and insurance but the long term requiring the coaching certification when the quality isn’t there is off putting
Plus, even if you’re not certified, you can just pay a fee per show and coach at horse shows anyway.
To me rider levels are different from coaching levels. Riders (and drivers) in eventing and combined driving have to qualify to move up the levels. As best I can tell everything else is a free for all.
EC’s requirements are NOT the same as the provincial requirements. I am a licensed coach based on years of experience (and I took all the required safesport, first aid and such), but I am NOT a certified coach. You can also be a licensed coach based on relevant post secondary education.
@Night_Flight to be an English instructor, you only have to pass level 6. (2’6" hunter course, grid, know your leads). To be a competition coach, you need level 8. You know what level they require knowing leg yielding? Level 8…no wonder I had trouble finding a rider that knew to push horses to the jumps rather than pull! I teach leg yielding before cantering. I forget when you learn rein back and turn on the forehand, but it isn’t level 1 or 2. And grooming comes in level 2…tacking in level 1… it is killing me.
Meanwhile, to be a western instructor, there are only four levels, and their test is reasonable. Simple changes, increase and decrease stride, TOH, TOF, two track. Maybe side pass? Rein back.
I cannot get behind levels that teach trotting a course of poles before teaching a rider to move a horse laterally off of leg in the most basic way (TOF).
Regardless of that, the books have a lot of mistakes in format, page numbering, inconsistent use of terms, words struck out.
I could rant for a long time.
Oh boy, that doesn’t make sense! 
Thanks for clarifying all that. My last actual involvement with the program was back when it was only 3 levels (if I remember correctly) before they expanded those into the 10 levels, and so I’m not very familiar with how it’s broken up these days.
Back then everyone had to jump I think too, now you can opt out of jumping, but you still work through the same books, so it is quite confusing. Dressage riders have to be taught to two point around a course of poles? Same with saddleseat riders. Very confusing. They need to have those separated out. I feel western is ok to all start from the same basics, but english uses very different tack…unless they expect everyone to start out generically huntseat?
That’s a temporary measure, FYI. It’s just a bridge while they work on getting every coach (eventually) certified. For 2023:
The temp coach status will be gone - possibly in 2024? I’m a show secretary so I’ve been getting communications from EC about it. Should be fun trying to get this sorted out this year 
I think I’ll do up some “copy and paste” blurbs that I can send because I anticipate I’ll have to explain this many many times!
Well, at the speed that EC works, I wish them luck with that!
I think the delay might be more at the coaches’ end - probably thinking that EC won’t follow through so they aren’t bothering to get certified.
Last year, coaches were supposed to be at least “registered status”, which basically was a background check, SafeSport training, and I think a couple other training sessions on concussion protocol etc. The sheer number of coaches who had clients at rated events (OEA) who just didn’t bother to even get started on the process was unbelievable. EC asked the show secretaries to send a list (every show) of the coaches who had students showing who weren’t registered so they could follow up, and ensure they had gotten going on it before this year when they were going to begin enforcement. I know they did contact them, because I heard from at least one after I’d sent the list. Not much change by the end of the season - still a big list of names, including lots of pros, who weren’t registered. EC even has a grandfathering program for coaches who have at least 15 years of experience, so they don’t have to go through the entire process.
At least they’ve changed the onus onto the coach - the original penalty for this year was to charge every entry with a non-status coach extra, at every show entered until the coach got their status. Now it’s been put onto the coach to pay until they get status, which makes more sense. I wouldn’t want to have to pay extra every single show if my coach hadn’t bothered to get registered or licensed despite several years’ warning!
Some US states have their own rules. For instance, at one time Massachussetts required that an potential riding instructor apprentice with a mentor.
This article and study includes these definitions which I find useful.
Beginner: needs supervision at all times when riding or handling a low-risk horse;
Novice: able to ride out of an arena or yard independently and do low-level competition;
Intermediate: confident to ride a variety of horses, basic training of a young horse with some supervision, and compete;
Advanced: able to confidently ride and handle a variety of horses, able to ride a green- broke-young horse, and compete at moderate to higher level of competition; and
Proficient: able to do all advanced rider skills, competently train others, and compete consistently in high level competition. (This category was added to include riders who have professional skills, earn an income or compete at the highest level of accomplishment within their equestrian interest).
My confusion lay with the fact that the “registered” and “Licensed” coach statuses are an EC thing…and have nothing do to with provincial coaching certification. Apparently by 2024, coaches will have to be certified coaches to be licensed. I had thought about doing it, but I am not sure - it has no benefit for me (I don’t want to show coach), and the english levels are nonsensical to me - I will never teach their process. I might look into the Western Certification though.
Ontario doesn’t have a provincial coaching certification - do other provinces? I thought it was all national via EC.
You do in fact have a provincial coaching certification. It uses EC rider levels, but has its own implementation. The National stuff is Licensing and Registration: it is up to the provinces to do their own certification (NCCP) process.
The coaching certification apparently will be required to get your EC license in 2024. It is not explained well.
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