SELECTION FOR THE BRITISH EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION FOUNDATION SQUADS ARE NOW CLOSED.
l'm delighted to say that my squad consists of Daniel Manning, Nicky Thompson, Ben Rodin, Alex Sutton, Natasha Atkinson andKirsty Buckwell. l have done a series of coaching sessions with the team since last October, the goal in mind being the first ever Inter Regional Para Dressage Foundation Squad Championship which was help on July 23 -24 2010 at Millfield School, Somerset alongside the British under 25’s CPEDI CH / J /UR 1*.
We had (BEF) Regional Foundation Squads with riders from across five regions (South East, Northern, East Midlands, South West and West Midlands ) taking part in this inaugural event. The idea behind the event was to put the riders in a different situation when training in a competition environment and developing the skills required to be part of a team.
Myself, Nina Venables, Erik Mackechnie, David Hamer and Maria Eilberg supported our teams by providing coaching support and advice during the competition including going through the riders test sheets and discussing warm ups and how to improve their tests on the second day.
It was tight finish with the winning team being us the South East, followed closely by the Northern team in second place. The winning team comprised riders Daniel Manning, Nicky Thompson, Alex Sutton and Ben Rodin. My other two riders Natasha and Kirsty had to ride in another team to make up numbers and they also did very well with their %'s. Nicky just missed making a double and was Reserve Individual Champion - Well done to everyone.
(Incorporating the Regional Foundation Training Squads)
RECRUITMENT and SELECTION POLICY 2009
PROGRAMME MISSION To identify, support and develop riders and horses demonstrating talent & potential in the Olympic and Paralympic disciplines and increase and sustain participation and support the development of regional talent within safe and structured environments.
OBJECTIVE OF SELECTION POLICY The specific aim of the Selection policy is to select talented rider combinations and to provide training and development to help further their ability for future sporting success.
BACKGROUND Increasing participation and raising standards across the sport are key objectives. The Club and Coach project, enabled by funding from Sport England, continues to drive towards these outcomes by strengthening the regional focus of the delivery of Equestrian Sport.
Through the Club and Coach plan the BEF regional team aims to work with BEF Member Bodies to increase and sustain participation and support the development of regional talent within safe and structured environments. The Regional Foundation Training programme, will offer opportunities for talented riders, which will include expert training from coaches, veterinary and human sports science.
FOUNDATION TRAINING PROGRAMME – TIME SCALES Open selection takes place every two years. Selected riders can remain on the programme subject to successful reselection. Riders are under constant review in terms of their development and performance. In addition riders will commit to attending an agreed number of full days of squad training sessions.
PARA EQUESTRIAN REGIONAL FOUNDATION TRAINING SQUAD CRITERIA: All riders must be eligible to compete for Great Britain and hold a current British passport. To be eligible for the programme they must become full competing members of BD on selection and reside in England. They will not be eligible for this programme if they are currently supported by the BEF World Class Programme. Riders that are currently serving a ban from competition as a result of a doping offence (equine or human) or equine medication offence will not be eligible.
Riders must:be a between 16 & 24 years old have a current classification (national or international) of Grades 1/ 4
16 – 18 Years Old be consistently and currently scoring 62% in their relevant grade at RDA or BD Para Dressage competitions.
18 – 24 Years Old be consistently and currently scoring 62% in their relevant grade at RDA or BD Para Dressage competitions.To have qualified for the RDA National Championships in their Grade within the last two years.
Due to the varying nature of disabilities, riders’ individual circumstances will be taken into account
Exceptional applicants aged 25 – 30 year olds may be considered
ENDS
It is a wise person who acknowledges their ponies or horses limitations, as well as their own, do this and you will have a great partnership!
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