Module 2 of 10 · 40 min
Safety, Risk and the Coaching Environment
Hazard versus risk, dynamic risk assessment, safe positioning, and knowing when to change or stop an exercise.
By the end of this module you will understand how to
- — Distinguish a hazard from a risk and carry out a dynamic risk assessment
- — Check the environment, horse, rider and equipment before and during a session
- — Position yourself safely and know when to change or stop an exercise
Safety is the coach's responsibility
Nobody else is watching the whole picture. The rider is focused on the horse; the horse is focused on the environment. You are the only person monitoring all of it.
Safety is not a box you tick before the session starts. It is a continuous process that runs from the moment you arrive until the last horse has left the arena.
- HazardAnything with the potential to cause harm — a loose dog, a slippery surface, a broken stirrup leather.
- RiskHow likely that hazard is to cause harm, and how serious the harm would be. A hazard on the far side of a closed gate carries less risk than the same hazard in the arena.
- Control measureThe action that reduces the risk — removing the hazard, changing the exercise, changing where people are, or stopping.
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