Despite the light drizzle, trainers and auditors filed into the tent at Barnstaple South leaving no seat empty for the first day of the 2022 ICP Symposium at Barnstaple South in Ocala, Florida. There were 140 USEA members in attendance, half of which were currently USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) certified instructors and the other half who were eager to learn more about the program and obtain critical skills from the symposium to take home to their students or to apply to their own riding.
The morning began with an introduction of the day’s faculty leaders, Phyllis Dawson, Robin Walker, Eric Horgan, Mary D’Arcy, Karen O’Connor, David O’Connor, Dayna Lynd-Pugh, Jim Graham, Rebecca Brown, Emily Beshear, Bec Braitling, Jennifer Rousseau, and Peter Gray, as well as the much-anticipated first look at the USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels. “The future is in your hands,” said Olympic gold medalist and ICP Committee member David O’Connor to attendees as he opened up the symposium with an inspirational message about the importance of learning more and doing better as an instructor.
Day one of the newly revamped schedule consisted of both dressage and show jumping demos from riders who compete from Starter level through Preliminary. Participants were broken out into groups and worked with rotating ICP faculty throughout the day to assess individual riders and create lesson plans tailored to each riders’ needs. Groups were selected at random to have their ICP faculty member facilitate that lesson to the rider, allowing participants the opportunity to witness several different teaching styles in action.
Throughout the day there were countless snippets of wisdom that set the tone for the remainder of the symposium and helped the riders overcome various roadblocks. Here are eight of our favorite quotes ICP instructors from day one of the ICP Symposium:
The ICP Symposium continues on Wednesday, February 9 with presentations on teaching modalities, sport psychology, and cross-country exercise and course design, followed by similarly structured cross-country instruction utilizing the same riders from day one for continuity purposes.
About the USEA Instructors’ Certification Program
Instructors are essential to the training of riders and horses for safe and educated participation in the sport of eventing. The USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) was initiated in 2002 to educate all levels of eventing instructors with crucial training principles upon which those instructors can continue to build throughout their teaching careers. ICP offers educational workshops and assessments by which both regular instructors, Level I through Level V, Young Event Horse (YEH) instructors, and Young Event Horse professional horse trainers can become ICP certified. Additional information about ICP’s goals, benefits, workshops, and assessments as well as names and contact information for current ICP-certified instructors, YEH instructors, and YEH professional horse trainers are available on the USEA website. Click here to learn more about the Instructors’ Certification Program.
The USEA would like to thank Stable Secretary and Parker Equine Insurance for sponsoring the Instructors’ Certification Program. Additionally, Parker Equine Insurance offers 5% off to all ICP instructors and Stable Secretary provides a 25% discount on their subscription services to all ICP instructors.
For seasoned and novice riders alike, it is always good to revisit the basics. Serving as the foundation for any eventer, the positions used on the cross-country course differ from those in the dressage or show jumping ring. The USEA tuned into five-time Olympian, three-time World Equestrian Games rider, two Pan-American Games rider, and USEA ECP certified coach Karen O'Connor as she walked coaches and students at the USEA ECP Symposium through the basic positions for effective cross-country riding.
The USEF's main phone number and fax number have changed. We wanted to notify you so you continue to get the support you need.
With the recent wrap-up of the 2023 Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) Symposium in Ocala, Florida, USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown chats with ECP Faculty Members Jennifer Howlett Rousseau and Robin Walker about all things related to the ECP. From the USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels to the benefits of pursuing certification, selecting the best coach for you, recapping this year's Symposium, and more - this week's USEA podcast is the perfect educational tool for coaches and riders alike!
Time is precious. Time with your horse even more so. If one of your resolutions for the New Year is to spend more time in the saddle or more time enjoying the barn, you’ll want to implement these best practices to minimize stress and make the most of 2023.