Riding and Road Safety.

On another visit to a group in which I was assessing one of the instructors , chatting with the instructor after the assessment, she told me that she had used poles to make a road system and how she used it in the riding session.

She was happy for me to share it on here for others to use.

Using poles set out a road system in the arena. a main road running down the centre line with 2 side roads coming off it works well.

This can be used for practising steering and transitions, stopping at junctions, trotting down the main road, turning off and giving hand signals.

                                  

If you have spare helpers these can be used as traffic to teach giving way, saying thank you and hazard awareness.

You could put in a couple of shops, maybe a food shop at one end and a saddlers selling grooming kit at the other end.

 

 

If you have a lot of  helpers, some could dress up as lollipop ladies or policemen!

Or you could make road signs/ traffic lights.

The possibilities are endless.

Instructor Assessing

As well as teaching at the groups over the last few weeks, I have been going around the RDA groups assessing new Instructors, which is a role I enjoy as it gives me the opportunity to see how the groups are getting on and I can help to sort out any problems that might have arisen since my last visit to the group.
It also gives me a chance to get some different idea's and see what equipment each group uses.

I recently visited the Burcott group which is near to Glastonbury, it is quite a journey for me as it takes about an hour and half to get there, the views across the Somerset levels as I drive to Glastonbury is wonderful and more than makes up for it. The weather on the day that I visited was nice as well which always helps as the riding is outside, it makes it all the more pleasant.

The Instructor that I was assessing had done a good layout and lesson plan which I drew as I thought I could share it on here.
She had made  three rows  of which each row had two buckets and cones and a upright pole which had rings on. Each row was a particular colour.

Her theme for the riding sessions was accuracy.

She used this layout in various ways.

1.She had them bending through the cones and buckets.
2.she also got them to stop by each bucket to drop the rings in, which first they had collected from the upright pole.
3.she also got the riders to place the rings on to the cones at both ends.
4. She got the riders to stop by each item making sure that their leg was above or by the item.
5. She also got the riders to replace the rings back on to the upright after they had been given the ring from the buckets by a helper.
6. She also got the riders to move items from one bucket to the next bucket depending on which way they were going.


I was really impress with her riding session, the idea's that she had used and how she controlled the session.
I recommended her for her RDA badge and certificate.