Learn to Ride/Drive
Overview The Learn to Ride/Drive Program provides the opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn best practices for safe and enjoyable experiences handling, riding and/or driving horses. Participants of all ages and experience are encouraged to get involved, and have the opportunity to choose the appropriate stream and level. The program is administered by the the Equestrian NS and features English, Western and Driving streams.
Learn to Drive
The Learn to Ride/Drive Program provides the opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn best practices for safe and enjoyable experiences handling, riding and/or driving horses. Participants of all ages and experience are encouraged to get involved, and have the opportunity to choose the appropriate stream and level. The program is administered by the Provincial and Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSOs) and features English, Western and Driving streams.
Learn To Ride/Drive
Learn to Ride/Drive
The Learn to Ride/Drive Program provides the opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn best practices for safe and enjoyable experiences handling, riding and/or driving horses. The purpose of this program is to produce safe and knowledgeable horse people. Whether you are interested in tracking your progress or becoming a certified coach, this program will provide guidance with progressive skill development through the levels.
Through this non-competitive certification program, both participatory and competitive riders are rewarded with Certificates of Achievement for advancing their learning. For more information on athlete development, The Long Term Equestrian Development provides a valuable resource for athletes, coaches and parents. Click here for more information .
The English Rider Level 1 to 10 program has been tailored to assist athletes who seek to further their riding skills on the flat but do not wish to continue over fences. Candidates will have the ...
Learn to Ride Western
Overview The Learn to Ride/Drive Program provides the opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn best practices for safe and enjoyable experiences handling, riding and/or driving horses. Participants of all ages and experience are encouraged to get involved, and have the opportunity to choose the appropriate stream and level. The program is administered by the Equestrian NS and features English, Western and Driving streams.
Bio-security
Government of Canada National Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard A national Equine Biosecurity Advisory Committee has been established to develop this voluntary standard which will provide a common approach to preventing and controlling disease in facilities where horses are housed and kept.
The equine biosecurity standard will: Provide guidelines for effective biosecurity practices; Promote a consistent approach to reducing the risks of established, emerging and foreign animal diseases; Enhance equine health, welfare and productivity; Minimize the frequency, scope and impact of disease outbreaks; Increase industry’s knowledge of the risks associated with diseases; and Identify potential gaps in current control measures.
For more information, please click here. Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada Resources Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada Resources are updated on a regular basis. Please follow this link to view the updated biosecurity page on their website. Click here to view their Animal Health ...
Individual/Family Membership
Equestrian Nova Scotia Memberships Join NOW! Anyone involved with horses can benefit from an Equestrian Nova Scotia membership. Whether you are a coach, official, competitor or a recreational rider, there is value in it for you! Individual Membership
Available to juniors (under 18 years) and seniors (18+ years as of January 1). Family Membership
Available to spouses and/or the junior aged children of either/both spouses. Juniors are defined as children 18 years of age & under in the calendar year. If the child/sibling turns 19 in the calendar year, an individual membership is required. Spouses may include those who are cohabiting, but not married by law; those who are married, but do not use the same surname; legal guardian(s) of a junior aged member. Refer a Friend and Save!
CURRENT MEMBERS - Refer NEW members for a credit of $5 towards your next year's membership. You can refer enough NEW members to get your next membership for FREE!* The new member must provide your Equestrian NS # in the ...
Coach Developers/Facilitators
Coach Developers/Facilitators
Coach Developers are trained to develop, support, and challenge coaches to improve their knowledge and skills in order to provide positive and effective sport experiences for all participants. In short, Coach Developers need to be experts in learning, as well as experts in coaching.
Coach Developers include; Coach Evaluators, Master Coach Evaluators, Learning Facilitators (LFs) and Master Learning Facilitators (MLFs).
High-School-Credit-Program
High School Personal Development Program
[Image Description: High School Credit Program Poster - click here to download] Equestrian NS Instructor Certification
In partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Education, our members have been provided the opportunity to utilize the NCCP Western and English Instructor Coaching Certification program as a High School Personal Development Grade 10 Credit that is applied to the official high school transcript.
Students may begin the program as early as grade 9 and can continue the program throughout high school. Getting Started
Students wishing to take part in this program must complete the program registration form. The registration form and other documents for the program are available from the links below.
After successfully completing the prerequisites, training and evaluation, students will be issued the necessary accreditation documents for submission to their school guidance counselor. The deadline for submission is June 1st ...
Health and Welfare Resources
Horse Welfare Alerts and Notices
When important notices are received from the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regarding national and infectious diseases affecting horses, it sends communications to the equestrian community and the media. To receive these notices, subscribe here .
Equestrian Canada has a wealth of Horse Industry and Welfare information on its website. Please take some time to visit their site and learn as much as you can about horse welfare. Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada - purpose is the dissemination of accurate information related to the Canadian horse industry to horse owners and the general public. Department of Agriculture Regional Office Information and contacts - purpose is to provide access to farm owners on programs and services offered through this department.
NS Emergency Management Office (EMO) Facebook page - purpose is to provide current information on community/provincial emergencies such as extreme ...
Mem Walk Through Page Completed Pre
Thank you and welcome to our community this year!
This notice is to advise you that your transaction has been processed.
You can ac cess other membership benefits via our website at equestriannovascotia.ca
To download a Capri Insurance brochure and to learn more about your insurance coverage and additional insurance options, please click here
When you view or print the membership card online, it is marked as completed in our system so a card will not be mailed out.
Please feel free to contact [email protected] if you experience issues regarding your card access or any other membership inquiries.
Coach Certification
What Does It Mean To Be A Certified Equestrian Coach
Canada's equestrians, both new and experienced, are looking for direction and guidance that can be found through a mentor or coach. These individuals play a role that brings together the love of a sport with skill and learning. As with many sports, the coaches who impart information and help develop the skills that set athletes up for success also need to be cultivated and developed. We are your partner to help you develop your coaching skills.
We administer the programs recognized by, and in partnership with, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and Equestrian Canada (EC). The Coaching Program includes the disciplines of Driving, English and Western, including training opportunities and competency based evaluation for certification.
What Is The Coaching Program
In general, The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) is a federal government-initiated program designed to give the public knowledgeable and ...
SafeSport
Everyone has the right to feel safe and to participate in an accessible and inclusive sport environment free from maltreatment, regardless of age, ancestry, colour, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin, language, creed, religion, athletic potential, disability, family status, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, sex and sexual orientation.
According to the Coach Association of Canada (CAC), safe sport refers to our collective responsibility to create , foster and preserve sport environments that ensure positive, healthy and fulfilling experiences for all individuals. A safe sport environment is one in which all sport stakeholders recognize and report acts of maltreatment and prioritize the welfare, safety and rights of every person at all times.
In addition to our Member code of conduct, we have Safe Sport standards for coaches and officials, Equestrian NS Board and staff. Athletes and parents/guardians are encouraged to engage in safe sport training and awareness ...
Western Levels
The Western Learn to Ride Program is Composed of Two Components, Rider Levels 1-4 and the Intermediate Rider Program.
Anyone involved with horses can benefit from an Equestrian NS membership. Whether you are a coach, official, competitor or a recreational rider, there is value in it for you! Individual Membership is available to juniors (under 18 years) and seniors (18+ years as of January 1). Family Membership is available to spouses and/or the junior aged children of either/both spouses. Juniors are defined as children 18 years of age & under in 2017 (born in 1999 or later). If the child/sibling turns 19 in 2017 (born in 1998 or before) an individual membership is required. Spouses may include those who are cohabiting, but not married by law; those who are married, but do not use the same surname; legal guardian(s) of a junior aged member. JOIN OUR AFFILIATES WITH YOUR Equestrian NS MEMBERSHIP
When you join Equestrian NS, you can also join the following affiliates at the same time: Horse Trials NS (HTNS), Nova Scotia Hunter Jumper Association (NSHJA) Cape Breton Western Riders Association (CBWRA)
Your Equestrian ...
Rookie Rider
Rookie Riders is curriculum-based, filled with engaging activities that are fundamental to success in horseback riding. It includes basic gymnastics on mats, fundamental skills learned on Radish, our “barrel horse” and concludes with an introduction to riding. It is a core skill-building program that benefits all disciplines.
More about Rookie Riders
Safe and fun Introduction to riding skills, horses and horsemanship – Riding and Gymnastic activities focus on developing the skills used in equestrian sport Group and individual activities Introduce OR reinforce movement skills within the FUNdamental stage of long term equestrian and athlete development. Flexible curriculum delivery Provides physical, mental, and emotional engagement Designed to be delivered to a large group of children Easily customizable to meet the needs of your group
Participants Learn
Fundamental Movement Skills
Develop Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) necessary for riding by engaging students physically, ...
Participation-Recreation
Participation/Recreation
We offer several participatory programs to our members such as the Ride & Drive Rewards Program or the Learn to Ride Programs.
Equestrian Friendly Trails
To view a list of equestrian friendly/accessible trails, visit the Nova Scotia Trail Guide. "The trails are beckoning and I hope that everyone can get out and enjoy them" - Ride & Drive Participant
Officials
Types of Officials
Equestrian Nova Scotia supports our Scotia Series Officials Program and the Equestrian Canada (EC)/Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) Official Programs.
Scotia Series Officials Program
We recognize that the recruitment and training of officials are vital to the sustainability of our sport, especially at the entry level. As such, we have invested in creating a specific officials training program to build a repository of trained NS officials for Scotia Series competitions. By offering training and professional development opportunities to interested candidates, our provincial level competitions will be further enhanced by qualified officials.
Our first phase is the training of Scotia Series Foundations Judges and Scotia Series Discipline-Specific Judges . As this program develops, the pathway for certification will evolve. Scotia Series Foundations Judge Recognition
The Scotia Series Foundations Judge Training program supports all Scotia Series ...
HorsePlay.app (Ride & Drive Rewards)
HorsePlay App - Our Rewards Program for Riders & Drivers -- Click / Tap enabled QR codes at bottom of page --
Over the past year, we have been working with other provinces and developers to create an amazing new APP to track your horse activity - HORSEPLAY is finally here! Horseplay will replace our original Ride and Drive Rewards program, allowing you to record your horse activity and be entered for a chance to win prizes.
The Horseplay app conveniently allows you to track your activity and connect with friends. We encourage anyone 13 years and older to sign up and use the app. If you wish to be entered into the draws for prizes, you must be a current Equestrian Nova Scotia member and be a Nova Scotia resident.
Don't worry - we are recognizing your logged-activity from the original program and you can achieve your rewards there too! Simply submit your paper copy logged-activity hours to us by December 31, 2024 and we will honour your achievements. Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!
For every 10 ...
P'tit Trot
P'tit Trot
P'tit Trot is an exciting program for children who love horses and want to learn about horseback riding while caring for their horse at the same time.
Designed for children aged 5 to 12 years old new to the sport, the P'tit Trot manuals- one each for the English and Western disciplines - are fully illustrated throughout and introduces children to the basics of English or Western Riding and learning how to care for a horse or pony using the colourful drawings and amusing antics of P'tit Trot.
Parents and coaches are invited to use this entertaining and educational presentation that is ideal for horse lovers. It can also be used to prepare and support the activities offered at riding camps and as a precursor to the English or Western Learn to Ride Programs.
A special THANK YOU is extended to our colleagues at Cheval Quebec for developing and sharing this amazing program with us.
Contact us at [email protected] for more information or ...
What is a Certified Coach
Finding a Coach and Where to Start.
General Information
Candidate Considerations and What You Need to Know about Challenging Exams and Submitting Results
Athlete Performance Programs
Equestrian NS Athlete/Team Programs Equestrian NS has several exciting programs for athletes in different stages of the LTED Pathway. Scotia Series Provincial Championships Athlete Performance Program Click here for more Information and links to the forms for these programs.
Resources for Coaches and Candidates
Coaches and Candidates Resources and Professional Development
Helmet and Concussion Resources
Long Term Equestrian Development (LTED2)
Equestrian NS Western Rider Level Progress Report - This is a tool for coaches to help students (and parents) to monitor progress as they work towards the next level.
Multi-Sport Coaching Education in Nova Scotia
Coach Resource Guide - Coach resource guide supporting young athletes who are deaf and hard of hearing in a mainstream setting
Insurance Information for Coaches and Students - This Insurance page outlines the automatic personal insurance coverage that is a Equestrian NS Membership benefit, our Member Optional Insurance products, Club Insurance Information, and Coach Insurance Application & Frequently Asked Questions. Coaches should ensure appropriate coverage with their insurance provider as it is not covered by the automatic insurance that comes with our membership. The automatic coverage information can be provided to clients to ...
