Does anyone know about RDA coaching?

Natch

Natch

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Hi all

I need to write an essay about coaching techniques and methods for disabled riders. Unfortunatley I have so far been unable to get in contact with an RDA coach, or even a pupil or volunteer who has experienced the coaching methods.

I could do with finding out about:

  • Any specfic coaching methods used for teaching disabled riders
  • any methods which are the same as able riders, or similar but tweaked
  • What the challenges are for coaching disabled riders, and how the are addressed
If anyone on here is an RDA coach or instructor, volunteer or have been involved in any way and think you might be able to tell me about the coaching methods involved and particular challenges that RDA coaches face, I would really really appreciate either a reply on here or a PM :)

Thank you, and easter choccy (you know you're not fed up of it yet!) to all who reply :D
 
Hi there,
I have been a Rda volunteer for 4 years and have done a wee bit coaching.I would be happy to answer some of your questions but will have to do it later in the day if that is ok.
 
I've been an RDA volunteer for years and have done some instructors' training years ago. Almost all of our riders have learning disabilities, often combined with physical difficulties. I'm happy to help, if you like and could probably put you in touch with the RI (& owner of most equines) for our group.
 
how to respond depends on how you are approaching the topic I suppose as in for example how much are you referencing to learning theories and teaching in general. Teaching people with disabilities uses the same principles of learning but adapted to the level of understanding and physicial ability of the student.

The range of cognition and physical abilities and limitations is huuuuge so the instructor may have to utilise hand on hand, physical guidance, use "games " more as well as take much longer, use adapted tack like colour banded reins etc.

If the students have learning difficulties each skill might take far longer than usual to become habitual. Some concepts might be beyond some students.


Methods such as experiential learning might be used more than explanation say in learning about the gaits or identifying footfall.

Its a huge topic. I am a qualified teacher, I work with people with learning difficulties and I was an RDA volunteer for several years. One could write a book on the topic never mind an essay :D


The challenges most instructors tend to face are those based around communication difficulties and concentration levels and occasionally with "unwanted" behaviours.



maybe a visit to an rda centre for a day will give you more material

thanks for choccy *yummy :D
 
Hi there. I am an RDA Group Instructor, Group (and County) Physio with about 14 years experience. Please feel free to PM me if you would like to pick my brains, or if you would like to arrange a visit to my group. I would be interested to know what your essay is for and what angle you are tackling it from. :)
 
tubby1 said:
Hi there,
I have been a Rda volunteer for 4 years and have done a wee bit coaching.I would be happy to answer some of your questions but will have to do it later in the day if that is ok.
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Yes please! :D

Pearlsasinger said:
I've been an RDA volunteer for years and have done some instructors' training years ago. Almost all of our riders have learning disabilities, often combined with physical difficulties. I'm happy to help, if you like and could probably put you in touch with the RI (& owner of most equines) for our group.
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Brilliant perhaps I could send you a draft via Gina and you could point out any inaccuracies or gaping holes? :)

tazzle said:
how to respond depends on how you are approaching the topic I suppose as in for example how much are you referencing to learning theories and teaching in general. Teaching people with disabilities uses the same principles of learning but adapted to the level of understanding and physicial ability of the student.

Don't quite know how to approach it. I would like to reference learning theories, but they have been quite thin on the ground in our lectures so far, so will need to find them meself :) I have free rein to concentrate on one apect rather than the whole thing. I've chosen disabled riders because it seemed to mesh quite well with my interest in equine facilitated learning. Maybe that points me towards the mental disabilities side rather than physical?

The range of cognition and physical abilities and limitations is huuuuge so the instructor may have to utilise hand on hand, physical guidance, use "games " more as well as take much longer, use adapted tack like colour banded reins etc.

If the students have learning difficulties each skill might take far longer than usual to become habitual. Some concepts might be beyond some students.

If you would be able to give me an example of a concept beyond a student with learning difficulties I will try to dig out some lindt... ;)

Methods such as experiential learning might be used more than explanation say in learning about the gaits or identifying footfall.

So e.g. you would put them on a trotting horse and have helpers helping to lift them up and down in trot rather than try to explain to them how to rise to the trot?

Its a huge topic. I am a qualified teacher, I work with people with learning difficulties and I was an RDA volunteer for several years. One could write a book on the topic never mind an essay :D


The challenges most instructors tend to face are those based around communication difficulties and concentration levels and occasionally with "unwanted" behaviours.

maybe a visit to an rda centre for a day will give you more material

I have arranged to start volunteering with the local RDA once I'm through these exams. I did mention to the person I was emailing that I would love to be able to talk to one of their instructors about coaching methods but I think its a bit cheeky to try to get access to that before I'm signed up to help - if you know what I mean.

thanks for choccy *yummy :D
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Oh good I was hoping you would see this and reply - thankies :)

yoho2 said:
Hi there. I am an RDA Group Instructor, Group (and County) Physio with about 14 years experience. Please feel free to PM me if you would like to pick my brains, or if you would like to arrange a visit to my group. I would be interested to know what your essay is for and what angle you are tackling it from. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, have PMd you :)

So additional question arising:

What mental disabilities (and please somebody tell if if I'm not using currently approved terminology - should it be handicap?) are commonly found in RDA centres?
 
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Naturally said:
Yes please! :D

What mental disabilities (and please somebody tell if if I'm not using currently approved terminology - should it be handicap?) are commonly found in RDA centres?
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Yes that's fine, or I'll pm you my email address.

The term you are looking for is learning disabilities, the ones we come across mostly are Down's syndrome and autism but there are many people whose problems haven't really got a name, just a list of symptoms, often known as global developmental delay (although the term is a misnomer, as the development never happens). We have also had riders with problems as a result of toxoplasmosis and epilepsy, which has caused neurological damage.
 
have been busy tonight and just got back to this naturally ....... am whacked so will post a proper reply to you tomorrow re the questions. ;)

but as a quick example of a simple concept someone might not understand .....

matthew who you seen in our pics working with Taz on line has no concept really of longer and shorter with regard to length of rope to use to allow Taz the room to manouvre or to bring her closer etc.... so we put different coloured tape at different places on the rope and ask him to hold the rope at blue/ red/ black or whatever ..... he can then see the effect of this.
 
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one of the things I suppose to mention in such an eassy to demonstrate awareness is that when teaching RDA is that you cant design a lesson plan based on the "diagnosis" of the riders. Even within one syndrome there can be a huge range of cognitive ability . eg some people with Downs syndrome can function quite well with living skills and hold down jobs with no support ..... but others have very little commucation / understanding and need full support with daily living skills. Full assessment of the individuals is even more important than a non RDA lesson where we tend to take commication as a given.

As with any instructor you are taking individual needs into account when making lesson plans...... its just with RDA you have to have a much wider range of communication / teaching skills and you might need to break down the teaching objectives into much smaller steps. For some riders just picking up the reins might be an objective that takes many lessons to achieve.

Working on balance might involve playing games like reaching for and lifting beanbags from pedestals to place on another on the other side rather than working without stirrups .......


The basic learning theories all apply like the use of positive and negative reinforcement for example and experiental learning. You might use experiential learning more with some riders where they dont have the understanding of anticipating what the horse will do if they do something just because you have said it will .....you might have to say guide the riders leg to nudge the horse for it to trot and repeat this several times till the rider makes the connection.

The learning objective is the same but the facilitating is achieved in different ways. That would be the same as any "normal" lesson plan ( because any intructor has to be prepared to change an approach if a rider is not "getting it" with one description / approach) .... but it's just as you say its tweaked a bit more ;)
 
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I don't mean to be rude but if you do a search on Google Scholar there are thousands of papers on various aspects of riding and people with disabilities. You may need to do some searching to find the ones you need exactly but if you find one the references will lead you to the other ones.

I don't mean to disparage the feedback you will get on here, it all seems very helpful already, but if you are writing a paper in an academic context it will also be helpful to be aware academic studies.
 
Thanks Booboos. That's exactly what I'm going to do but it is a very applied/practical module and I needed the bones of understanding from people who are involved before I involve academic literature. :)
 
Typed out a really long response only for the silly wifi at the eq center to eat it:mad: Essentially, I'm a para rider who did RDA in Australia for a little while when I was 11 after having neurological issues on top of my existing disability. I knew how to ride but had had almost a year off, largely in hospital and wanted to go somewhere that my impairment would be considered rather than launching back in at pony club. If you want to know anything from a riders perspective feel free to ask.
 
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