Mark Todd Bridging the Gap Coaching Bursary Winners Announced
British Eventing (BE) have today awarded five new Coaching Bursaries courtesy of Sport England for riders taking part in the Mark Mark Todd celebrates the moment at the 2011 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
Photo: StockImageServices.com Todd Bridging the Gap (MTBTG) training series which is sponsored by Keyflow and the Mark Todd Collection. The coaching bursary forms part of the Mark Todd Bridging the Gap Training programme which has been designed specifically to support and train those who are aiming to move into Advanced / 2* and those working towards a more established 3* level to 'Bridge The Gap' between under 21s and top level competition and is aimed at riders aged 21 – 35. The MTBTG Coaching Bursary was made possible by Sport England and BE and consists of help and support towards the Eventing Specific UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) Level 2 Qualification. As well as consisting of training, registration and assessment being worth in excess of £1,000 per rider/coach, the Bursary will also allow the accepted rider/coaches to market themselves as BE Accredited Development Coaches, setting them on a pathway that will support and complement their riding career as well as opening up future professional opportunities within the equine industry. The five successful inaugural Coaching Bursary applicants were: Justin Clubley, aged 33 from Surrey. Amy Hawley, aged 23 from North Yorkshire. Anna Cheney, aged 29 from Northamptonshire. Holly Bradshaw, aged 25 from Hertfordshire. Tyler Cassells, aged 25 from Cheshire. All five were chosen based on the evidence of each individual's strong drive to succeed and progress as well as having had a good level of Coaching experience already. Gill Watson one of the lead Coaches of the MTBTG series has coached many successful British riders in her extensive career. She explained the importance of supporting future Coaches: "We launched the Coaching Bursary since we feel it is imperative that we pass on good teaching ethics and encourage Coaches to get a good practical understanding of what they are teaching and why. "We are all still learning all the time so it is important that we help our Bursary winners to understand that good Coaches constantly strive to improve their skills by gaining experience and observing other Coaches throughout their careers." All of the successful Candidates are also actively competing and continue to receive help under the MTBTG Training Programme as riders. The Sport England funding forms part of the 2013 – 17 Excel Programme funding via the British Equestrian Federation.