Why “Can you sign me off?” is the wrong question.
From Stage 2 upwards, all British Horse Society Candidates must be signed off before their assessment by a BHS Accredited Professional Coach. (Sign off is optional for Stage 1 and mandatory for Stage 2 onwards).
It is important to ensure that anyone signing you off is a current paid up APC with the BHS. You can find out more about what an APC is here .
After booking any assessment from Stage 2 onwards with the BHS, candidates must also purchase a skills record book for their assessment. This skills record book is then brought to training with a BHS APC and, if the candidate is at a sufficient level, it is this skills record book that is signed.
More information on the skills record book can be found here
Skills record books cost 6.95 euro (before post, tax and customs) from the BHS website:
Stage 1-3 - order here - https://www.britishhorseshop.com/collections/bhs-assessments/products/career-pathways-skills-record-book
Stage 4 - order here - https://www.britishhorseshop.com/collections/bhs-assessments/products/bhs-stage-4-career-pathways-skills-record
On the day of their assessment, candidates must present their signed skills record book when they arrive. As part of their paperwork, the assessor will make note of which APC signed off the skills record book and what their APC member number is. This is then fed back to BHS head quarters as part of the post assessment candidate feedback.
It is crucial that candidates understand the importance of the skills record book. Turning up to an assessment without it would be akin to turning up for your flight without a boarding pass and expecting to be allowed to board the plane. Candidates have been left disappointed and / or out of pocket in the past because they have failed to bring their signed skills record book with them on the day, or because they did not have one to bring in the first place.
Accountability for producing a signed skills record book lies with the candidate.
The skills record book is evidence that the candidate has been
a) pre assessed to meet a certain standard before attempting an assessment
b) has been seen to demonstrate proficiency at a set of skills and tasks that apply to the level but are not assessed on the day.
Examples of these tasks include bathing a horse and tacking up for lunging correctly (including fitting side reins and a cavesson) at Stage 2 and clipping a horse correctly at Stage 3.
There are a number of reasons why sign off is essential, including:
Basic safety would dictate that it would be unwise for a candidate to be permitted to attempt their their first show jumping or cross country assessment without any pre-check to ensure that they are safe to attempt the height.
It is not practical for certain tasks to be carried out on the day for example for several horses to be bathed.
Stage 2 upwards are professional qualifications so it is important that a basic entry level standard is preserved.
When booking and paying for an APC’s time, candidates can sometimes have the incorrect assumption that turning up and paying equals sign off. Only achieving the required standard equals signoff, whether that takes one or several sessions.
There are easy ways for candidates to expedite sign off. These include:
Knowing the syllabus of the level in question well
Reading through and working through the tasks in the skills handbook
Practicing tasks in advance of the session so that they are familiar when it comes to demonstrating them.
Practicing knowledgeable answers so that they are forthcoming when asked.
Arriving prepared and on time
Having an open mind to constructive feedback.
The questions candidates should ask themselves instead of asking an APC “Can you sign me off” would include:
“Am I aware of the importance of the tasks I am being asked to demonstrate?”
“Am I knowledgeable about the syllabus, the level and the tasks and areas involved?”
“How confident am I that I can give detailed and informed answers to questions?”
“Which areas of the skills record book and syllabus am I confident on?”
“Which areas do I need confidence, knowledge and support on?”
“What questions do I have for my APC around the tasks, questions and standard involved at this level?”
“How much am I willing to practice and study before my assessment? How much time can I committ?”
“How can I demonstrate that I have a regard and respect for safety?”
“Can I say that I feel ready for this level from a skills and safety point of view?”
“What do I need help with?”
“How open am I to constructive feedback to help me achieve the required standard for sign off?”
It is only through asking themselves the right questions that candidates will achieve the answer they desire to help get to the stage where the answer to “Can you sign me off” is a confident “Yes”.
If you are working towards your Stage 2 assessment onwards, and need an evaluation with a view to sign off, please get in touch.
We can point you towards the information you need and organise an evaluation session where we can establish where you are in relation to the level you wish to take assessments at
Ross
bhstrainingireland@gmail.com
0862222440