Junior Academy
The Academy is:
- Open to all BSJA Junior or Junior Associate Members
- Eligible until December after their 18th birthday
- No bar to entry – all standards and experience welcome
- No additional membership fees, part of BSJA package
The Academy aims to provide progressive coaching rather than one off training sessions, using experienced BSJA Accredited Coaches to significantly improve the riding skills and horse knowledge of the junior membership in order to make them more competitive in the
sport of show jumping.
The idea is to:
- develop a ‘culture of improvement’
- offer progressive, structured coaching
- develop greater understanding across all areas of horsemanship and recognise there is more to it than just riding!
- develop a camaraderie between the members of the Junior Academy
- increase awareness and positively impact junior membership
- retain junior members who subsequently become seniors
- develop competitive edge
- spot the stars of the future
- have fun
- create value for the parents as well as the juniors
- bring together keen, competitive juniors committed to our sport and create an environment where they benefited from training with their peers.
Whilst many train very regularly, often this is in isolation, and, therefore, the competitiveness and peer pressure which often makes us try harder is missing.
The group environment of being coached and watching others being coached (doing and seeing) is invaluable.
Log books are issued which contain the riders Personal Development Plan. The log books contain information on ponies ridden by each individual, their aims and objectives and records of training goals and competition successes.
A rider remains as a Junior Academy member until the December after their 18th birthday – whether riding ponies or horses.
The Academy also aims to create an environment where non-horsey parents feel comfortable to ask for advice and feel included in what is sometimes thought of as an elite sport. Help with rules, classes, qualifiers etc
The Surrey Junior Academy is the Association’s pilot Academy and is proving hugely successful and it is the Association’s aim to have in place at least six Academies by the end of 2007.
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