foundation of the academy
It is about ample opportunity for everyone where ever you are across the globe, from big cities to remote areas; and for equality in equestrian standards. There is next to no travel. It is cheaper. There is no risk of sickness. It is less stress and takes up less of your time. It is easier on the horses and there is no chance of catching contagions. But it runs much deeper than that…
I don’t know about you, but I struggle to try and remember everything horse related. From lessons, to clinics, to equine seminars, not to mention tons of books and magazine articles, the average horse person is overloaded with information. I started writing everything down and when some of my clients and friends looked at it, they said I should publish a book. So it was put together and presented to publishers and marketing analysts, who all agreed, there was too much information for one book. It needed to become several books! So it was divided into parts, then units and finally topics.
But I had clients of all ages and the kids wanted something to do. So I began creating activity books that got harder for each school grade. It was then, somewhere and somehow Children’s Wish got wind of this project and contacted me about purchasing the entire package of books. However, the program was still in the initial pilot stage with my crew of kids and it would take a long time to finish. I was touched by the story. It is the saddest, most tragic, painful and unfabricated story that I will ever write. It was in 2007 that the lady from Children’s Wish contacted me about Mackenzie Popoff, a 12 year old girl suffering from a brain tumor. It was her wish to have a horse, but also to know how to ride and to learn about horses. Of course, I was touched and immediately said yes. However, it was summer and I was bogged down with lessons and doing construction in my spare time. I usually only write in January, when the winter weather is terribly cold, making it near impossible to ride. It was not long after that I received a phone call, saying that Mackenzie was getting very sick and no one knew how much longer she had. I could not wait any longer. By then it was September, so I booked time off, and I wrote steady for two weeks straight, surviving off of 2 hours of sleep per night. I did what I had to in a bit of a frenzy to finish. I spoke with the publishers and there was no way that they could speed up the process, so unfortunately I had to pull out of the deal. Not really knowing what else to do, I was told about the idea of setting up a publishing house, or rather a company that could back the job. That was when the International Riding Academy was born. By the time all of the legalities were in order and the books were published, it was already the end of September. I remember packaging up the parcel as fast as I could and sending it out special delivery. But, unfortunately, Mackenzie’s cancer had developed so quickly and she passed on, without ever seeing and learning any of the information.
It was this pressing order and being too late that I decided to not stop. I wanted everything to be readily available to anyone all over the world, no matter how big or how small, or in the city or in the remote farm somewhere next to the middle of nowhere. There was a need for the equine science courses to be readily available to all ages, not just children. That was when I decided to dive in further and start setting up the equine science program.
At the same time, some of my clients asked for something like a show instead of having to travel so far. They were tired of all the expenses and from working full time. It was a challenge to find the time to ride, let alone find the time to travel to a show. Many had trouble even just booking holidays. Worse, it is heavily competition based, and the emphasis is always on winning. It really is not the right environment to meet new friends. It is not even a relaxed environment. If some of my clients wanted to book days off for a little rest and relaxation, it certainly was not a show, but rather to go fishing! That I can understand and as well, I was tired too. It is exhausting trying to help students, prep my own horse or horses, and have to deal with the other competitors. It seemed funny as most were so nice to meet with, yet it was always those who were threatened most, or those who seemed to be jealous the most, that would make the experience terrible. I definitely did not need any of it.
So, the office began contacting a multitude of judges, coaches, trainers and alike from all over the globe. Together, the academy developed many disciplines for riders to do their testing at home. This just meant to do their patterns, or dressage tests, and videotape them. The entire program is a huge hit and is continually developing still. We got the ball rolling with dressage and the goal was to keep changing with modern dressage, but many of the riders objected, saying that is what they disliked most about showing! Soon it developed into a bit different program from modern dressage, or competitive dressage, to be older, and with the aid of some of the old teaching and training techniques, classical dressage became the root of all of the other disciplines in the academy.
Then there in the Show, or English, performance program, the Stock, or Western, performance and the Sport, or Hunter Jumper program is still in development. The best part is that all of the disciplines became a little different than modern riding. The academy could now focus on natural gaits and riding, rewarding those who stick to classical rules, rather than modern fads, gadgets and likewise. There would be no need, keeping the horses less stressed and helping keep longevity in their riding careers!
Yet, still there was a pressing need for the development of proper horsemanship. It seemed as though there were different organizations who promoted coaches, yet these coaches were struggling with some basic concepts. With their credentials behind them, it seemed as though it was birthing many arguments and combined with social media, there began an explosion of the divas on the net! Perhaps it was always there, just not as magnified.
Anyway, to deal with the problem, the office scrutinized over ever organization’s courses and testing procedures and began compiling a basic list. It goes back to the four classical and oldest schools of proper horsemanship and equitation, from Jerez, Lisbon, Saumur, and of course the highest prestigious school of all, from Vienna. The information was put together to form the international rider levels. These were then put together with the Equine Science theory courses, so that by the time a rider finished Rider IV, they would have an excellent basis of horsemanship and earn a diploma.
However, not everyone is set to start in the rider levels right away. Children really need to take time to learn basic concepts, before rushing into faster gaits and fast disciplines. After all, it is really the horses who suffer most from the hands of ill riders. Going back to the grade levels of the Equestrian-4-Kids program, new textbooks were done in order to help the kids learn better, faster and easier. But it didn’t stop there. It used to be called the Horsemastership program, however Equestrian was a better word because it could be broken down. E-Quest-Rian evolved out of the fact that things were done online now, the kids had little quests to do in their activity books, where they would travel to a fantastical land called Rian (Ree-ann). Little personal stories were inserted into the units of their activity books in grades 2 to 10. The website may tell and show a bit more as kids find their way to the secret wing of the virtual library and hopefully find the hidden office with a map of the academy’s grounds to explore. The activity books tell a personal adventure up to the lost unit 13, where the kids need to do the quests to be able to read the last unit, that ultimately leads to the next grade level’s storyline. The primary kids in grades 2, 3 and 4, learn just a bit of the story line, with more personal stories. The junior kids in grades 5, 6 and 7, learn a bit more of the actual story of the main character, who so-called founded the academy. The teen kids in grades 8, 9, and 10, will have a better understanding of horsemanship and the events that led up to the start of the academy, with all of the reasoning of why one should learn about horses and carry on the knowledge. It is grade 10 that concludes the storyline, bringing the entire program together. But the best part, is that kids can jump into the program at any grade level and will be able to catch on to the story in no time. It has just a bit of mystery and cliff hangers at the right moments to try and keep the kids inspired to keep reading and learning.
Nevertheless, the academy did not stop there. The International Pony Camp is just underway, to try and tie the kids storylines together in a fun and exciting way. By the kids getting together in a group, they will be able to help each other out and also drive each other forward to the finish line. Letters from the founding character are given to each pony camp, per unit, as to why he cannot attend to teach them in person. These letters will chronologically tell an endless story of adventure, due to his time travel machine and vortices into fantastical worlds. Each year is a new storyline with wonderful characters and an air of mystery as well as action and adventure. Every year is based in a different biome, learning about animals, in the search of horses or horse like animals, as well as fictitious characters, like gnomes, fairies, dragons and so on. Oh, to be a kid again!
Pony camp goes well with riding lessons, as the kids learn theory, have fun together and also can take their rider levels. If they are not ready for levels I to IV, the Young Rider program is perfect.
There are many awards to keep riders inspired and striving higher, progressing their riding. Riders can ride several horses to never become bored and to keep earning!
After Rider IV, riders can try for an equitation medal in the Equitation Medal program. It is easy to finish the Stable Management certification process. Or they can strive for certification in horse training and or coaching. Once certification is granted, there are many titles that a trainer and or coach can strive for. Aim for discipline titles and specialties, including being a children’s coach. Upon finishing some master courses and an equine related thesis, a master diploma is granted. Even the horses can earn titles like Lifetime Champion in Classical Dressage. Or for multiple disciplines, earn titles like Reserve Champion, Champion, Grand Champion and Supreme Champion in Show, Sport, and or Stock. The possibilities are endless and the academy hopes to inspire everyone. The academy was not born out of vanity, but rather by the incessant need for a better horse world. We hope everyone can have fun and define their own learning curve with their horses.
I don’t know about you, but I struggle to try and remember everything horse related. From lessons, to clinics, to equine seminars, not to mention tons of books and magazine articles, the average horse person is overloaded with information. I started writing everything down and when some of my clients and friends looked at it, they said I should publish a book. So it was put together and presented to publishers and marketing analysts, who all agreed, there was too much information for one book. It needed to become several books! So it was divided into parts, then units and finally topics.
But I had clients of all ages and the kids wanted something to do. So I began creating activity books that got harder for each school grade. It was then, somewhere and somehow Children’s Wish got wind of this project and contacted me about purchasing the entire package of books. However, the program was still in the initial pilot stage with my crew of kids and it would take a long time to finish. I was touched by the story. It is the saddest, most tragic, painful and unfabricated story that I will ever write. It was in 2007 that the lady from Children’s Wish contacted me about Mackenzie Popoff, a 12 year old girl suffering from a brain tumor. It was her wish to have a horse, but also to know how to ride and to learn about horses. Of course, I was touched and immediately said yes. However, it was summer and I was bogged down with lessons and doing construction in my spare time. I usually only write in January, when the winter weather is terribly cold, making it near impossible to ride. It was not long after that I received a phone call, saying that Mackenzie was getting very sick and no one knew how much longer she had. I could not wait any longer. By then it was September, so I booked time off, and I wrote steady for two weeks straight, surviving off of 2 hours of sleep per night. I did what I had to in a bit of a frenzy to finish. I spoke with the publishers and there was no way that they could speed up the process, so unfortunately I had to pull out of the deal. Not really knowing what else to do, I was told about the idea of setting up a publishing house, or rather a company that could back the job. That was when the International Riding Academy was born. By the time all of the legalities were in order and the books were published, it was already the end of September. I remember packaging up the parcel as fast as I could and sending it out special delivery. But, unfortunately, Mackenzie’s cancer had developed so quickly and she passed on, without ever seeing and learning any of the information.
It was this pressing order and being too late that I decided to not stop. I wanted everything to be readily available to anyone all over the world, no matter how big or how small, or in the city or in the remote farm somewhere next to the middle of nowhere. There was a need for the equine science courses to be readily available to all ages, not just children. That was when I decided to dive in further and start setting up the equine science program.
At the same time, some of my clients asked for something like a show instead of having to travel so far. They were tired of all the expenses and from working full time. It was a challenge to find the time to ride, let alone find the time to travel to a show. Many had trouble even just booking holidays. Worse, it is heavily competition based, and the emphasis is always on winning. It really is not the right environment to meet new friends. It is not even a relaxed environment. If some of my clients wanted to book days off for a little rest and relaxation, it certainly was not a show, but rather to go fishing! That I can understand and as well, I was tired too. It is exhausting trying to help students, prep my own horse or horses, and have to deal with the other competitors. It seemed funny as most were so nice to meet with, yet it was always those who were threatened most, or those who seemed to be jealous the most, that would make the experience terrible. I definitely did not need any of it.
So, the office began contacting a multitude of judges, coaches, trainers and alike from all over the globe. Together, the academy developed many disciplines for riders to do their testing at home. This just meant to do their patterns, or dressage tests, and videotape them. The entire program is a huge hit and is continually developing still. We got the ball rolling with dressage and the goal was to keep changing with modern dressage, but many of the riders objected, saying that is what they disliked most about showing! Soon it developed into a bit different program from modern dressage, or competitive dressage, to be older, and with the aid of some of the old teaching and training techniques, classical dressage became the root of all of the other disciplines in the academy.
Then there in the Show, or English, performance program, the Stock, or Western, performance and the Sport, or Hunter Jumper program is still in development. The best part is that all of the disciplines became a little different than modern riding. The academy could now focus on natural gaits and riding, rewarding those who stick to classical rules, rather than modern fads, gadgets and likewise. There would be no need, keeping the horses less stressed and helping keep longevity in their riding careers!
Yet, still there was a pressing need for the development of proper horsemanship. It seemed as though there were different organizations who promoted coaches, yet these coaches were struggling with some basic concepts. With their credentials behind them, it seemed as though it was birthing many arguments and combined with social media, there began an explosion of the divas on the net! Perhaps it was always there, just not as magnified.
Anyway, to deal with the problem, the office scrutinized over ever organization’s courses and testing procedures and began compiling a basic list. It goes back to the four classical and oldest schools of proper horsemanship and equitation, from Jerez, Lisbon, Saumur, and of course the highest prestigious school of all, from Vienna. The information was put together to form the international rider levels. These were then put together with the Equine Science theory courses, so that by the time a rider finished Rider IV, they would have an excellent basis of horsemanship and earn a diploma.
However, not everyone is set to start in the rider levels right away. Children really need to take time to learn basic concepts, before rushing into faster gaits and fast disciplines. After all, it is really the horses who suffer most from the hands of ill riders. Going back to the grade levels of the Equestrian-4-Kids program, new textbooks were done in order to help the kids learn better, faster and easier. But it didn’t stop there. It used to be called the Horsemastership program, however Equestrian was a better word because it could be broken down. E-Quest-Rian evolved out of the fact that things were done online now, the kids had little quests to do in their activity books, where they would travel to a fantastical land called Rian (Ree-ann). Little personal stories were inserted into the units of their activity books in grades 2 to 10. The website may tell and show a bit more as kids find their way to the secret wing of the virtual library and hopefully find the hidden office with a map of the academy’s grounds to explore. The activity books tell a personal adventure up to the lost unit 13, where the kids need to do the quests to be able to read the last unit, that ultimately leads to the next grade level’s storyline. The primary kids in grades 2, 3 and 4, learn just a bit of the story line, with more personal stories. The junior kids in grades 5, 6 and 7, learn a bit more of the actual story of the main character, who so-called founded the academy. The teen kids in grades 8, 9, and 10, will have a better understanding of horsemanship and the events that led up to the start of the academy, with all of the reasoning of why one should learn about horses and carry on the knowledge. It is grade 10 that concludes the storyline, bringing the entire program together. But the best part, is that kids can jump into the program at any grade level and will be able to catch on to the story in no time. It has just a bit of mystery and cliff hangers at the right moments to try and keep the kids inspired to keep reading and learning.
Nevertheless, the academy did not stop there. The International Pony Camp is just underway, to try and tie the kids storylines together in a fun and exciting way. By the kids getting together in a group, they will be able to help each other out and also drive each other forward to the finish line. Letters from the founding character are given to each pony camp, per unit, as to why he cannot attend to teach them in person. These letters will chronologically tell an endless story of adventure, due to his time travel machine and vortices into fantastical worlds. Each year is a new storyline with wonderful characters and an air of mystery as well as action and adventure. Every year is based in a different biome, learning about animals, in the search of horses or horse like animals, as well as fictitious characters, like gnomes, fairies, dragons and so on. Oh, to be a kid again!
Pony camp goes well with riding lessons, as the kids learn theory, have fun together and also can take their rider levels. If they are not ready for levels I to IV, the Young Rider program is perfect.
There are many awards to keep riders inspired and striving higher, progressing their riding. Riders can ride several horses to never become bored and to keep earning!
After Rider IV, riders can try for an equitation medal in the Equitation Medal program. It is easy to finish the Stable Management certification process. Or they can strive for certification in horse training and or coaching. Once certification is granted, there are many titles that a trainer and or coach can strive for. Aim for discipline titles and specialties, including being a children’s coach. Upon finishing some master courses and an equine related thesis, a master diploma is granted. Even the horses can earn titles like Lifetime Champion in Classical Dressage. Or for multiple disciplines, earn titles like Reserve Champion, Champion, Grand Champion and Supreme Champion in Show, Sport, and or Stock. The possibilities are endless and the academy hopes to inspire everyone. The academy was not born out of vanity, but rather by the incessant need for a better horse world. We hope everyone can have fun and define their own learning curve with their horses.
