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Gold Leadership Award

Take your first steps towards learning to coach, set and achieve goals to learn a new skill, team up to generate an inclusive idea to have your own adventure and find out how to influence others.

  • Last reviewed: 3rd July 2023
BHS Horse Explorers 085 BHS Horse Explorers 085

The Leadership Awards are perfect to help you develop key life and work skills while helping at your centre or with your coach. Each level has four topics where you can learn about and practice various skills. Each topic ends with an ‘Explorer Challenge’ which is a practical activity where you can showcase your new skills and gain real life experience that will put you ahead and make you stand out from the crowd.

Gold Leadership experience

Future Leader

Take your first steps towards learning to coach, start to understand the behaviour of others, develop your communication skills and your ability to build rapport.

In this topic you will:

  • Take part in the Coach Assistant Award. In this you’ll discover how to:
    • Assist your coach during their sessions
    • Plan your own warm-up and cool-down sessions
    • Give a demonstration
    • Deliver two short activities to another group
  • Develop your ability to build rapport
  • Build skills to communicate confidently
  • Learn how to promote and model positive behaviour

Complete the topic with an ‘Explorer Challenge’ to volunteer at your centre for 30 hours and complete the Coach Assistant Award.

Goal Setter

Learn how self-reflection can help you to achieve your SMART goals and how to prepare for potential obstacles.

In this topic you’ll discover:

  • Key steps for goal setting success
  • How planning can help prepare for potential obstacles
  • How to use self-reflection to help you achieve your goals
  • How to use rewards to keep you motivated

Complete the topic with an ‘Explorer Challenge’ to set yourself a SMART goal and work to achieve a new skill over six months with support from your coach.

Team Player

Learn what it takes to be a team leader and how to deal with challenges.

In this topic you’ll discover:

  • The responsibilities of a team leader
  • How action planning can turn your idea into a reality
  • The importance of inclusion and considering other people’s ideas
  • Skills to help you deal with conflict

Complete the topic with an ‘Explorer Challenge’ to develop your teamwork skills and strengthen friendship bonds by taking part in a team-building adventure.

Innovator

There are many elements to putting together a campaign find out how campaigns are designed to inform and influence others.

In this topic you’ll discover:

  • Six simple steps to creating a campaign
  • How campaigns can be framed to influence others
  • Ways to create the right message
  • Different ways to show support for a cause

Complete the topic with an ‘Explorer Challenge’ to get involved with a campaign you feel strongly about by raising awareness or fundraising.

How to get involved

The Leadership Awards are open to anyone who’d like to take part — you don’t need to own a horse or be a BHS member.

They can be delivered at any BHS Approved Centre or by an Accredited Professional Coach. Use the search feature to find your nearest Centre or Coach.

If you have your own horse

Courses are delivered by an Accredited Professional Coach. Your coach can come to your livery yard or British Riding Club grounds. 

Find a BHS Accredited Professional

If you do not own your own horse

Or you’re not sure if they would be suitable, don’t worry. There are BHS Approved Riding Centres throughout the UK that deliver Horse Explorers awards with their facilities and horses.  

You can achieve the Horse Explorers awards at your local Approved Centre where they will match you to a horse to ensure your lessons are suitable to your experience. 

Find a BHS Approved Centre

Get in touch

If you want to learn more about the Horse Explorers awards or if you have any questions, please complete our enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly.