Pivo Meets: Alison Kenward, Professional Dressage Rider and Coach

Welcome to Pivo Meets, a series where we get real and chatty with the faces of Pivo. In this blog, the spotlight is on Alison Kenward — A professional Equestrian coach, Dressage rider and business mentor.

Alison has been a qualified equestrian and dressage coach for over 30 years in 8 countries! She started her coaching career in 1994 and has been coaching online since 2005. Alison helps riders develop great partnerships with their horses and she also rides and competes in Dressage Competitions.

One of her many achievements — Equestrian Heroes — is an online dressage school where Alison teaches a mix of live lessons, provides feedback on video clips with coaching tips and homework, and helps plan competitions.

Read on to take a look into Alison Kenward’s successful career of being an equestrian and dressage coach, her achievements and how she has made Pivo a part of her coaching.

Tell us about yourself, and how you got into dressage.

I learned how to ride a horse with a good connection/balance as part of my early instructor training. It might have been confusing to me as I played Polocrosse alongside training as a BHS Coach, but I had always enjoyed developing a horses’ way of going. Building a rapport with my horses to be able to influence their balance was something I began to practice in my pony club days.

The first time I realized I wanted to specialize in Dressage was in South Africa, where I was privileged to ride a Dressage horse on the beach.

William was my first horse that I competed in unaffiliated dressage, though I had previously ridden tests as part of ODEs. After William, I met Jack, and he started my Affiliated Dressage career.

You successfully run a training platform – the Equestrian Heroes, what inspired you to start it?

I have always wanted to do more with my website than my IT skills allowed. To create a hub where I could connect with riders. To set up a sharing place where riders could connect in real time. In Covid Lockdowns I studied how to make my vision for an online equestrian centre a reality. I began to build a version of the coaching arenas I have today. Integrating Pivo tools into my tech stack enabled me to create Dressage School Online.

And how has your journey as a mentor been so far?

The Mentoring Role is an extension of my love for being an equestrian and dressage coach. I’ve been involved in some fantastic programmes helping business owners and coaches. I currently volunteer as a mentor for an enterprise programme and as part of the BHS APC mentoring programme in my area. Mentoring is a great way to share insights. Mentoring is a two-way exchange; conversations evolve and as you listen you gain a fresh perspective. Stepping out of the coaching role is a skill to nurture and this flexibility brings new experience. Taking on fresh challenges has given me the chance to develop my own coaching practice.

What role does Pivo play in your business of online equestrian and dressage coaching?

Pivo offers me the chance to create and connect as a Coach. Pivo’s Meet Mode opens up a window to a rider’s arena with a picture and audio so clear, that I feel as though I’m standing right there with the horse and rider. Pivo helps me to share the view from my own arena or stables with my athletes, so that I can demonstrate exercises and techniques in real time. Also, having a conversation and delivering a lecture or demonstration through a simple link.

Having a Pivo gives me the chance to film content for my coaching programmes as well as for my digital marketing. Pivo is not only an essential part of my business, but it also helps me as a rider to review my ride and reflect on my progress. Rider Reflection is a crucial part of our development and I recommend recording every ride, with Pivo this is quick and easy to do.

You’re a part of and have also met some of your students through the Pivo Community, how has being a part of Pivo Circle helped you as a rider, equestrian and a dressage coach?

The power of any community is found in the conversations we share. I have met some wonderful riders sharing their ideas and stories in Pivo Circle. I, Alison Kenward – Equestrian and Dressage Coach, also had the chance to connect with a wonderful Coach from Kenya and through our shared love of horses and learning I made great friends. Often time I joke that I go to Kenya every week but the magic of online coaching is that you become part of the centre and feel a real connection to the people and the horses.

A coach teaches, but also learns a lot from students. Is there
something that has inspired you, or changed Alison Kenward as an athlete after interacting with multiple students from around the world?

I tend to feel as though I am riding with the student for at least part of every session. I think, when a session is online, this experience is magnified because any time I coach with a headset, it’s as though I’m sitting up there with the rider on their shoulder, so I hear the situation from the rider’s conversation whilst watching the partnership from the ground. What is clear from coaching sessions with riders from multiple locations and time zones is that we all share the enthusiasm and love for riding and developing as a rider.

I find it inspiring to be a small part of the conversation that a horse and rider share. It’s difficult to articulate what it is exactly that I feel when I notice the horse and rider making new discoveries about each other in a training environment. The nuanced communication and the unspoken words are exciting to watch and to share those moments is to be able to experience a connection. I often find riding later that the experience can have a profound impact on my own communication with my horses. Working out the whys is a fun part of my own rider and coach reflections.

What do you like the best about being a dressage coach with your platform the Equestrian Heroes?

I love the creative ways I can share new ideas. Equestrian Heroes has a Library where I share articles, challenges and mini courses. I really enjoy shaping my ideas and the theory that supports the topic to share with others. One of my favorite areas of Equestrian Heroes is the virtual classroom, where riders can join me in real time for private lessons, tutorials or group seminars/workshops. This has the buzz of live coaching without the need for riders to travel long haul in order to join in on the fun!

What are the main benefits for learners to opt for online coaching?

There are different ways to utilize online coaching. I offer live coaching which allows me to coach and support the partnership in real time. I also offer a variety of courses that riders can work through at their own pace. These courses bring information riders can trust and use as part of their own programme. Video Feedforward sessions give riders the chance to send videos of their rides to me, to receive constructive action points, homework and suggestions for future sessions. Online coaching offers affordable and accessible training solutions. Riders save on travel costs and have the flexibility to choose hybrid programmes combining self study with coach support.

How do you feel the benefits of training with Pivo can help
students and also professionals in the long run?

We all benefit from being able to watch our riding sessions and to reflect on the experience. Pivo supports all riders with a simple solution for connecting online and capturing video footage. Over time our learning is enriched by making the connections between the ridden session itself, and the feedback we receive from coaches, and from our own reflections as we rewatch the video.

Professionals will find enormous value in coaching with Pivo. Pivo Pod Silver Equestrian Pack helps coaches to connect with their riders and owning a Pivo Pod makes it possible to create valuable content.

What according to you is one secret to become successful in
dressage?

My secret is to help find a connection with every horse you meet. Sometimes it’s a spark of recognition and a pull to know more from that horse. Other times, it’s a fine thread that you have to search for. Regardless, once you start to find a way to communicate with your horse, you are closer to developing a relationship that can help you to achieve your success in the Dressage Arena.

Alison Kenward BHS APC, Performance Centre Manager, Senior
Coach, UKCC3, BD Recognised Coach List 6 Judge.
May 2024

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Connect with Alison Kenward, equestrian and dressage coach on Instagram.

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