Welcome to episode 4! This is the first of a series of episodes that will be focussed on the recent publication of my concept paper making a case for applying an ecological perspective to coaching in equestrian sports (Can’t jump, won’t jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in Showjumping using a constraints-led approach).

In these episodes, my guests will question, challenge and explore the ideas with me. They will be bringing the concepts to life, adding practical examples and discussing the potential benefits and challenges of embracing contemporary theories of skill acquisition and coaching practice.

During the conversation we cover many topics, including:
- Brief explanation of theories of learning used in sport coaching and with horses.
- Why theories of learning change or influence the way we teach and coach.
- Are cues and affordances different? - the role of context and agency.
- What the implications of these ecological concepts are in designing practice. The importance of variable practice and making mistakes in training.
- Perception-action coupling and what information (visual, auditory, haptic, kinaesthetic) is important.
- The importance of embracing uncertainty and becoming comfortable feeling uncomfortable.
- Creating safe uncertainty or safe-to-fail opportunities in practice.
- Importance of a social licence to operate (SLO).

Link to the research paper (open access):
Research Gate copy: Can’t jump, won’t jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in Showjumping using a constraints-led approach

Links to my guest:
Warren Lamperd. Warren is a British Equestrian Federation UKCC Level 4 coach for British Showjumping and UKCC level 3 British Eventing Warren has a Masters Degree in Coaching Science, a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Practise in Sports Coaching and a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Science. https://warrenlamperd.com/content/coaching

Hosted by Marianne Davies. Marianne is a PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University researching the application of non-linear pedagogy to equestrian sports coaching. Marianne is also a director at Dynamics Coaching. https://dynamics-coaching.com/

Alex Ogg, “Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables: The Early Years” (PM Press, 2014)