Maltese riders attend coaching course in Istanbul

Paul Alessandro and Sarah Micallef have just completed an intensive Level Two coaching course run by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) at Istanbul's SIEC Equestrian Centre.

Alessandro and Micallef completed an intensive six-day course which was led by Irish mentor Gerry Mullins whose deep experience and high standards make him the perfect role model for aspiring coaches.

The course consisted of 60 contact hours, with some conducted as a seminar with theory, presentations and group work. Participants were a mix of show-jumpers, including Gerald Flynn, the Irish champion rider of the Dressage Balkan Games.

FEI courses are a practical coaching education system, designed within a programme for developing equestrian federations of which Malta forms part. Level One brings candidates up to assistant coach level whereas the more demanding Level Two enables coaches to work independently when qualified.

The Level One course was held in Malta earlier this year. It was conducted by FEI coach Susanne Macken and had a total of 14 local participants.

Level Two was made up of five candidates from Turkey, one Romanian, one Greek, one Iranian and the two Maltese participants.

The SIEC Centre was founded by Sevil Sabanci (SIEC president) and is one of the top equestrian training and competition venues in Europe.

With excellent facilities, an experienced coaching staff and good management, SIEC has helped raise the standard of equestrian sport in Turkey by no small measure.

In Malta, local riders require better facilities to allow them to further improve their competitive standards. The qualifications and expertise gained by Alessandro and Micallef in Turkey is a step in the right direction for the long-term improvement and development of the sport on our shores.