Welcome to the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE)

AASE has been hugely successful in developing and preparing talented young equestrian athletes who have a real chance of excelling in their sport.

The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence is tailored around the equestrian Olympic disciplines ensuring that top equestrian athletes are starting on the right path to exceed and excel in their chosen career.

Apprenticeships are designed to enable people to develop their skills and gain a recognised qualification whilst being employed in the equestrian sector in England*. They are an educational programme aimed at individuals aged 16 years old and above. They are fully funded by the government for 16-18 year olds and 95% government-funded with a 5% employer contribution for those aged 19 and over. AASE is a level 3 advanced apprenticeship which is an equivalent to A-Level standard.

Applications are open to allow young talented riders to get the support they need to be the very best, by undertaking this unique programme. The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence; Equestrian Athlete is proudly delivered by Haddon Training in direct partnership with British Eventing, British Dressage and British Showjumping 

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“It helps to broaden your understanding of your chosen discipline to help you continue to grow as a rider and to develop your business as well. It covers everything that goes into being a show jump, dressage or event rider, or whoever you want to be”

Emily Seal – former AASE student

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You will be coached by world-class trainers such as Andrew Saywell, Heike Holstein and Charlie Hutton and in addition, you will have access to a range of skills including career planning, physical health, performance psychology, communication and managing the media. Click here for more information on the programme, from building your career to developing your technical and tactical skills.

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“AASE is a springboard to riders who aspire to perform at the top level by providing access to a range of vocational experts and training from internationally acclaimed coaches.”

 Andrew Saywell, former international showjumper and coach on the AASE programme.

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Applications are open now.  The first camp will be in October 2020** and as part of the apprenticeship, applicants will attend a minimum of four training camps throughout the year and will be working towards a level 3 advanced apprenticeship.

Listen to what some of our graduates have to say about their experiences. 

• Entry criteria for Dressage/Para-Dressage

  Dressage

  Riders should be competing consistently at Medium level and above and achieving 65% or more (applicants should have a minimum of four results at the level required in the 12 months prior to application).

  Riders will also be considered on younger horses (up to 7 years of age) who demonstrate the potential to compete successfully at international level and are already competing consistently at Elementary or above and achieving 70% or more.

  (Please note: Freestyle scores do not count towards minimum criteria).

  Para-Equestrian Dressage

  Riders must have a current classification and should be consistently and currently scoring 62% in their relevant grade at BD Para-Dressage Competitions.

  Please note freestyle scores cannot be counted.

  We also consider applications from athletes for the AASE programme from those that would not necessarily meet the sporting criteria but would greatly benefit from the programme, ideally identifying those likely to stay in the sport in other capacities or work in the wider equestrian community.  Evidence would have to be provided to justify this – supporting videos can be provided, please see the application form for details.

   

• Entry criteria for Eventing

  

  We also consider applications from athletes for the AASE programme from those that would not necessarily meet the sporting criteria but would greatly benefit from the programme, ideally identifying those likely to stay in the sport in other capacities or work in the wider equestrian community.  Evidence would have to be provided to justify this – supporting videos can be provided, please see the application form for details.

   

• Entry criteria for Showjumping/Para-Showjumping

  

  We also consider applications from athletes for the AASE programme from those that would not necessarily meet the sporting criteria but would greatly benefit from the programme, ideally identifying those likely to stay in the sport in other capacities or work in the wider equestrian community.  Evidence would have to be provided to justify this – supporting videos can be provided, please see the application form for details.

   

To read more about the skills you will learn take a look at the full

programme details 

*If you are self-employed or employed outside of England you may still be able to take part – please contact our Business Development Team on 01672 519977 for further information
**We plan to run the first camp in October 2020 but this will depend on the government guidelines and we will keep all successful applicants informed of any variations.

There will be annual variations to the programme format, the above is created focused on the 2020-2021 programme