Jo McFarlane is a passionate equestrian and has been involved in the many disciplines of equestrian from an early age, as a competitor and coach. Jo’s knowledge in the area of horsemanship grows as she works with professionals who share similar training philosophies, and she has an open mind to expand her knowledge in both educating horses and riders.

As a coach, with the personal characteristics of a calm, positive, and empathic demeanour, strong communication, and self-reflective skills enable her to build trust and set realistic goals with riders and their families. Jo brings together a professional career in education and a recent focus on psychology to mentor the horse and rider in developing skills at all levels.

Jo has had numerous opportunities to coach the State Pony Club and Interschool equestrian teams. In 2001, Jo was the National Coach for the Interpacific Team which competed in New Zealand and in 2016, Jo was awarded Tasmanian Equestrian Coach of the Year and represented Tasmania at the National Equestrian Australia Coaching Awards.

Jo is a current board member of the Tasmanian Coaching Committee, which has a vision to develop the depth of skill and understanding of Tasmanian coaches.

An advocate of the Equestrian Australia Coaching System; Jo trains and mentors new and upgrading coaches and encourages coaches to become continual learners. Her highly professional approach encourages the enhancement of learning through self-awareness, the learning of new skills, and adoption of effective teaching strategies.

As part of her coaching journey, Jo has been accepted to complete her Level 3 qualifications and is excited to have our support to assist in completing this goal.

Qualifications for Jo include:

• Equestrian Australia Level 2 Equestrian Coach and Coach Educator
• Pony Club Australia level 2 Jumping Coach and Coach Assessor
• Riding for Disabled Association NCAS Level 1 Coach
• Equestrian Australia Level 3 Equestrian Coach (enrolled)
• Applied Sport Psychology for Coaches