Celebrating 80 years of Pony Club NSW in 2026!
All paperwork in the Bronze workbook will be completed at the State Schools. The worksheets must be completed before the assessment.
The NSW Instructors Accreditation (NSWIA) is an update of the previous NSW Instructors certificates now meeting current industry procedures and standards.
Under the new updated NSW Instructor’s accreditation, the certificates are now known as Bronze, Silver and Gold.
The NSWIA is a very much reduced workload from other accreditations. Candidates will receive a high level of information and a more targeted focus on coaching skills and teaching groups of riders at rally days. However, the NCAS (National accreditation) is still available to be done in NSW.
The NSWIA offers a more condensed learning experience and has more specific and relevant subjects for teaching at rally days. Pony Club NSW is very lucky to have three very highly trained and experienced EA Coaches/Coach Educators working for Pony Club NSW and with extra input from the Zone Chief Instructors we feel this accreditation will produce a more inviting but also more effective pathway to producing competent Instructors.
It also offers alternative ways to be able to complete the certificates either via hard copy or electronic/online, to be able to accommodate everyone’s preferred way of learning.
The Bronze workbooks are available to purchase via this link.
There will be more information about the Gold certificate in the near future.
The next level, Silver accreditation, is available and done through the same procedure as above.
ASSESSMENTS: Candidates doing the new NSWIA and the PCA NCAS candidates will attend the same assessments. They will run concurrently by the State, but the PCA NCAS will need to undergo one or two extra subjects to fulfil the National requirement. Those wishing to complete the NCAS will need to go to Pony Club Australia.
To achieve any instructor accreditations in NSW (NSWIA OR NCAS) you need to attend a State Instructors assessment. This is to help achieve a level playing field, meet industry standards, consistency, inclusivity, and provide broader availability. Only instructors who have attended and been passed a NSW State assessment are recognised in NSW.
After the Assessment
You will find out your result on the day.
If you pass your assessment, you will receive a letter and certificate.
You are added to the instructors list and Justgo.
For more information in regard to coaching and accreditations send an email to coach@ponyclubnsw.org.au
Pony Club NSW ran under three separate Instructors Accreditations since the inclusion of the NCAS in 2009. Before 2009 NSW had its own Instructors scheme which was known as the “Old system Level One, Level Two & Introductory”. These accreditations are no longer current.
It was long overdue to incorporate the Old System certificate holders into a more streamline system.
At the November 2021 Pony Club NSW State Council meeting it was approved to have just one State Instructors Accreditation and one National Accreditation (NCAS), this was also voted on and recommended by the State Zone Chief Instructors committee.
NCAS: Previously, the last update of the NCAS Preliminary books was 2013. However, Pony Club Australia updated the NCAS Preliminary manual and work/log book so now the current version is 2021. It came into use at the beginning of this year (2022).
NSW felt that the updated version, PCA NCAS Workbook, created a considerable increase in hours spent by volunteers in preparing and gaining this accreditation, where the increased time spent compared to the other available qualifications is not proportional to an increase in skill or knowledge. This increase in work creates additional burdens to already time-poor volunteers and for an organisation that relies heavily on volunteers this is not a sustainable way forward.
With the development of the updated NCAS and the current cumbersome NSW system of 3 accreditations it was proposed to come up with just one NSW accreditation that could fulfill the necessary requirements.
The NSW certificate (NSWIA) has seen a dramatic increase in accredited instructors. This has had a positive flow on affects to the organisation by greatly improving the skill and knowledge base that would flow right down to the grassroots members. As our sport can be high risk, it is our duty of care to have well trained instructors and to support them, so we need to provide as good Instructor training system as possible without overburdening members and to encourage more members to become accredited so all clubs have accredited instructors in attendance at rally days.
In order to maintain your accreditation coaches must fulfil a number of criteria and complete and submit a renewal form every four (4) years. Click Here for the NCAS updating sheet.
