Two instructors at Olds College are recipients of Equine Canada awards of excellence in coaching, mentoring and instruction.
Wendy Johnston recently received the western coach 2 and coaching leadership awards, while Cathy Chalack was recognized for excellence in coaching for learning facilitation and mentorship and for coaching leadership.
Johnston teaches equine genetics, equine nutrition, conditioning the horse and rider for performance and general western horsemanship classes. She is also the lead instructor for the coaching major in the equine science program.
Johnston is chair of the National Western Coaching committee and has been involved on committees with Equine Canada for 20 years.
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She holds master learning facilitator status for high performance reining and is a master evaluator in the coaching (western) program. Personal interests include coaching, mentoring and high performance reining competition.
Chalack has been a competition coach for more than 30 years. She has been on staff at the college in Olds, Alta., as the English horsemanship and stable management instructor for equine sciences for 12 years. She helped develop the equestrian coaching major in equine science.
She served as a member of the Equine Canada national coaching committee, developing the Stable Management in Canada handbook, the National Coaching Certification program’s current English rider levels 1-8 and the coaching evaluation and certification process.
She has an equine breeding and training business on her family ranch, where she raises ponies, warmbloods and thoroughbreds for the English disciplines, along with a 150 head of cattle.
