Belinda teaches between 15 and 20 students annually, in addition to assisting many coaches with their own programs. From her home base, Oakcrest Farms in Stouffville, ON, she distills all her lessons learned over decades competing across the globe, from her first major games appearance at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Jerez, ESP, in 2002, to her most recent performance at WEG 2018 in Tryon, NC.
Canadian Olympian Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, balances her high performance dressage career with teaching up to 20 students annually as an Equestrian Canada certified High Performance 1 Coach. She is shown coaching Nicole Folland of Oakville, ON, on her horse, Serrano.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Belinda Trussell
“The benefit is that I am doing it myself; I am in the ring competing and training horses for competition, so I know what my students are going through,” commented Belinda. “I can relate with them, give them advice from my own experiences, and help them along the way.”
In addition to imparting the skills she has personally developed in the ring, Belinda also shares her observations of fellow international athletes. Most coaches will advise their students to absorb as much competition as possible, and when you’re watching the best in the world compete alongside you at WEGs, Pan Am and Olympic Games, you tend to pick up a thing or two.
“Being able to watch other high performance riders challenges me to be better,” explained Belinda. “It keeps my eye sharp and continues to raise my expectations. I find when I stay at home and don’t go out and watch the best, it is easy to stay stagnant. Being out in the top sport scene pushes me to be a better rider and trainer.”
As part of her never-ending quest to provide her students with the best education possible, Belinda began her EC coaching certification journey in 2000, and was certified as a High Performance 1 Coach for Dressage in 2015.
“It’s important [coaches] have standards in Canada,” said Belinda of the certification program. “We need to teach great skills and proper techniques to our students. We also need to continue to learn new coaching techniques. So many wonderful discoveries have occurred in the past three decades I have been teaching; we need opportunities to learn how to be better teachers and teach the correct skills.”
There’s no question that Belinda possesses the correct skills in spades – after all, this is the woman who mastered the incredibly challenging piaffe-pirouette one-handed with Anton in 2015! But before Belinda will share the secrets to technical success with her students, she always begins by goal-setting.
“My job is to help my students accomplish their goals,” explained Belinda. “Some might be enjoying their horse and improving their position, and other students would like to be Team riders. I cater to my students’ individual needs; if they don’t want to show and just want to learn to be the best riders they can be, it’s important to stick to what they desire out of riding. If my student wants to be a Team rider, it’s my job to challenge them and help them accomplish that goal. No matter what level or goals my students have, I always want them to have fun and enjoy their horse.”
Belinda gives Linda Jodoin’s Feng de Lys a pat while coaching her assistant, Lynsey Rowan of Holland Landing, ON.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Belinda Trussell
And when her students find joy in their riding, Belinda does, too. She said, “Coaching is incredibly rewarding – seeing my students master a new technique or feel something for the first time. Being able to help someone accomplish a goal is just as enjoyable as accomplishing my own goals.”
But, as one can imagine, it’s not easy to field a full roster of students when your personal goals involve, say, the Olympics (which Belinda has already attended twice: the 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Games).
“My biggest challenge is giving myself enough time to focus on my show while coaching students at the same show,” explained Belinda. “It takes time management and being able to tell my students what I can do for them. It’s hard for me to say no, and I have had to learn how to balance it all. I’m better than I used to be, but I still struggle because I don’t want to let anyone down.”
Belinda manages to balance her coaching career with her own competition dreams. She was recently nominated for her eighth major games – the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, which will take place from July 26 to Aug. 11 in Peru.
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle
Somehow, Belinda has managed to figure out the perfect balance. Her students have earned top placings at both the national and international levels, and she is preparing for her role as reserve for an eighth major games in Lima with Carlucci (Contendro x Compliment), Barbara Holden Sinclair’s 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding.
Through it all, Belinda tries to keep in mind the wisdom she always impresses upon her students:
“My biggest lesson is to always remember why you are in the sport and why you are riding horses. It is easy to get wrapped up in the wins or disappointments and forget why we all do this sport. For me, it is the love of horses, riding and training. If I can give anyone advice, it is to remember that no matter what level you are riding – Olympic Games or a pleasure rider – some days we win, and some days we learn, and we are all so lucky to ride!”