Equestrian Vaulting

Vaulting is gymnastics on horseback. There are team competitions and individual competitions. A horse is lunged at the canter in a circle, and the vaulters perform something between a dance and a gymnastics routine on the horses back. Like dressage, there is a regular competition where all performers do the same routine, and then a freestyle where they can design their own performance, often including music.

Vaulting can be traced back to ancient times, especially Ancient Rome where it was used by acrobats to impress crowds. In the renniassance times, vaulting was used as an excersice by nobles and knights and was a symbol of status. It has been around in the circus for decades, however it wasn't recgonized as an equestrian sport by the FEI until 1984 and the first time it was included in the World Equestrian Games (WEG) was in 1990.

The horses wear a large surcingle on their backs, which include things that look like handle bars (there's no better way to describe it) and a thick pad on their backs in order to protect the horses back from becoming sore from the rider doing flips and stunts on their back.

There are many movements in vaulting such as:

 Flag: From the astride position, the vaulter hops to his or her knees and extends the right leg straight out behind, holding it slightly above his or her head so the leg is parallel to the horse's spine. The other leg should have pressure distributed through the shin and foot, most weight should be on the back of the ankle, to avoid digging the knee into the horse's back. The left arm is then stretched straight forward, at a height nearly that of the right leg. The hand should be held as it is in basic seat (palm down, fingers together). The right foot should be arched and the sole should face skyward. This movement should be held for four full strides after the arm and leg are raised.

Flank:From the astride position, the legs are swung forward to create momentum, before swinging backward, and rolling onto the stomach in an arch, with a full extension of the legs so that the vaulter nearly reaches a handstand. At the apex, the vaulter jackknifes her body and turns the body to the inside, before sliding down into a side seat. The vaulter moves from the side seat with a straighten of the legs, keeping the legs together, bringing her body over the horse's back, and pushes off the handgrips, landing to the outside of the circle facing forward. The vaulter is judged on form, landing, and elevation. You need to be able to eventually swing your entire body over the horse.



It still, however is not an olympic sport yet, but hopefully it will be soon! Here's a link to a video showing a vaulting freestyle :)