According to the New York Times article, Equestrian Vaulting Gains Fans in the Northeast this elegant equestrian sport is becoming more accessible than ever.
Photo: Wikimedia CommonsThis is definitely one sport I'd love to try! I know my mother has a vaulting surcingle tucked away, but I'm not sure Trillium would care for me standing on her back. My search for a group close to me hasn't been successful.
Vaulting is basically gymnastics on horseback. Vaulters start out at a very young age, but this isn't a sport for youngsters only. The best in the world will be featured at the upcoming World Equestrian Games this summer in Kentucky. Trillium and I won't be there, although I'll be watching on TV as much as possible. Have you tried vaulting, or are you a member of a team? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Comments
For goodness sake, how many ways can idiotic humans come up with to damage a horse’s back! As a horse owner and rider, I find it’s just about acceptable, with an individual, carefully made saddle which is regularly refitted, to ride one. But to think putting this constant stress and strain on the creature’s spine is any way acceptable is beyond me. Why not try it on yourself, with a few small children, to see what it feel like, before having a number of grown adults do it to a willing-to-please but unable-to-say-no creature. If the horse does object, it’ll probably be “retrained” (possibly read forced) to comply. Go find something less harmful to do, please!
Like you I have reservations about some aspects of this sport. The first thing I noticed in the New York Times article was the little peanut on the big horse without a helmet. I too have questions about how standing and jumping on a horse’s back may affect the horse and the use of side reins. (And yes, I question the humaneness of sitting a back not meant to hold up a load. I believe that behoves us to take as much care as possible when fitting saddles and riding.) When we criticize, we put people on the defensive, and they stop listening and considering new ideas. I’d like to learn more about this sport. But I can’t assume that these people are any more or less ‘enlightened’ about back problems then the rest of us and I really don’t know if vaulting is any worse for a horse’s back than any other sport. So if I do get to experience vaulting I have a lot of questions and will reserve judgment until I get the answers.
Last summer my family was visiting the Kentucky Horse Park and we got to watch part of a vaulting show. We were there for the reigning test event. Vaulting horses are beautiful, well cared for animals. The trainers I spoke with were knowledgeable horse people. To say that horses are unable to say “no” is absurd. There was nothing keeping these equine athletes from bucking and yet there was none. My 4 year old grandson has been standing on my roping horse since we got home!
You make great observations. Unfortunately, without knowledge or understanding of the sport I can see why you and others would reach those conclusions. To answer all of your concerns would take a thesis.
1. I will tell you any horse with a sore back will not have a three beat canter. Vaulters do not pound on the horse: the back pad construction is different from any other sport making it absorbent to the occasional bumps that happen AND vaulter training emphasizes softness and control. The horse gets a score at a vaulting competition. If he is not going well it will lead to elimination or at a minimum the total vaulter+horse score will be negatively impacted.
2. Vaulting is a very safe sport that deceivingly looks risky. (That’s one attraction for kids… they love that you think they are doing something risky or dangerous.)
3.Vaulters know that reins and stir-ups are aids. When they ride they are very soft on the horses mouth and don’t panic if they lose a stir-up.
4. Vaulting horses usually have very long careers in the sport, because they cross-train in dressage or western pleasure. They love the kids and are very happy with their jobs.
I encourage you to visit a program in your area like Jack did! I think you’ll be very surprised and soon understand why riders in Germany are required to vault for six months to a year before they train in any other discipline. Vaulters make better riders faster and that has saved a lot of schooling horses from beginning riders mistakes! Jack: Make sure your boy is on a longe line – other wise he is trick riding! That’s a totally different discipline. The longe line and longe line is one thing that increases the safty in our sport!
My family has 18 years actively involved in the sport and we LOVE it!
If you haven’t already found it, check the ‘find a club’ button at americanvaulting.com. But even if you don’t have a club nearby to join, don’t let that stop you. Start your own!
The first lesson little Lucy and all vaulters get is ‘how to fall’. It is ingrained from the beginning so much so that if you don’t tuck and roll when you fall off in a competition, there are points deducted. Second lesson is ‘be soft on your horse’, whether returning to seat from a compulsory stand or some elaborate freestyle jump and roll, even though padded, requires the vaulter’s strength and ability to ‘land it softly’, again with potential for deductions if too hard on the horse in competition.
As for helmets, this is gymnastics with rolls and shoulder stands where the added size of a helmet would put excessive strain on a vaulter’s neck and shoulders, increasing the likelihood of an injury.
Our family has been vaulting for 13 years now and I reacted with a “You want to let them do WHAT!? ON TOP OF A HORSE!?” when my wife signed up our then 11 and 5 year old girls. But I soon became bitten by the sport and longed for our club for several seasons. Little did I know then that we’d now see our youngest on the podium getting a silver medal at the last WEG, and a bronze at the 2008 World Vaulting Championships! (And we’re not in an area where there are lots of other vaulting clubs around either.)
We hope you’ll all join us to cheer on the US Vaulters in Kentucky in October!
I’m so glad to hear from folks with experience in the sport. Your enthusiasm has inspired me to learn more!
As a competitive vaulter for 18 years I wanted to chime in on the subjects of safety and helmets. As Rick pointed out, vaulting is incredibly safety oriented, my very first lesson when I was 7 was how to fall properly which allowed me to go on to a successful vaulting career completely injury free for all of my years. This is important information that I feel should be included in every riding program, saddled or not, we’ve even had some of the three day eventers come to ask us if we could give them a lesson or two on how to tuck and roll. As for helmets, they would actually make the sport more dangerous. They increase the weight on top of your head which interferes with your body’s natural center of gravity throwing your balance off as well as disrupting your movements and possibly even your sight lines which are all important to keep you safe and sound while doing the required exercises.
I feel lucky on a daily basis to have found the sport of vaulting, it not only taught me wonderful horsemanship skills but also challenged me in a way that no other sport that I tried did, it was athletes of all ages working together with amazing animals to form the ultimate partnership. And, let’s not forget the amazing opportunity that it gave me to travel and compete both domestically and abroad, giving me a world education that I credit to this day for my success in the business world in my “life after vaulting.” I strongly encourage everyone to keep an open mind about the benefits of this wonderful and emerging sport.
I was a competitive vaulter for 10 years, and have been a competitor and judge in Dressage, Hunters, Jumpers, 3-day event, Equitation, Vaulting, Driving,and Breeding since the 60’s. I am a dresage professional and judge and trainer-of-judges, and equine biomechanics specialist.
I can understand the initial reaction. It is a common misconception that the horse has no choice or is forced to comply. In fact, because of the distance (the length of the longe line) the horse can “not play” whenever it wants – the longeur is helpless to prevent it (too far away!), except by careful training and a good positive relationship with the horse. In riding disciplines, the horse can be managed and forced – harsh bits, draw/auxiliary reins, pulling hands, forcing seat, harsh spurs. In vaulting, that simply doesn’t work – the horse has to AGREE to play and comply.
The goal (and only option) is to convince (NOT force) the horse into being a willing partner, not a truckling battered subserviant.
As to the effect on the horse’s back, from the biomechanical standpoint the key is the lifting of the horse’s back (lifting and arching of the lumbo-sacral joint). This lets the horse mitigate potential pressure and concussion by stretching of the muscles of the topline (contraction of the opposing abdominal musculature – thus stretching, lifting and arching the back). Correct longeing technique and training invites and encourages the horse to do this. Vaulting experts often have a much better perception of this than we see in some of the ‘riding’ disciplines – they have to or else the horses “won’t play” and the vaulters can’t vault.
I agree with Stephen, people should not stress horses by even getting on them.
This whole idea of domesticating horses for man’s entertainment in combat, pulling ploughs, carriages, hunting foxes, jumping obstacles etc is an abuse of a dumb animal who clearly deserves to become extinct.