What is vaulting? by Carys E Morgan BVSc, MRCVS


roots level right up to elite vaulting, there are three broad categories in which you can compete - these are: individual, pas de deux (pairs) and team. They are further split into age categories and skill levels in a similar way to other equestrian disciplines. The vaulting competition generally consists of two


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rounds, compulsories and freestyle. In the compulsory round all vaulters perform the same set of moves, where each move is scored out of 10, rather like for a dressage test. The freestyle round is where it gets interesting; vaulters perform their own routine which can be as difficult and as creative as they want. At this point you are thinking one of two things; either, that it sounds exciting, which it most definitely is, or that it sounds dangerous. Well, it is actually the safest equestrian sport. I am oſten asked why we don’t wear hats to vault, this is a valid question. I wouldn’t dream of getting on a horse to ride without a hard hat, but I will happily vault without one! The risk level would be similar to that of gymnastics. The horse is always under the control of a lunger, and always on a soſt surface. Hats would actually be quite dangerous for vaulting as there is a lot of tack for a chin strap to get caught in, a few heads to be bashed with, and in fact a hat would be detrimental to the vaulter’s balance.


questrian Vaulting is one of the ‘8 FEI Equestrian Sports’. It is best described as gymnastics and dance on the back of a cantering horse. From grass


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June/July 2020


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