World Equestrian Games Vaulting: Gymnastics On Horseback

If I had to put the World Equestrian Games disciplines in order of which I’d most like to compete in myself, I’m not really sure which would be at the top. However, I can state unequivocally that vaulting would be at the very bottom!

Not because it’s not a super cool sport … but when I’m on a horse I want my rear attached and my legs on either side. Gymnastics on a cantering horse? Crazy!

While I’ve never tried vaulting myself, I have gotten a bit of an education through the vaulting program at the NARHA therapeutic riding center where I volunteer. I’m always impressed from the very first move, where these teeny girls nimbly leap onto a gigantic, moving draft horse.  Then they proceed to twist their limber bodies into crazy shapes while sitting, standing, lying or hanging on to the horse by their pinky toes.

Even if I’m not flexible enough to ever be any good vaulting, and even if it does make me a little nervous to watch, I am totally in awe of things that vaulters, especially working in teams, can do. If you are a crazy horse person like me without any training in vaulting, here’s a brief tutorial to help get us all ready for WEG.

Vaulting, Or Gymnastics On Horseback

Gymnastics and dance on horseback is actually a quite apt analogy for the equestrian sport of vaulting, and I think gives a pretty clear picture of what these athletes do. They perform a gymnastics/dance routine standing on a moving horse … sometimes on their own, sometimes with a partner, and sometimes with a team or up to 3 people on the horse at one time! Vaulting is done at all levels from international competition to 4-H, and recreational teams to therapeutic programs.

Vaulters are incredibly dependent on two awesome teammates: their horse and their longuer. A vaulter performs a routine on a horse as it canters in a circle controlled by a person on the ground with a longe line. The longeur’s job is to keep the horse moving at a consistent tempo on a circle no less than 15 meters in diameter.

The horses used in vaulting come from a variety of breeds, but all need to have these same qualities: calm, strong, fit and kind, with a consistent and balanced gait. They wear a special surcingle and back pad that has large handholds and foot stirrups to aid the vaulter in creating different shapes and movements.

The performance of all three (or more if there are multiple vaulters) count towards the final score in competition. The horse constitutes 20% of the total score. Competition judging is based on technique, form, difficulty, balance, security and consideration of the horse. It generally includes a compulsory round and a freestyle music round. There are six compulsories exercises—the mount, basic seat, flag, mill, scissors, stand, flank and dismount. Each exercise is scored on a scale from 0-10.

Really, the best way to get an idea of what vaulting is, is to watch it! Here are some videos of the gold medal winners at the 2006 WEGs in Aachen.

WEG Individual Vaulting Gold Medalist Megan Benjamin

US Vaulting Team WEG 2006

Vaulting At The 2010 World Equestrian Games

For both the team and individual competition at the World Equestrian Games, competitors will perform a compulsory round and a freestyle round.

Vaulting Compulsory

For the compulsories, there are seven moves that the individual vaulter must perform in exact succession without dismounting from the horse:

• Basic Seat: the vaulter sits on the horse as a rider normally would with the arms held out to the side and hands raised to ear level. Watch for the details in the vaulter’s form: fingers together and slightly arched up, legs wrapped around the horse’s barrel, soles of the feet facing the rear, toes down and feet arched. The position must be held for four full strides.
• Flag: From the basic seat, the vaulter hops to her knees and extends her right leg straight out behind, holding it slightly above her head so the leg is parallel to the horse’s spine. Watch for the other leg to have the pressure distributed evenly between shin and foot, the left arm stretched forward at same height as the raised leg with the palm down and fingers together, right foot arched with sole up. This is held for four strides after arm and leg are raised.
• Mill: From the astride position, the vaulter brings the right leg over the horse’s neck, followed by the left leg over the croup, right leg over the croup, and left leg over the neck (who of us hasn’t played around-the-world before?). The vaulter has to let go of the grips to adjust his hands during each movement. Each leg movement is performed over 4 strides, making the entire Mill 16 strides. Watch for straight legs, pointed toes, and the legs together when they are on the same side of the horse.
• Scissors: From the astride position, the vaulter swings into a handstand. At the apex, the vaulter’s body should be turned to the longeur and the inner leg should be crossed over the outer leg. The vaulter than comes down and lands so that she is facing backwards. The return scissors is then performed, so that the vaulter swings up with the outside leg over the inside leg, and lands facing forward once again. Watch for the vaulter to land very gently, or they’ll lose points, and earn more for greater elevation.
• Stand: The vaulter moves from the astride position, to the shins, and then to both feet, releasing the grips.  Watch for the vaulter to straighten up, keeping the knees bent, rear end tucked forward, and the arms and hands help up like they are for the basic seat. They remain standing for 4 full strides.
• Flank: From the astride position, the vaulter swings her legs forward, then backward, and rolling onto the stomach in an arch while fully extending the legs – almost in a handstand. At the apex, the vaulter jackknifes her body and turns 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.

In team competition, each member performs the compulsory moves, one after another. They mount, do the first three moves, then dismount. After all team members have gone, they start over and each perform the final three moves.

Vaulting Freestyle

Vaulters in both the individual and team competition will perform their own freestyle routine to music. The components of a freestyle vaulting routine MAY include mounts and dismounts, handstands, kneeling and standing and aerial moves such flips. Teams will also carry, lift, and even toss another vaulter in the air. Judging is based on technique, performance, form, difficulty, balance, security, and consideration of the horse.

WEG Vaulting Schedule

The vaulting competition at WEG will finish out the two weeks, with competition held over the final 5 days of WEG.

All About The Disciplines

• Para Dressage
• Eventing
• Combined Driving
• Jumping
• Dressage
• Reining
• Endurance
• Vaulting