Vaulting

Vaulting is gymnastics and dance on the back of a moving horse. You can vault as an individual and as part of a team. Most people that vault also compete. When someone competes, they do compolsaries, then freestyle. Usually vaulters will start at the trot, then when they are ready, they will start vauilting at the canter. Once they are at the canter, the vaulters will slowely move up levels. They will start at copper, then bronze, then silver, then gold. The vaulters that are in gold usually some of the best vaulters in the nation.

Individuals

In individuals, the vaulter vaults alone.

Compolsaries

The compolsaries are a set of moves that every vaulter must do if they are competing. It consists of 7 excersizes that every vaulter works to master. The 7 moves consist of:

  1. Mount
  2. Riding Seat
  3. Flag
  4. Mill
  5. Scissors
  6. Stand
  7. Flank

Freestyle

In team, the vaulters vault in teams of 6 with one alternate, who does compolsaries but is not in the freestle.

The freestyle is a set of moves of a vauters choice that the vaulter will preform. They can do almost anything they want, but it should not be a compolsary excersize. It should be almost exactly one minute long and it is preformed to music. The moves usually show off a vaulters strengths and what they are good at. The freestyle is scored on:

  1. Preformance
  2. Composition
  3. Degree of Difficulty
  4. Horse Score

Team

In team, the vaulters compete in teams of 6 with one alternate. They do compolsaries and preform a team freestyle.

Compolsaries

In team compolsaries, the vaulter preforms the compolsaries one after another, and the horse does not stop in between. The vaulters all have 6, or 7 minutes to complete all of them, depending on whether they have an alternate or not. Each vaulter is scored individually, but then all of the vaulters score, and the horses score are averaged into an overall compolsary score.

Freestyle

In team freestyle, the 6 vaulters will get on the horse at the same time. There can be up to 3 vaulters on the horse, and 2 of them need to have some sort of body horse on the horse when the tree people are on. Other than triples in the team freestyle, there are also doubles where two people are on at one time. The team freestyle is 4 minutes long.

Competitions

Listed below are the most prestigious competitions, where they are located, and who can attend them.

Competition Aachen European Championships World Championships World Equestrian Games
Country It Happends In Germany Changes Changes Changes
Countries That Can Come Anyone Who Qualifies Anyone Who Qualifies that Lives in Europe Anyone Who Qualifies Anyone Who Qualifies
Links: American Vaulting Association Woodside Vaulters