Home / Equestrian sports / Vaulting
Other FEI disciplines
Vaulting is gymnastics and acrobatics on the back of a cantering horse moving on a circle. It is often compared to gymnastics and dance.
| Group | Other FEI disciplines |
|---|---|
| Also called | equestrian vaulting, voltige |
| Olympic | no |
| Governing body | FEI |
| Where it is popular | Vaulting is most developed in Europe, especially Germany and Switzerland, and in other Western countries. |
The horse canters on a circle at least 15 m across, on a lunge line held by the lunger in the centre. Athletes perform compulsory exercises and a freestyle to music, with stands, swings, lifts and dismounts. There are individual classes (men and women compete separately), pairs (pas de deux) and teams, with no more than three vaulters on the horse at once. Judges score technique, difficulty and harmony, and the horse is marked too.
The horse must be strong and calm, with a broad back and a smooth, steady canter, and must not be bothered by movement on its back. Warmbloods, draft horses and draft crosses are used most often.
Instead of a saddle the horse wears a vaulting surcingle with handles and loops over a thick pad, plus a bridle and side reins. Vaulters wear close-fitting outfits and soft gymnastic shoes.
The main events are the FEI World Championships, the FEI Vaulting World Cup, the European Championships and CHIO Aachen.
Children usually start at about seven, and vaulting is a good first step with horses. Beginners work at walk while the coach controls the horse, so you can start before you can ride on your own.
Vaulting once appeared at the Olympics, at Antwerp 1920, under the name "Artistic Riding". It became an FEI discipline in 1983.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, inside.fei.org, equisearch.com, horse-canada.com