In the riding club where I keep my horses, vaulting is a Big Deal. That’s because it’s home to the world champion vaulter, Nicolas Andreani, and world champion vaulting horses Idéfix (now retired) and Just A Kiss. About a fourth of the riding horses at this stable also perform vaulting exercises, under individuals, teams, and pas de deux. On Tuesday I got to watch our club’s teams warming up for their French national championships in La Motte, which are going on right now. There were six people on each team–yes, really, six people, though never more than three at a time on the horse. They were taking turns jumping on, doing poses, leaps, and lifts, and jumping off. The smaller members of the team (younger children) were pulled up onto the horse by older vaulters already on the horse. It was quite impressive to watch.
Apparently the FEI is finding it more and more impressive as well. They’ve decided that the acrobatic movements are getting so advanced in the vaulting discipline that it’s time to have a closer look at the equipment used on the horse.
Here’s my article in The Horse about that topic:
Recent Comments