October 6, 2010–We’ve covered Dressage, Driving, Endurance, Eventing, Jumping, Para-Dressage and Reining. Now we’ll give you an in-depth look at Vaulting and what it takes to compete at the highest level.
Vaulting is the gateway to all equestrian sports. A recreational activity and a competitive discipline combining gymnastic and dance elements, vaulting is performed to music on a cantering horse. It requires a harmonious relationship with the horse and outstanding physical condition from the vaulter.
Vaulting is a very exciting equestrian disciplines for the spectator as it is both a performance and a sporting competition. The versatility in styles of the performances, from the vaulter’s choice in music to his or her uniform design and the performance of the horse, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.
History:
A Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) recognized discipline since 1983, Vaulting hosts individuals, pairs and teams competing in separate events regionally, nationally and worldwide. This variety of competition allows for athletes of all ages to participate and perform breathtaking routines that include gymnastic mounts and dismounts, shoulder stands and handstands on the horse, carrying or lifting another vaulter, and kneeling and standing exercises.
Vaulting has a rich heritage traced back to the ancient Minoans and later to Roman soldiers. It was featured in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as Artistic Riding and has since evolved into the sport it is today.
Vaulting develops coordination, balance, strength, and creativity while working in harmony with the horse; it is used around the globe as an introduction to equestrian disciplines, and is recognized as a technique for developing strong riders in all disciplines.
What will vaulting be like at the Games?
Vaulting is always performed in a very safe environment – in a fully enclosed arena, on soft footing, with the horse attached to a “lunge” line, cantering in a large circle and controlled by a trainer, called a lunger. The horse, lunger and vaulter work as a team, with the lunger controlling the horse. The horse maintains a continuous, balanced canter and the vaulter performs on the horse as it moves in its circle.
With the lunger in control and responsible for maintaining the steady gait of the horse, vaulters can focus on learning to effectively move in rhythm with the horse while developing the mechanics and skills needed to dismount safely from the horse while it’s in motion. This provides excellent preparation for an unexpected dismount during participation in other equestrian activity.
At the Games, there will be three different competition events, Men’s and Women’s Individual and Team.
The individual competitions involve one vaulter performing at a time. There are two rounds of competition for individuals, each round consisting of two programs. In the first round, competitors each perform a compulsory and freestyle program.
The compulsory program is seven exercises that are scored based on their technical execution. There is little room for artistic creativity or individual style in this program, with all competitors, men, women and teams, performing the same exercises in the same order. Some may compare this program to figures in ice skating.
The freestyle program is created and choreographed by the vaulter and his or her coach; therefore, no two are the same. The vaulter has creative rein over the style of music, movement, and uniform. Spectators can expect to see everything from funky hip-hop routines to whimsical classical routines, with everything in between. In the second round, individuals perform a technical and a second freestyle program.
The technical program consists of five exercises from different categories of motor skills, including a roll-mount or down and up, cartwheel, side stand, standing split and a push up rearways. Vaulters carefully design their technical and freestyle programs to include different structure groups, static, dynamic, rolls, leaps on the back of their horse. At this elite level they are also creating their own signature moves that give the routine surprises and originality.
In the team competition, spectators will find themselves amazed by the athleticism of both the athletes and the horse when they perform their breathtaking freestyle routines that can have up to three members of the team on the horse at one time.
There are also two rounds of competition in the team event, in round one, teams perform a compulsory program and a four minute freestyle. In the second round, the top scoring teams perform a second round of freestyle only. In the team freesyle much attention and detail is placed on the theme of the music and how that is reflected in their movements and uniform style. Teams will often design a special uniform just for the freestyle creating a performance like atmosphere for the spectators.
How is it scored?
Six judges score each round of competition. Three judges score only the horse, and three score the vaulter.
The seven compulsory exercises are given individual scores based on their by-the-book technical execution. Freestyle programs are scored based on three elements: composition (how well put-together the routine is), degree of difficulty (how difficult the movements are to execute), and performance (how well the routine was executed).
The horse is also given a score in all of the programs, which accounts for 20 percent of the entire score. Therefore, having a collected, steadily cantering horse is crucial.
When the scores from the compulsory routine and the first freestyle routine are combined and tallied, the top placing 15 men, 15 women and 12 teams advance to the second round.
The technical programs are scored based on individual scores for the technical movements plus two additional elements: composition and performance. The combined scores for the first and second rounds are then tallied to determine the overall placing for the events.
Fan Etiquette
Vaulting is a great spectator event, the competitors and their horses love to perform for a lively audience and with the unique music and uniforms it makes for a spectacular experience.
Here are a few useful tips for viewing the vaulting events:
Do feel free to express your appreciation for the horses and competitors through applause when they enter and exit the arena.
Vaulting is an exciting sport to watch, so please remember to stay seated during the entire performance and wait until all of the athletes are standing on the ground to show your appreciation of their performance.
