EQUESTRIAN VAULTING - AN ART FORM ON HORSEBACK

Vaulting, simply described, is a combination of gymnastics and dance on the back of a moving horse. Originally designed by the Roman Legions, vaulting was the accepted method of training cavalry troops for battle until the 19th Century, when machines replaced the horse. In Europe, where cavalry has a rich history, the precise movements required for survival in battle were adapted to 6 compulsory vaulting movements, plus a mount and a dismount; these are judged on precision and harmony with the horse. As with gymnastics and figure skating, vaulting also has a freestyle element, called the kur, and is performed to music. The kur is a one minute freestyle composition and is judged on harmony with the horse, composition, and the degree of difficulty of the movements chosen. The horse’s performance is also judged and receives a score. He is a vital part of the competition because without his ability to canter in a controlled circle at a slow, steady pace the vaulters cannot perform to their best potential.

Spruce Valley Vaulters were founded as a club in 2003!
We have a small number of students between the ages of 8 and 17 with as many different stages of development and achievement. All our students enjoy our Summer Camps, demonstrations, Fun Days and the various competitions we travel to. The competition is fun and friendly but with every opportunity to achieve the highest levels.

NEWS: We were at the Rocky Rodeo over the weekend - a brand new facility, which is huge and very nice, but out door only. Unfortunately, as everyone but us knows, it always rains for the Rocky Rodeo! We went out to practise our routine on the Monday prior to the big day - it was sunny, warm and dry, but as soon as we arrived the wind got up. It was like practising in the desert in a sand storm - just awful, and Diego had a few fits of his own about it. All week it rained and blew, by Saturday the rain had stopped, but the footing in the arena was quite heavy. We didn't know how heavy until we started our run-in; it was quite a feat running through the sheer density of the sand but we managed and did a fantastic performance. The crowd loved it and clapped individually for all nine vaulters who participated. It was an informative demo as well as fun to watch and the feedback has been very positive, in spite of the fact that most people didn't know we existed. So much for all the newspaper articles I wrote for the local sports news. Sunday we didn't get to perform at all. It had rained all night and the footing was like thick soup - definitely not good or safe for vaulting.

As a coach, I was so proud of my vaulters for the way they handled the whole weekend. They worked hard and it all came together on Saturday, they were fantastic throughout all the set backs and wetness and put on a very professional performance for the local crowd. I would also like to extend heartfelt thanks to the parents ho so faithfully brought their children out,in such variable weather, to practise and perform. The Rodeo organizers were also very helpful and understanding, especially when we had to bow out on the final day, for that we are deeply sorry, but safety comes first. We will be continuing to practise our demonstration routine and look forward to doing more performances througout the summer, hopefully in better weather conditions or, best of all, indoors!