Vault-ology

For those of you in any of the other WEG disciplines, an article about your sport in the New York Times is probably not a big event.  But for our fledgling and growing sport of vaulting, it's a Big Deal!  The recent NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/travel/escapes/26horsevault.html) on vaulting in the Northeast was good for our sport because it reported on BEGINNING vaulting instead of the usual WEG level emphasis.  There is huge demand for our sport in the Northeast and nationwide (as we could see, because Google Analytics showed us that the NY Times article generated thousands of additional new visitors to our vaulting website) , and our biggest "problem" is that today not enough barns/equestrian programs offer vaulting in addition to their other programs.  And this is rapidly changing.  As more and more equestrians and non-equestrians alike call up local barns and ask about vaulting, more barns and stables in turn are calling the AVA to inquire how to start a vaulting program.  It's a bit of chicken and egg for our sport, but we're closing the gap!   If you're interested in learning to vault, contact your local barns and inquire about them starting a vaulting program, and encourage them to contact the American Vaulting Association if they're intrigued and want to know more (www.americanvaulting.org). 

I have a birdseye view in the beautiful new DW Wilburn Indoor Arena at the equally spectacular Kentucky Horse Park, with about 15 hours to go until the first athlete competes in the WEG Vaulting Test Event-- dubbed the Kentucky Vaulting Cup.

Wanna watch it live? For updates on happenings at the Kentucky Vaulting Cup go to www.americanvaulting.org/kvc for live videostream, competition updates, photos and instant results.

Things I've spotted today:

* 30 gorgeous horses-- Warmbloods, Drafts, American Bashkir Curleys (ranging from 14-2 to 19 hands high, ages 6 to 19) happily getting acquainted with the arena and the very enticing flowers surrounding the arena!

* Competitors Erik Martonovich (US) and Mikkel Vandrup (Denmark) doing amazing "warm-ups" in the arena, including the Michael Jackson signature moonwalk and an incredible hip-hop routine on horseback.

* AVA PR guru (and former nine-time US National Vaulting Champion) Kerith Lemon giving a Vaulting 101 lesson to the dozens of media who turned out today to learn more about our growing and spectator-friendly sport.

* 2009 Women's Gold National Champion Ali Divita and 2006 WEG Women's World Champion Megan Benjamin giving a vaulting tour to Jonathan Miller, Kentucky Finance Director and World Games Board Member, and his daughter Abby. They were very impressed with the training going on in the main arena and Mr. Miller even asked if he could try it out sometime!

Vaulting in Kentucky is HOT, and it's getting HOTTER by the minute! Stay tuned for more...

This past week, vaulting was included in the Adequan North American Junior and Young Riders Championships (held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY) for the first time, and it was a milestone event for the discipline, and an eye-opener for many of the spectators and show competitors in dressage, eventing, jumping, reining, and most recently, endurance.

For many of the young competitors in this huge event, this was their introduction to the vaulting discipline, and for some it was their continuing education in horse/rider relations.

2006 World Equestrian Games Women's Individual World Champion Megan Benjamin, who won the CVI** Women's event at the Championships that week, gave another performance at the NAJYRC closing ceremonies, and you could tell by the buzz that the sport has equestrians intrigued.

"How does she DO that?!?" was a frequent comment heard in the stands. And one of the most interesting comments I heard was from one dressage rider to another. "Did you notice that every time she was going to do a big move, her horse knew what she was going to do, and they were, like, totally in sync as a team?" one girl asked another.

Seamless teamwork between the horse and rider is the hallmark of a great equestrian combo, and in vaulting, the longer is the "third leg of the stool"-- completing the team.

Congratulations to our NAJYRC inaugural vaulting competition winners this past week:

CVI**: Megan Benjamin vaulting with Sunny Boy, lunged by Jessica Ballenger, and Patrick Stevens vaulting with Caspar, lunged by Julie Divita.

CVI*: Yvonne Greenen vaulting with Pepperjack, lunged by Julie Divita, and Joey Gadd vaulting with Sir James, lunged by Olivia Swan.

For vaulters, this was a milestone event, and they were exciting and honored to be among the "best of the best" young riders. Megan Benjamin might have said it best: "During the past five days, I've been in equestrian heaven! I am in awe of all the young talent across the disciplines throughout North America."

Congratulations to ALL the NAJYRC winners for 2009!

Today is day three of the American Vaulting Association's and United States Equestrian Federation's National Vaulting Championships, taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

And before I report on the championships, I'd like to take a few keystrokes to address the basics of our sport, for the inagural post of Vault-ology. Stay tuned for more as the National Championships progress this weekend!

Equestrian Vaulting: A Brief Primer

Equestrian vaulting is a combination of both gymnastic and dance elements performed to music on, and in concert with, a moving horse (at a walk for beginners, then at a trot and finally at the canter for the most advanced). It requires a harmonious relationship and true partnership with the horse and outstanding physical condition from the vaulter; these two elements are imperative if a display of strength, coordination, rhythm and balance is to be achieved.

Vaulting is both a recreational activity and a competitive sport practiced in many countries around the world. It was brought to the United States in the early 60s by Elizabeth Searle, a Pony Club leader in Santa Cruz, California, who first spotted vaulting in Europe and saw its relevance to her Pony Club activities. On the recreational side, vaulting is a frequent and popular activity at equestrian summer camps, 4-H and Pony Club events.

As an FEI recognized discipline since 1983, vaulters compete regionally, nationally and worldwide as individuals, pairs -- called pas-de-deux -- and teams. This variety of events creates an engaging horse show for spectators as they watch athletes of all ages perform breathtaking routines that include artistic mounts and dismounts, shoulder stands and handstands on the horse, carrying or lifting another vaulter, kneeling and standing exercises. All vaulting competitions are held over two rounds composed of compulsory and freestyle tests. During Compulsory Tests vaulters must perform seven designated exercises that are scored on criteria on a scale from 1 to 10. Freestyle tests, performed to music, allow vaulters the artistic freedom to create an artistic performance. Each vaulter, pair or team creates their own routine to music of their choice.

Judging is based on technique, form, difficulty, balance, security and consideration of the horse. Horse, longeur and vaulter are a single competitive unit and the performance of each is reflected in the final score. The vaulter's most important teammate, the horse, must be a consummate athlete with good character, temperament, balance and gait being essential, since 20% of the overall score comes from his way of going. The horse is guided on a longe line by a longeur, standing on the ground, who ensures that a steady, true, canter is maintained on a circle with a minimum diameter of 15m while the vaulter performs.

Vaulting is a unique and growing sport with a rich heritage; it has been said to be practiced by a myriad of cultures ranging across the continents. It was featured in the Olympics in the 1920 Games in Antwerp as Artistic Riding and has since evolved into the sport many participate in today. Vaulting is a wonderful way to develop coordination, balance, strength, and creativity while working in harmony with your equine partner; it is used around the world as an introduction to the equestrian world and is recognized as a technique for developing strong riders in all disciplines.

And now you know the basics of Equestrian Vaulting! Stay tuned for more....