Vaulting: More than acrobatics on horseback

What is vaulting?

Vaulting is an equestrian team sport that combines riding, acrobatics and gymnastics on horseback. The word vaulting originally comes from the Italian volta and the French volte and loosely translates as a jump. And so it describes very well what vaulting is, namely acrobatic gymnastic exercises on a galloping horse.

Gymnasts can vault individually, in pairs or in a group, with a maximum of three gymnasts on the horse.

The horse moves on the lunge on the left hand on a circle that should have a diameter of at least 18 meters. Depending on the level of difficulty, the horse moves either at a walk, trot or canter, with canter being the typical gait for vaulting.

In addition to the horse and the vaulters, the team also includes the lunger, who stands in the middle of the circle and ensures that the horse maintains a steady gallop with a constant sequence of movements.

Although vaulting is often used as an introduction to equestrian sports for children and young people, many adults remain loyal to vaulting and perform the sport at a high level. Nevertheless, it offers many health and social benefits, especially for children and young people in their development and growth phase.

Equipment & basic requirements: What do you need for vaulting?

In contrast to equestrian sports, vaulting is a relatively inexpensive equestrian sport because less (expensive) equipment is needed and several athletes work with just one horse. Typical equipment required for vaulting includes

• Voltiger harness: Equipped with 2 sturdy grab handles, 2 foot loops and a central arch, which is useful for various exercises.
• Vaulting pad: In contrast to a saddle pad or western pad, the vaulting pad is very thickly padded to cushion the gymnast's jumps and make vaulting more comfortable for the horse.
• Snaffle bridle or cavesson: A snaffle bridle is usually used to attach the auxiliary reins. However, a cavesson may also be used for lunging
• Auxiliary reins: Out reins, triangular reins or running reins
• Lunge and lunge whip
• Leg protection: gaiters or bandages, bell boots
• Fly hood: The horse must gallop calmly and must not be disturbed by insects and head shaking. A fly hood can therefore come in handy.

The gymnasts themselves do not wear normal riding clothes, but should wear tight-fitting, elastic gymnastics clothing that allows every movement and prevents them from getting caught on the vaulting harness or others in the team. A vaulting suit is worn for vaulting competitions, and all team members wear suits in matching colors for double and group vaulting. Vaulting clothing is therefore similar to the clothing worn in floor gymnastics.

Instead of riding boots, vaulters wear so-called shoes with rubberized soles. These offer the feet a lot of flexibility and feeling, but also better grip than solid shoes because the contact surface of the feet is increased. They are also much more comfortable for the horse than shoes with solid soles. Vaulting shoes differ from similar-looking gymnastics shoes with universal non-slip soles due to their longitudinally grooved rubber soles. This gives the gymnast additional grip.

Typical equestrian safety clothing such as riding breeches, riding boots or riding helmets are not only a hindrance when vaulting, but also inappropriate. This is because they would massively restrict the varied and acrobatic movements and therefore pose more of a danger. People often ask why children don't wear a riding helmet when vaulting. A riding helmet not only restricts mobility but also balance. Children in particular often have a large head in relation to their body, and the riding helmet would only reinforce this imbalance.

Another important safety aspect of vaulting is the removal of earrings, scarves, belts etc. that could get caught. Vaulters with long hair should also tie it up and never wear it loose.

Vaulting is an easy and fantastic introduction to equestrian sports for children. Nevertheless, they should have certain prerequisites. Even though vaulting itself promotes body awareness, the child should have good body awareness in order to be able to coordinate themselves on the horse. Some basic knowledge of horse handling is also an advantage. An important aspect of vaulting is that the child should be able to reach the handle of the vaulting harness from the ground with their raised arm in order to pull themselves up. Horse and child or vaulter must therefore fit together in terms of size.

And last but not least, vaulting requires a good dose of courage. Unlike riding, where you remain seated on the horse, vaulting involves daring exercises above the horse's back in the air. It is one thing to stay on a galloping horse, it is quite another to move on the galloping horse itself.

Not every horse is suitable for vaulting. Vaulting horses have to meet high standards and it takes a long period of training before they can be called vaulting horses. Depending on the character, age and level of training, it can take up to 3 years to train a vaulting horse. The horse should have a stable, good-natured and balanced character, as it must tolerate and accept jumping around on its back contrary to its instincts. This required composure is crucial for the safety of the entire team. Prior desensitization as well as trust work between horse and gymnasts are important for the team to grow together.

You can find out more about desensitization in our article Serenity training: A fear-free horse in every situation.

Furthermore, the horse should be willing and motivated to perform, because even if it looks very easy from the outside, vaulting means top performance for the horse. Balancing training in the form of free movement, riding out, ground work and dressage work is of the utmost importance for the horse and its health and back muscles. Vaulting itself should not take up more than a quarter to half an hour per week in order to protect the horse sufficiently.

Speaking of back muscles: The horse should be strong, large and broad enough to carry up to three gymnasts and their jumping exercises without difficulty. The canter should also be swinging and even, so not every horse is suitable for vaulting.

Elements of vaulting

• Jumping on: Jumping on the galloping horse.
• Basic seat: Loose, upright seat with the arms stretched out at the sides and the legs resting against the horse.
• Kneeling: Vaulter kneels on the horse with upper body erect and arms outstretched to the side.
• Standing: Standing up from kneeling so that the vaulter stands on the horse with arms outstretched to the side.
• Mill: A 360° turn, once around one's own axis on the horse, is performed with an upright seat and in four phases. The vaulter performs a quarter turn in each phase, swinging their legs as high and straight as possible.
• Scissors: A 180° turn from the basic seat, the legs are simultaneously swung back and crossed so that the vaulter sits and rides in the opposite direction after landing.
• Flank: Starts like a scissor, but the legs are moved to one side of the horse. The flank can either end in an upright inside seat with closed, straight legs to the inside of the horse or in a springy jump from the horse to the outside of the horse.
• Flag: A beginner's exercise, a four-footed stance looking through the horse's ears with the diagonal arm-leg pair stretched out.
• Transverse seat: Sitting sideways on the horse's back with both legs on one side of the horse.
• Push-up: The body forms a straight line with the vaulter's feet resting on the croup.

From beginners to top athletes: vaulting as a sporting discipline

Vaulting is no longer a beginner's sport or just an introduction to equestrian sports. Vaulting has developed into a serious equestrian discipline, particularly in German-speaking countries, and is popular with children, young people and adults, as well as in curative education and sports for people with intellectual disabilities.

Vaulting for children

Vaulting offers many health and social benefits for children, which have a positive influence on their development and growth. Body awareness, balance and coordination are trained in a playful way. And as body awareness grows, self-confidence is also stimulated. Vaulting has further positive effects on physical development, both in terms of strength and flexibility.

As vaulting is a team sport, the children learn to take care of themselves, each other and the horse while exercising together. Team spirit and team cohesion are strengthened and trust and sympathy are encouraged. Furthermore, children learn to communicate with their teammates, to express themselves and to take responsibility for the safety of others.

As with learning to ride, the best time to start vaulting depends on the child themselves, but also on the respective club. Nevertheless, the age of four to six years is a good guide, as is the child's height, whereby the child should be able to reach the handles of the harness independently.

Even if the child does not stay with vaulting but switches to the riding saddle, vaulting offers good preparation for this. This is because it playfully develops a feeling for the horse and its movements. This ultimately makes learning to ride easier in many ways, as the child has already mastered balance, body awareness and suppleness.

If you are worried that your child or beginner will have to jump straight onto the galloping horse, you can rest assured. Both beginners and those learning new exercises practise on the classic wooden horse first. This not only protects the vaulting horse, but also prevents falls and injuries. The wooden horse is also an important companion as vaulting training progresses, especially when it comes to rehearsing new, daring figures.

Vaulting as a popular sport

Compared to riding, vaulting is a very inexpensive sport. This is because the equipment is relatively minimalist and therefore less expensive. Furthermore, in contrast to riding lessons, only one horse is required for several students.

Many riding schools offer vaulting lessons as well as riding lessons, but the sport is not as widespread as riding. So if you want to get into vaulting, you should find out from the riding clubs in your area whether they offer vaulting lessons.

Viktor Brüsewitz explains in the following video that vaulting can be much more than just a hobby. Viktor Brüsewitz is one of the best-known vaulters in Germany, if not the world. He talks about his beginnings and the highs and lows he experienced in the sport of vaulting, as well as on his own journey:

Vaulting as a competitive sport

Especially in German-speaking countries, vaulting is also strongly represented in competition sport and goes all the way to the German Championships, European Championships and World Championships. There are three disciplines: individual, double and group vaulting, both at national and international level.

In single vaulting, men and women compete separately in order to ensure equal opportunities and an equal performance rating. In doubles, also known as pas de deux, the pairs can be mixed, but can also consist of two women and two men. Group vaulting can also be mixed-gender, with the group consisting of six to eight gymnasts, but only a maximum of three gymnasts may be on the horse at the same time.

Vaulting competitions usually consist of a compulsory part and a freestyle, although it is frowned upon to perform the same freestyle twice at major championships such as the German Championships. The single can also have a technical program, while the double can consist of both compulsory and freestyle or a freestyle alone.

In order to be able to best evaluate and compare performance, there are different performance classes in vaulting, as in show jumping and dressage, with different levels of difficulty or performance classes: LK A, L, M*, M** and the top sport LK S. There are also junior classes, which are reserved for vaulters aged 18 and under.

Several judges assess the correct execution of the exercises, the technique, the music selected for the freestyle and the overall impression. The horse and lunger also receive a horse mark. Correct walking on the lunge line and the evenness of the canter are assessed.

The current national coach (as of 2024) of the vaulting squad is Kai Vorberg, who is himself a record holder in international vaulting. Before he took over as national coach, he made a name for himself with his Mozart freestyle, which he performed at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen.

Vaulting in the Special Olympics

Vaulting is also represented in sports for people with intellectual disabilities. Here there are the same classes as in regular sport, only in a slightly different form: In addition to individual and group vaulting, there are unified doubles and unified teams. In both of the latter disciplines, people with and without disabilities compete together as equal partners or teammates. This means that equestrian sport also contributes to inclusion in vaulting. However, the assessment criteria do not differ from the assessment in regular sport.

History of vaulting

Vaulting is by no means a recent sport, but developed from various exercises and events in times before Christ. Rock carvings also remind us that artistic riding and acrobatics on horseback were already present back then.

Later, acrobatic gymnastic exercises were incorporated into the cavalry's training to improve balance, agility, strength and endurance and to better prepare them for mounted combat.

Between the two world wars, gymnastics on horseback developed into a children's sport. An instructor from the Hanover Cavalry School, Seidel, founded the Seidel Troupe, which began with the vaulting we know today and performed as a show act at various horse shows.

In 1920, vaulting was even represented at the Olympics in Antwerp, albeit under the title of artistic riding. Soldiers performed exercises on saddled and unsaddled horses, standing and galloping. At the time, Belgium won the team and individual competitions.

Vaulting then developed steadily into the sport as we know it today:

• 1950: After the Second World War, the Göttingen University Riding Stables founded a vaulting group with the same function as the Seideltruppe.
• 1953: first modern vaulting instruction by Dieter Schnelle
• From 1953: The first vaulting tournaments took place
• 1958: first nationwide, formative guidelines with compulsory exercises
• 1963: first German championship with the first group championships
• 1972: second appearance at the Olympics, not as a discipline, but as a show act in the opening number
• 70s: individual vaulting developed, but it was not included in the regulations until the 80s
• 1983: Vaulting becomes an official FEI sport, making it one of the seven equestrian sports that the FEI supports
• 1984: first European Championships in Austria near Vienna
• 1986: first world championship in Switzerland

Vaulting is not currently an Olympic sport, despite its popularity. The reason is that it currently lacks the prerequisites for participation in the Olympic Games. On the one hand, there is a lack of internationality and, on the other, the Olympic disciplines are sufficiently represented and filled with other equestrian sports such as show jumping, dressage and eventing.

Vaulting: The most important questions and answers

How is vaulting organized?

Like other equestrian sports, vaulting is represented at German level by the German Equestrian Federation (FN) or the respective state commission. The FN is also responsible for issuing vaulting and lunging licenses and vaulting badges. At international level, the sport has been represented by the International Federation of Equestrian Sports FEI since 1983.

What performance classes are there in vaulting?

Until the new edition in 2008, the performance classes in vaulting still ran under different names. From 2008, they were renamed and reorganized into performance classes A, L, M* and M** and finally into the top sport LK S. There are also junior classes for 18-year-olds and younger.

In single vaulting, there are the L, M, S and junior classes, tournaments in doubles are only divided into juniors and seniors. There is only an age limit in the junior classes; there is no age limit for the other performance classes.

Are there any badges for vaulting?

In order to ensure animal welfare and also to obtain proof of the respective level of performance, there are performance badges, just like in riding: The vaulting badges. There are a total of 8 badges, depending on the level of training. They are congruent with the riding badges from VA 10 to VA 1, whereby various exercises from easy/basic to advanced are required. The previous badge is mandatory to achieve each badge, for the VA 10 there are no basic requirements apart from participation in the preparation course. Each vaulting badge is completed or awarded with an examination.

Instead of the VA 6, a horse driving license handling or the riding badges 6+7 or driving badges 6+7 are taken, which are prerequisites for the following vaulting badges.

The crowning glory is the Golden Vaulting Badge, which is awarded after competition tests and successes.

At what age does it make sense to start vaulting?

Many riding schools that offer vaulting accept children between the ages of 4 and 6. However, it depends on the development and size of the child in question as to when they can start vaulting. The height is taken as a guideline, as the child should be able to reach the handle of the harness independently with an outstretched arm and should also be able to coordinate well.

Do vaulters have to wear helmets?

No, because a riding helmet is a hindrance during acrobatic exercises on and around the horse. A helmet only limits control over the head, as well as spatial orientation. In addition, a helmet can be dangerous when vaulting, especially for small children: Children have a large head in relation to their body, so the helmet would exacerbate this imbalance. In order to make vaulting safe, children first practise on a wooden horse or only walk on a horse. Trotting and finally galloping are only added later as the ability grows.

Does vaulting also involve handling the horse?

Basically yes, because handling the horse helps you to familiarize yourself with it and with the other team members.

The gymnasts help with grooming, getting ready and caring for the horse after training. This encourages sympathy for the horse and teaches children in particular that horses are actually flight animals that put aside their flight instinct for the team.

Is vaulting cruelty to animals?

Vaulting is very strenuous for the horse, as it has to maintain the same rhythm of movement for a certain period of time. It is not for nothing that training to become a vaulting horse takes up to 3 years. Nevertheless, care is taken not to overload the horse physically or mentally through vaulting. Training with the horse is therefore limited to a maximum of a few minutes per week, and on the other days the horse is given compensatory training. In addition, the team takes loving care of their team member, the horse, so that vaulting cannot be regarded as cruelty to animals.