Para and RDA Vaulting: Skills encyclopaedia

Perfection is hard to attain...all of the photos shown on this page (and indeed the whole site) are of para vaulters. They don't necessarily show something that would be scored a 10/10, but they show real disabled vaulters in competition and training. For good measure, there are also diagrams from the FEI which, at least in the case of compulsories, demonstrate something a bit closer to perfection!

Pre-Novice Compulsories (for all RDA competitions under current rules, and for all Pre-Novice competitions under BEV rules)

Basic seat - bench - leg lifts (sometimes these are referred to as 'leg swings', but 'lifts' is a more accurate description of the motion required.)

Three images side by side of a vaulter sitting on a cantering horse in basic seat position. The shots show different angles of the same move, with the arms straight by the vaulter's sides in the first two pictures and with the vaulter gently holding the handles in the third. The third is the most 'side-on' and shows the leg with the ankle in a line down from the hip.

Basic seat in canter - for Pre-Novice, the arms are down by the vaulter's sides. The picture on the right (with the vaulter holding on) gives a better impression of the leg position than the other images.

A vaulter kneeling on a horse's back - most of the horse is not in the shot. The vaulter's arms are bent and elbows tucked in. The shoulders are over the hands (on the handles) and are the same height as the hips. The feet are pushed down so that there is contact with the horse from the knees to the toes.

Bench


Leg swings/leg lifts - from basic seat position, the vaulter straightens the outside leg then lifts it to between the handles before lowering it again immediately, with control. This happens over four strides. Immediately after (over the next four strides) the vaulter does the same with the inside leg. They should then dismount to the inside. The leg which is not being lifted should remain still in basic seat position. The vaulter's seat bones should never lift up from the horse's back. This is all easier said than done! This is often the hardest of the compulsory moves to attempt in canter, because it can feel unstable for beginner vaulters.

Basic seat

Bench

Leg lifts

Ideas for freestyle moves (many more are available from the FEI Code of Points)

Remember that most moves can be adapted by changing the position on the horse (e.g. moving to the croup instead of the back) or by facing in a different direction (e.g. sideways instead of forwards). Bear in mind, too, that not all horses will tolerate all moves. For example, a horse who is head shy may not enjoy people doing a flare leg on the neck, facing backwards, because they may not like having the vaulter's foot so close to their head.