What are the most important attributes to consider when contemplating training a horse for vaulting? There are many possible responses to this - see below! - but they are grouped under the following headings:
- Temperament
- Size
- Fitness
- Quality of paces
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| No horse is perfect for everyone, but most things can be overcome with the right adaptations and support. |
Temperament
Your vaulting horse doesn't have to be a saint or completely bombproof, but nor should you consider training a nervous wreck as a vault horse. It has to be fair on them, as well as safe for the people involved in this horse's career. Have a read of the following things which the vaulting horse has to tolerate and consider how well your horse matches up to them.
No vaulting horse is perfect at everything on this list, but if your horse is wildly unhappy about one of these things, or if they have generalised anxiety about various things, then it may not be wise to put them into the sport of vaulting. On the other hand, some of the best vaulting horses are the ones who are a bit of a surprise success!
Vaulting horses need to be comfortable with:
- being lunged in vaulting tack and with vaulting equipment (large circle, essentially static lunger, long whip)
- having people all around them
- children!
- music
- being touched all over their bodies whilst working, and this building up to having pressure on those parts of their body
- learning to ignore the vaulter's movements but listen to the lunger and, for most vaulting horses, still listening to a rider at other times
- barrels and other equipment being used
- any additional issues specific to your stables and/or vaulters e.g. working in indoor arenas or seeing wheelchairs
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| The vaulters need to know that they can trust their horse and their lunger |
NB - many vault horses will have their own quirks which make certain moves difficult, insensitive or impossible, without it dramatically affecting their overall worth as a vaulting horse. For example, a horse who is quite headshy may not like the vaulter performing moves on the neck with legs going near the head, such as a flare leg, but it is possible to work around this and have a perfectly content horse by choosing different moves. Others can be sensitive in certain spots or dislike seemingly innocuous things such as the vaulter gripping the edge of the back pad - an experienced vaulter or coach will check a horse’s likes and dislikes before vaulting on them, and adjust their routines or training accordingly.
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| This beautiful horse - a chestnut mare! - was lovely to vault on, but she would only allow the vaulters hands to be on top of the back pad in a move such as this (not curling under it). |
As your vaulting horse becomes more experienced, they will need to become desensitised to all sorts of different moves in walk, trot and canter. Each move and each new pace should be attempted individually and gradually.
If you wish to compete, here are some additional considerations:
- busy venues
- travel and staying away at shows
- having to look fancy - you may laugh but not every horse is thrilled by shampoo and plaiting!
- unfamiliar horses
- judges (usually 1 at RDA, 2 at BEV Pre-Novice, and 4 at BEV Novice/FEI levels) who sit around the arena, usually on a raised platform, and are very visible for the horse
- music
- applause
- lots more children!
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| Spectators and big indoor arenas are not part of a horse's daily environment, but the horse must stay calm and attentive to the lunger. Photo: Michael Martin Photography |
The bottom line on temperament is that most horses can quite happily adapt to vaulting in walk and many will also be able to do some trot or canter. Sometimes a slightly more highly strung horse will unexpectedly make a fabulous vaulting horse, and sometimes the steadiest and most even-tempered in the stable and in ridden work will just hate it - you have to give each horse the opportunity to say 'yes' or 'no', and of course you need to listen to their answer.
It (almost) goes without saying that the horse is well within their rights to resist if you overdo it. Sessions need to be short and sweet, with plenty of time for the horse to change the rein and to stretch their necks and have a fuss. During initial training, tiny steps are the way to go (see below for a sample training schedule).
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| In ALL vaulting training, be sure to include breaks with the side reins off (and preferably the vaulters off too...!) |
Size
In my vaulting club we have horses ranging from 13.2hh to 17.1hh. Many clubs have bigger horses, up to around 19hh, although not many have smaller ones!
For para/RDA vaulting, there are a few things to consider when contemplating the size of the horse:
- mounting - will the vaulter have a bunk? Can the volunteers manage this? Will they need to mount in a different way? Will this be doable?
- dismounting - consider safety and the degree of independence that the vaulters will have (ideally as much as possible, which is harder with bigger horses)
- do you have pairs/team aspirations, and/or do you want to support from on board the horse? Clearly, a bigger horse is required for more than one vaulter up at a time.
- tack - quality vaulting tack for ponies can be hard to come by
- impression - is a big horse going to overawe vaulters? Conversely, might a big horse be inspiring and exciting for them?
- horse space - taller vaulters generally struggle on smaller horses because there simply isn’t enough space for them to perform some of their moves, even if, weight-wise, they aren’t too big for the horse.
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| Taking Hamish for a ride. At about 14.2hh, he is one of the smallest horses I've vaulted on. He was great for learning to mount, and as a good weight-carrier I wasn't too heavy for him, but I did struggle to do all my moves because of the difference in his length from front to back. |
As with everything, go with what works for you and the vaulters you expect to have. If you are looking to buy a new horse or you're in the fortunate position of being spoilt for choice, and all other considerations (temperament etc.) have been taken into account, then you can't go far wrong with a decent cob type of about 15-15.2hh.
Equally, you need to consider other factors when attempting to calculate the weight a horse can carry, such as age, fitness, conformation/body type, experience and the ability of the vaulters. A big horse isn’t necessarily able to carry more weight than a smaller one, so whilst size is important it can only ever provide an estimate as to the horse’s carrying capacity.
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| At 15.2hh, Boysie was a super vaulting horse for both children and adults to learn on. As a mid-weight cob, he was strong but also athletic enough to work in canter. |
Fitness
Fitness is, of course, something which can always be improved in all of us! However, there will be certain limitations to the fitness each horse is able to attain and it is important to acknowledge these in order to give the horse and vaulters a fighting chance.
As ‘fitness’ is quite a vague term and covers all manner of evils there are plenty of things to consider. When thinking of it as ‘fitness to vault’ rather than just physical (cardiovascular) fitness, this includes:
Conformation
Are there any abnormalities which will influence the horse’s ability to work? e.g. cow hocks, ewe neck, roach back. Is the horse generally sound? A narrow chest may increase the likelihood of brushing, which is always a risk when working on the vaulting circle. Also consider the general build of the horse. A broad horse can give a lovely stable ‘base’ for vaulters (especially in pairs and team) but may be too wide for little vaulters to manage compulsories comfortably. A horse which is effectively cylindrical will teach your vaulters how to keep their weight centred over the roller but you might have a few spills until they learn this!
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| Moves in the stirrups should always be carefully counter-balanced, but are less likely to go awry on a less round horse such as this one than on a fat cob! |
Bear in mind too the horse's own weight and physical composition. An
overweight or underweight horse will, of course, struggle to work at as high an intensity as one of a healthy weight.
Don't fall down the trap of assuming that a horse's type or conformation
makes a body composition inevitable!
Age
There are minimum ages for vaulting horses as follows:
- BEV (up to Novice leve) 5 years old
- FEI levels (1*+) 7 years old
- RDA Vaulting 7 years old
- RDA Riding 5 years old
There is no maximum age but, clearly, the welfare of the horse is paramount. Depending on the intensity of training that you are planning, it could well be worth training a slightly older horse for para vaulting on the basis that they should be able to do walk work well into their twenties provided they don’t have any extraneous issues.
If you have the opportunity to train a younger horse then it might be more prudent to put your time and effort into that horse in the hope that they will provide greater longevity to your vaulting programme - however, we all know that horses like to throw unpleasant surprises at us and that making firm plans is foolhardy! In my experience vaulting horses can be trained at any age but it is helpful for them to have had quite a bit of schooling under saddle first.
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| Puro going strong at the age of 25 (RDA National Championships 2022) |
Medical
Bearing in mind both conformation and age, there are other medical details to consider. Is the horse prone to colic, respiratory issues, or any skin problems? Skin problems can be a particular problem for vaulting since there is a higher risk of spreading infectious diseases than in riding: vaulting groups will generally use the same equipment (and vaulters!) on more than one horse, increasing the spread between horses, and, of course, each horse will have several vaulters in a single session, therefore increasing the risk of spread among human vectors.
Whilst these health issues and others may not necessarily mean a horse can’t vault, they might become limiting factors should you wish to progress the club or group. A horse who readily colics, for example, might not handle travelling away to a busy overnight show. Bear in mind, too, that in RDA competitions it is not permitted to use any kind of calmer for the horse, although these are permitted under BEV and FEI rules.
Mindset
Similar to temperament, but with the nuance that mindset can be adjusted through patient training. Does the horse get stressed in new environments or situations? How easily can they be calmed down? Have you spent time desensitising the horse? Have you also spent the time understanding your horse and how they like to deal with new experiences?
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| Graphic from a brief introduction to equine psychology for my young vaulters! |
Intelligence of the horse
in vaulting, we ask the horse to ignore the vaulter and listen to the lunger. Most vaulting horses are also ridden, in which case they need to listen to the human on their back again. Some horses find it very difficult to ignore the vaulter and try to respond as if they were a rider, leading to all sorts of interesting acrobatics!
In a way, you want a horse who is not the cleverest on the yard - the lesson they need to learn is that they are safe, they will be comfortable, and they really don’t have to do much thinking at all. Whilst we always tell our horses how clever, brave and wonderful they are for every little thing they do, the reality is that it is not usually the academic elite of the equine world that makes for a good vaulting horse!
Experience
As mentioned above, a horse who has had some schooling is generally easier to train, particularly when you want to vault in canter, since schooling them under saddle will be far easier than as a lunger with a vaulter up!
Before choosing your vaulting horse, it’s also sensible to think about how easy they have been to handle and train in other respects, under saddle and on the ground. Were there any sticking points? Was the horse amenable to training or did they suffer any setbacks which vaulting training could revisit?
A horse who has had a positive experience of its interactions with humans in the past will be more inclined to trust their vaulting humans!
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| Whenever possible, I like to do some liberty work with Puro at the end of a training session (or instead of more intense work). He loves having a good old roll and getting very dusty! |
Your own setup
Do you have tack that fits well and is safe and comfortable? Do you have the time, knowledge, patience and other resources to train the horse, ideally for short periods of time a few times a week?
Your horse's current physical fitness
Stamina, muscle strength and suppleness, co-ordination, balance, agility, etc. You don’t need to start with the perfect equine athlete, but you should aim to start with a horse who is capable and/or has the capacity to improve in certain aspects with further training.
Quality of paces
In vaulting, 25% of the overall score is the horse score. This is judged on how the horse behaves whilst in the ring - running in, standing to salute the judge, going on the trot circle, during the vaulters’ routines, the salute at the end, and the run out (although officially the judging of the horse score ends when the final vaulter dismounts). The lunger is also scored (which is why this is such a crucial job!). The horse is rewarded for obedience and calmness, but also for the quality of their paces. Para vaulters can compete in walk, trot and/or canter (depending on RDA/BEV specifications), and the quality of the horse’s paces will be judged in the same way as a dressage horse is judged.
For canter horses, the specific rubric for vaulting is laid out in the FEI Guidelines. For walk horses, there is a similar section in the BEV Rule Book. In both cases, the ‘Scales of Training’ model underpins the judge’s decisions. Essentially, the basics of rhythm, suppleness (“relaxation”) and ‘connection’ must be in place. The horse should also have impulsion, straightness on the circle (i.e. the correct bend through their body) and the ability to collect in the canter to give the vaulters a good basis.
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| The 'Pyramid of Training' from the FEI Vaulting Guidelines |
- consistency of rhythm/tempo
- regularity of stride length
- forwardness
- correct movement patterns
In essence, you are aiming for consistency in all respects. If a horse is inconsistent it is extremely difficult for the vaulter to feel confident in their moves, which generally leads to them being reluctant to let go of the handles or attempt any move at all. Having consistency of rhythm/tempo and regularity of stride length (the distinction between these being that the former relates to the timing of footfalls and the latter to the distance between each footfall) means that the vaulter can gauge the compensations and efforts they have to make in order to maintain balance and perform their routines with appropriate power and energy. For me, personally, as a vaulter, I find inconsistency more alarming in walk than in any other pace, so it definitely applies to para vaulters!
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| When standing in walk, a small change in the horse's pace (direction, bend, speed, energy) will have a large effect on the para vaulter. A horse stopping to scratch an itch, jogging on, or spooking, could well lead to a vaulter on the floor. If the lunger cannot watch both the horse and the vaulter, they must watch the horse and ensure that the horse's pace is consistent. |
Horses who are not forward-going on the lunge tend to stumble, drift from side to side, and randomly slow down and speed up. Therefore, the easiest way to ensure that the horse moves consistently, particularly in the walk (when they might drift or lose concentration) is to have a horse who is forward-going. One who must always be nagged to move forwards will not make for an enjoyable experience for horse, lunger or vaulter! The kind of bigger-striding horse now becoming the norm in elite level Grade 1 dressage would make an excellent walk vaulting horse: the vaulters can feel the rhythm strongly and know they can rely on it, and the lunger can work on the quality of the pace and (if coaching) the vaulter’s efforts rather than simply trying to get the horse to walk forwards.
The correct-ness of movement patterns tends to be more problematic in canter than in walk and trot, and refers mainly to the horse being able to canter with correct sequence of footfalls and with the correct bend. A horse whose canter is disunited, 4-beat, on the wrong leg or any other form of peculiar (!) will be difficult to vault on. A 4-beat canter is sometimes seen when attempting greater collection but it is incorrect and will be badly scored. Although it might seem easier to vault on such a canter because there is less ‘bounce’ within it, I personally hate feeling a 4-beat canter and would much rather have a big, forward, correct canter - you never quite know where you are with a 4-beat scuttle and it doesn’t give you confidence.
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| Not the smoothest canter but consistent enough to trust! |
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| Puro has quite a big canter for a vaulting horse, but when it's consistent and rhythmical you can clock into it and conquer all sorts of things! |
Choosing your horse - conclusion
The following are essential:
- the horse is medically fit and well
- the horse is physically capable of the work they will have to do
- the horse is mentally/temperamentally capable of beginning the job
You will not necessarily know that your horse has the right temperament to be a vaulting horse until you have got quite a way in with your training. However, do not wait around for the horse with ‘the perfect temperament’ - they don’t exist! None of us is perfect and it’s unfair to expect a horse to bear and live up to that moniker. If they are well-suited and you are confident that it is worth a try, then they are appropriate for it.
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| Trained for vaulting when we came out of lockdown, Mr Bee was a surprise success! In ridden work, he can be fussy and sensitive, but he seems to enjoy the fact that, as a vault horse, he only has one job. In the canter, he's much more comfortable on the right rein (as shown here) than the left, which is more usual in competition. All our vaulters and horses go both ways in training and horses can compete on the right rein up to 1* level. We are still working on his left rein canter but he has already proved his worth as a vaulting horse, and has many fans within the club. |
If your horse is not medically, physically, mentally or temperamentally capable of starting training, the answer is obvious - don’t do it! However, if they are, the following are highly desirable:
• consistent paces
• forward going
• an appropriate size and shape for your needs
• a degree of prior experience from being schooled under saddle and from the ground
Provided these points are met, be open-minded about your potential vaulting horse. It’s common to be pleasantly surprised by how readily some horses take to the sport (even ex-racehorse mares, to give one example!). Equally, some horses will be a disappointment in your vaulting masterplan. The horse with the loveliest canter and the perfect physique might be perfect in walk and trot but completely unpredictable in canter, which can be difficult when you hoped you had your next canter horse. Obviously, it is important that these horses are still recognised for all the other amazing things that they can offer you. We, like them, have to take it all as we find it!
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| Our vaulting horses 2021. Top, L-R: Toby (13.1hh mixed breed), Rosie (14.3hh cob) and Puro (16.3hh warmblood). Bottom: Felix (17hh warmblood), Mr Bee (17.1hh TB) and Hamish (14.2hh cob) |
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