Vaulting (from French voltiger – to flutter) – a kind of equestrian sport, the essence of which is to perform gymnastic and acrobatic exercises (alone, in pairs and in groups) on a horse moving in a circle at a step or gallop.
One of the independent types of equestrian sports, united under the auspices of the International Federation (FEI). Until 1924, vaulting was represented in the program of the Summer Olympic Games. An athlete engaged in this kind of equestrian sport is called a vaultier. In the Soviet Union in this kind of equestrian sport medals were played in every championship. Currently, the International and European Equestrian Federations hold official championships and championships in vaulting for athletes aged adults (over 18) and juniors (under 18). Competitions are held among individuals (separately among men and women), duets (pas de deux), teams (group of seven people of different ages). The competitors have two programs in the competition: compulsory and free. The technical committee on vaulting of the International Federation of Equestrian sport strictly regulates the compulsory program, and free program makes up athletes themselves taking into account the level of training, the nature of the musical accompaniment and created by the artistic image. Competition costume usually emphasizes the nature of the presented program.
The specific peculiarity of vaulting is that an athlete must master both riding skills and mastering of his/her own body equally well. That is why athletes train in the arena, mastering mastery of horse control, riding in different gaits, performing the elements of dressage and in the gym, learning acrobatic and gymnastic elements and ligatures, jumps on trampoline. Initially it is advisable to study the technique of vaulting exercises on a special simulator, the so-called “standing horse”. As athletes gain experience and mastery master vaulting exercises at first at a simple gait (step) and then switch to a more difficult (trot, canter). International level competitions are only held on a galloping horse. The evaluation takes into account the complexity of the programs, the quality of performance and artistry of the athlete, as well as the quality of the allure of the sport horse and its obedience to the longhorn. Longeur – a person who controls the horse by means of the cord (long rope) and the whip. He is an integral part in training and competition. The longhorn also trains the horse to move at an even pace, without failure or acceleration, and trains it to have special stamina, calmness and good morals. Not every performance horse can be suitable for vaulting.
Driving
Driving or Sledding Competition – One of the disciplines of equestrian sport in which athletes (a horse handler and his assistant groom) participate in tournaments or competitions on harnessed horses. Depending on the number of harnessed horses in the carriage are divided into classes. The use of ponies is also allowed. In accordance with the rules of the International Federation of Equestrian Sport for “driving” to the official tournaments and competitions allowed to the four main types of harness as a horse and a pony. The official harness classes include:
- Single sleds – 1 horse.
- Pair teams – 2 horses harnessed in parallel one beside the other.
- Tandem – two horses harnessed in a carriage one behind the other.
- Quadrupeds – 4 horses harnessed in a carriage in pairs one after the other.
- A driving tournament is a series of one or more types of driving competitions.