EQUESTRIAN VAULTING
- vaulting
- The art and sport of gymnastics/dance on the back of a moving horse.
- compulsories
- A set of 7 basic exercises each vaulter must be able to perform: Mount, basic seat, flag, mill, scissors, stand, flank.
- kur
- A creative sequence of assorted vaulting moves blended together with smooth transitions. Moves may be similar to compulsory exercises, but not identical.
- team compulsories
- Like watching paint dry. Six or eight vaulters all dressed in matching silly tights leap on and off the moving horse and perform the same old compulsories one at a time.
- team kur
- This is where those six or eight vaulters from the team compulsories earn their stripes. Up to three vaulters perform on the horse at once, standing in pyramids, hanging off in symmetrical patterns, and otherwise going all out for your entertainment (and scores). If your jaw doesn't drop, check your pulse - there may not be one!
- The following USA-style rankings have nothing to do with winning medals at the olympics. They are just skill levels of vaulting, like white / green / brown / black belts in Karate.
- gold
- The top level or "black belt".
- silver
- Mid-level ranking for canter vaulters, like a "brown belt".
- bronze
- Entry-level ranking for experienced canter vaulters.
- canter (as a human)
- A vaulter who has graduated from the trot level to the canter horse gait, but not yet passed their bronze medal test, is simply a canter-level or "beginning canter" vaulter.
- trot (as a human)
- Younger vaulters may start at the trot gait on the horse. There is a large class of trot-level vaulters, even at the National Championships.
- walk (as a human)
- The youngest vaulters may start at the walk gait on the horse, and are in the "walk" class at smaller competitions.
- 'A' team
- A top-level canter team of 8 vaulters with a majority holding gold or silver medals.
- 'B' team
- A mid-level canter team of 8 mostly silver-level vaulters.
- 'C' team
- An entry-level canter team of 6 bronze-level vaulters, with one or two silvers.
- Trot team
- An entry-level team of 6 trot-level vaulters.
- gallop
- Flat-out, top speed run for a horse. Not seen in vaulting under normal circumstances.
- canter (as a horse)
- A comfortable run for the horse. This rhythmic three-beat gait offers lift for high flying vaulters.
- trot (as a horse)
- A slower, two-beat gait. Tends to bounce the vaulter around like a sack of potatoes.
- walk (as a horse)
- A boring gait, with no beat. Still harder to vault on than it looks, but not suitable for National competition.
- lead
- Experienced riders can tell which front hoof is forward in the horse's canter - this distinguishes a left or right lead at the time. (E.g. you are alternating between your left and right leads when you go skipping merrily along. These people spend years training a horse to do that.)
- pas de deux (pah day DOO)
- Two vaulters, one male and one female, performing a complimentary routine together, often to a fun theme.
- pairs
- Similar to the pas de deux, but with two vaulters of the same gender.
- to-the-right
- Most vaulting events have the horse running counter-clockwise, to the horse's left. Some events involve running the horse in the other direction and vaulters perform mirror images of all moves "to the right".
THE VAULTING ARENA
- gate
- An invisible line, often marked by bales of hay, between the warm-up ring and the competition ring.
- competition ring
- The one with the flowers and judges around it, where official-looking things seem to be going on.
- gatekeeper
- The gray-haired person with a clipboard and a walkie-talkie who wanders around the competition arena trying to herd people and horses into the right place.
- vaulter
- The young person in funny-looking tights leaping on and off the moving horse.
- horse
- A big, hairy, four-legged animal that may often be seen at the end of a long leash, running around in circles. Makes funny noises.
- longeur (LUNJ er)
- The nicely-dressed person standing in the middle of the ring, holding the leash while the hairy animal runs around them in circles.
- longe line (LUNJ line)
- The leash.
- sursingle (SIR sing gull)
- A big leather thing with handles strapped around the middle of the horse instead of a saddle. Helps vaulters hang on.
- coach
- The nervous-looking person standing at the side of the ring, watching the competing vaulter intently and often mimicking her movements on the ground. (Can be almost as entertaining to watch as the vaulter!)
- judge
- The aloof person sitting comfortably on the judge's stand in the shade, watching the competing vaulters and rattling off scores and comments to the clerk.
- clerk
- The gullible person sitting next to the judge, frantically writing down scores and comments.
- judge's aide
- The young person in funny-looking tights and a T-shirt, holding a walkie-talkie and running back and forth between the judge's stand and the gate
- runner
- A small person sitting patiently by the judge's stand, occassionally taking orders and running around.
- judge's stand
- The platform or Chevy pickup surrounded by plants.
- volunteer coordinator
- If you're lucky enough to be one of the proud and few volunteers, this is your queen. Will dart in to check on you from time to time. May typically be found in the office.
- office
- A mystical room full of people on the other end of the walkie-talkie.
- announcer
- The adult person with the microphone off to the side somewhere who talks a lot.
- music man
- The sexy guy sitting next to the announcer behind a pile of cassette tapes and CDs, turning knobs on a stack of electronic equipment. May appear stressed.
- music assistant
- The person sitting next to the music man, accepting music tapes from vaulters, then organizing and handing them to the music man during brief moments between stress.