vaulting..... how do you do it?

[michelle c]

ive tried jumping as high as i can, having a run up, hooking my elbow over my horses withers, lets just say ive tried everything :D , im not as athletic as i used to be but need to be able to do it because i ride out in a bareback pad and if i need to get back on for any reason i need to be able to vault on!!!

does any one know how to do it, and without using something to stand on?

thanx in advance

[notpoodle]

id like to know as well :D

i always end up hanging over the horse sideways being unable to get my leg across :rolleyes:

doing a run-up isnt a good idea - i dont think any horse would appreciate someone crashing down on their back like that!

i used to do actual vaulting and - back in the days, ahem - could actually jump on a horse bareback (well, with these vaulting handles but still!) whilst it was cantering round on the lunge. that was a matter of running along side the horse and sort of bouncing on. not sure i could still do that now though, ahem! i cant evenvault on my 12.3hh pony from a standstill!

julia

[Just.Jump]

Well, plyometrics would help in this case! =P

But other than that, I've only done one way, not so gracefully, but with some practise I had it going alright last summer. All I did was stand there, bounce a bit and leap up so my stomach was on the horses back and then swing my leg over while pulling myself up. Sounds uglier than it was!

The other I've heard of but haven't trie is standing with your side to the horses shoulder (So side by side facing opposite directions, right up against the horse) and just taking a jump while swinging your leg up onto the horses back, grabbing onto mane/withers for support.

[Jen0209]

hehe everyone always moans at me on our yard for being able to vault onto almost anything pretty easily! i generally stand facing horseys bum,have left hand on their neck/mane and other one i hook over their back/withers as jump. i usually jump then swing the leg up, really not easy doing both together! but you have to do it pretty quick or get stuck on ** belly :D and beware of jabbing them in the ribs with elbows and things, ten times harder if they're trotting across the yard away from you! ;)

[CrazyMare]

Now come on guys!! ;) How are we people who have a LARGE horse going to do that!!? I would love to vault too , I am quite tall but when I take a huge ungraceful :o leap up on his back I just about make it and then slide back off before I can get my foot up! So you can only really vault on little horse and ponies, unless your a giant! :p

[jUmPingIsLifE]

the trick is to get your head DOWN by the shoulder.

so you would jump and get your head down as far as you can, this brings your rear end up in the air higher and swing your leg up and over.

i have done some real vaulting and thats how you vault on and whenever i ride bareback i just do it that way because im used to it. some people tend to jump AT the horse so that their belly is laying over their back and then swing the leg over, that what you dont want to do. you need to stand beside them facing foard and swing your leg up and over. its so hard to explain! i hope some of that made scence enough for you.l

[michelle c]

thanx every one!!! :D i think i will have to practice a bit (i always avoid doing difficult things) :p i have got to the point where i can jump and put my belly at the side of her spine but just slip down so have to pracytice alot!!!! :rolleyes:

has anyone tried the 'best friend, bear up' thingy from better saddles? :rolleyes:

[sammywiskers]

dont loose hope!! i was in the mounted games team last year for my pony club and we HAD to learn how to vault if we wanted to stand any chance at winning! i speant about 5 months practising all differnt ways running about with my poor little 13 hh pony throwing myself onto him! people at my yard thought i was bonkers! but then one day i just got it and from then onwards i have been able to do it. i will try and tell you how i do it...Well some people say it is eaisyest to make your horse stand and face its bum parrallelle to the horse then swing your leg on the outside, whilst holding the frount of the saddle with your inside hand and just throw your leg up over te saddle, whilst pulling with your inside hand then grab the frount of thew saddle with your other hand to give you that last pull into the saddle. I think when i did that i spent about a month landing on my poor ponys back rather then the saddle! lucky hes good enough not to buck! BUT i find it eisyer with my little pony to make him trot aloung then run with him holding onto the frount of the saddle with both hands then just like do a little cycle hop running with him then immidiatly after that jump and pull my self into the saddle useing his motion, belive it or not its eaisyer doing it faster!

Its really worth whiled learning how to vault because not many people can and it looks really impressive! its good if you feel like riding you horse bare back from his feild just being able to jump on him!

hope this helps but i think the easiyest way is to just try and try and try and deiscuver your own technique to doing it, if your horse is big then maby nick a little pony to practise it on just to get the jist, as now i can vault of a 16.2 hh horse!!

love alice xx xx xx

[Just.Jump]

Anyone here seen Troy? Brad Pitt just seems to glide onto that black horse o.O. Granted, he was extremely built in that movie, must have seemed like climbing into bed for him :p

[michelle c]

im sure in the film troy, it was a stunt rider doing them parts because if anything went wrong with brad im sure the insurance money will be numbers we cant even say!!!!

thanx for your help i am practicing about once a week and now feel a bit more athletic!!!! :D

[Sarah-Jane]

When I first started to vault I would face the same way as my pony, swing my inside leg backwards and forwards till i got enough motion and then I would do a big swing, dip my head down to his shoulder, jump, swing my leg over and pull myself up by the mane/saddle.

Not too sure if i can still do it now!!

The biggest thing with vaulting is practise.

Richard Maxwell gave us a lesson in vaulting one day.

[Mehitabel]

i'm hopeless at vaulting on, always have been - even when i was young and agile. i just find something to stand on.

[Foxfold]

I couldn't even consider vaulting. :eek:
I'd probably do myself a damage!!

I find it much easier to stand on something then ask Magic to come sideways towards me until I can get on.

Not so 'athletic' but at my age far more practical ;)

[michelle c]

my mare is fine when i use an aid like a tree stump or gate, but if i was in an open field i will have problems, she is 14.2 and i am 5'6 so its not that high, BUT TRY TELLING MY BODY THAT :eek: :D

[Foxfold]

I know exactly what you mean :rolleyes:

I asked my mare to stand 'downhill' of me the other day, while I took a running jump. I actually landed on her back for about two seconds and went straight off the other side, in a less than gracefull manner. Fortunately no-one was watching. I felt such a fool :p

[michelle c]

i did that once but thats when i had a leg up!!!! :D

[sammywiskers]

hehe i can remeber endless times when i would have sammy at a steady canter in a massive feild and over jump his saddle, sometimes clinging onto him and able to stop him and heave myself back on, sometimes completly falling of and speading the rest of my afternoon trying to catch him!