Questions parents ask

Vaulting has a strong safety record — Equestrian Vaulting USA describes it as the safest of the equestrian sports, and a published medical study of vaulting clubs found an injury rate comparable to non-contact sports. There are real reasons for that. The horse is controlled by a trained lunger, not by the child. The horse moves in a steady circle on soft footing. Kids start on a stationary barrel and progress to the walk before anything faster. And from the very first lesson, children are taught how to dismount and land safely — falling well is a skill vaulters practice on purpose, at the walk, from day one.

No. Vaulting assumes nothing — no riding, no gymnastics, no time around horses. It is one of the easiest ways for a child to start with horses, and it builds the balance and confidence that make riding easier later.

Vaulting suits everyone from young children to teenagers — and adults, if you are curious. Classes are grouped by age and level, so your child trains with kids at their own stage.

Leggings or fitted athletic pants, a snug shirt that can tuck in, and soft-soled shoes — gymnastics slippers, water shoes, or clean tennis shoes are fine to start. Long hair tied back. No jeans, no zippers or buttons, no hoodies, no jewelry — loose things can catch on the equipment, so snug is the safe choice.

This is the question every parent asks, and it deserves a straight answer. Across the sport — including at the international level — vaulters do not wear helmets while vaulting. A helmet’s rigid shell and strap can catch on the equipment or interfere with the safe, trained rolls vaulters use to land, which makes a helmet more dangerous, not less, for this particular sport. Vaulting’s safety comes from the lunger controlling the horse, the soft footing, the slow progression, and dismount training from the first lesson.

No horse, no tack, no gear. The farm provides the horses and all the equipment. Your only purchases are leggings and soft shoes your child probably already owns.

Vaulting is a real sport, and the unmounted class is the training half — strength, stretching, and practicing moves on the barrel — plus horsemanship, where kids learn to groom, handle, and understand horses. It is also where a group of kids becomes a team.

Vaulting is a team sport — the horse, the coach, and the group train together on a set schedule, so missed classes are not made up. Tuition holds your child’s place on the team, the way it does in gymnastics or hockey. The annual calendar has six scheduled closure weeks, published in advance, and tuition stays the same each month regardless.