Vaulting on to your horse?

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EimerR

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This sounds a bit silly but I have always wanted to be able to vault up properly (you know just leap onto your horses back no stirrups, no step, no leg up) Does anyone have any hints as to how to teach yourself how to do it. I'm 17 fairly fit and size 8 so that's not the problem, I'm kinda short only 5' 3 so that's not going to help :p Now i'm not looking to vault onto massive horses i would be delighted to be able to hop on to something 14-15hh. Any ideas how to do this anyone?

I'm sure there is loads of people like me who would love to be able to just quite literally jump up on to their horse and ride off :)
 
HAHAHAHahahaha...

Sorry I'm just laughing at the idea that I could ever hop up onto mine. I'm just not that bouncy :p
 
I'm not either I'm just hoping that someone has a magic thing you do and suddenly you can leap into the air. I guess i'm just living in hope :p
 
Have seen a friend do this and her saint of a pony stand like a rock while she volted on and slid face first off the other side with a gob full of grass :D
 
EimerR said:
I'm just hoping that someone has a magic thing you do and suddenly you can leap into the air.
Click to expand...

I do, actually :p

plum-8ft-round-trampoline-large.jpg
 
Used to do this as a kid..at first wasn't bouncy enough then ended up too bouncy...

Haven't done it since I overshot and vaulted OVER my horse by accident...oops.
 
I used to be able to do it like the girl in that video.
Before I learned to do it properly I used to practice on walls and a five bar gate. They have the advantage of not getting fed up with you failing!
 
When we were kids we had a little b that we used to leap frog onto, he never batted an eyelid or moved a muscle bless him but I would kill my kids if I caught them doing that now I know better! I can jump on normally bareback tho, but I kind of cheat and jump onto them from mounting block or fence and find if you get your belly halfway over thier back its easy to wiggle your leg over! Providing your horse
stands still!
 
In can't vault onto the settee anymore!!!

Daughter does this ALL the time (with mixed success!!!), to her credit, Dolly is an ANGEL and just stands there rolling her eyes!!! :p

She's perfected the dismounting whilst trotting/cantering thing!

Just needs a bit more SPRING!!!!!

:cool:
 
God, we used to do this as kids ALL the time! My sister and I would do 'races' on certain tracks out on hacks and in the field. Part of this would be a vault on and gallop. I swear the ponies loved it! :D

I used to also leap on my horse bareback in the field and ride him back to the stables in a headcollar. However, as the horses got bigger (ie from 13.2hh, 14.2hh to 16hh) it go rather more difficult to 'vault' on! I can just about still jump on my horse in the field but I have to take a run up and make sure he's downhill of me (oh and that he doesn't move to the side at my point of launch!! ha ha)

We also used to vault on from behind the pony. Was taught to do this at my riding school for gymkhana games - can't imagine they'd do this now! You'd pat the pony quite hard with both hands on his rump (so as to not surprise them and get a teeth full of metal hooves!), walk back a few strides and then leapfrog, like the previous poster mentioned, onto their back! Again, much easier on 13.2hh/14.2hh!

If you are quite athletic, I think you could teach yourself IF you maybe start with a smaller pony. You basically run along beside them (get the momentum going) and then, place hand on pommel/withers and launch! Well, that's what we did anyway! :D
 
I used to do it all the time when I was young, Seren was 14.2hh and I happily managed to vault on her, not sure I could do it now and not sure I would want to, I am happy to be able to mount from the ground if needed instead :D
 
ladyt25 said:
God, we used to do this as kids ALL the time! My sister and I would do 'races' on certain tracks out on hacks and in the field. Part of this would be a vault on and gallop. I swear the ponies loved it! :D

I used to also leap on my horse bareback in the field and ride him back to the stables in a headcollar. However, as the horses got bigger (ie from 13.2hh, 14.2hh to 16hh) it go rather more difficult to 'vault' on! I can just about still jump on my horse in the field but I have to take a run up and make sure he's downhill of me (oh and that he doesn't move to the side at my point of launch!! ha ha)

We also used to vault on from behind the pony. Was taught to do this at my riding school for gymkhana games - can't imagine they'd do this now! You'd pat the pony quite hard with both hands on his rump (so as to not surprise them and get a teeth full of metal hooves!), walk back a few strides and then leapfrog, like the previous poster mentioned, onto their back! Again, much easier on 13.2hh/14.2hh!

If you are quite athletic, I think you could teach yourself IF you maybe start with a smaller pony. You basically run along beside them (get the momentum going) and then, place hand on pommel/withers and launch! Well, that's what we did anyway! :D
Click to expand...

so is it easier to try and run beside them in a trot and attempt to vault up then?
 
I take a little one step run to build momentum, if I can't get my leg right over first time, before i slide back down I kick my legs to propel myself forward then can swing my leg over! As kids, if we wanted to ride bareback we used to HAVE to get ourselves up there... Instructor would never give us legs ups etc, learning curve she called it...!
 
Used to do this all the time for Mounted Games! Running vaults are easier as you can use momentum to help swing but you have to have an unflappable horse that will wait for you and that takes quite a lot of training. Swing vaults are safer but harder to master. The trick is finding the right place to stand so as when you start your swing you don't hit the horse with your foot. It takes time and practice but is possible! In theory, we were always told that if you could mount the horse from the floor without too much of a stretch, you could swing vault the horse... I'm not sure I'd be prepared to try that with a 17.2 but hey ho!
 
My boss can vault onto any horse so long as he can reach its mane, is amazing even 17hh!
Other than using the mane to hold onto I have no idea how he does it!
 
Put one hand around half way up the mane, and hook the other just over the withers. then make a small bounce, and then spring off both feet, throwing one leg up and over. Or buy a pair of moon shoes :D
 
EimerR said:
so is it easier to try and run beside them in a trot and attempt to vault up then?
Click to expand...

Yeah, well that's how I used to do it anyway (copied what mounted games kids did!). I used to do gymnastics back then though so had a lot more 'bounce'!! Lol

I think once you get the knack then you can probably do it on any horse. Mine was a 14.2hh at the time and I'd usually end up with him in a canter before I vaulted on. I seriously think he loved it as, once I'd vaulted on and we were to finish the 'race', he didn't half go hell for leather!!! Ah, good times..... :)
 
We used to do this as kids, we were adamant we were going to run away to join the circus so decided to make our trick 'pony acrobats'. The good soul would just stand there while we vaulted, somersaulted on and off, stood up on, swung about between its legs.... if I tried to run at my horse now I'd get booted in the face haha :p
 
I am 32, learnt to vault at 27 so don't be put off by age, it can be done. I'm 5'7, weigh about 9stone, I used to be able to vault on anything but post-baby I can't get much above 15hh - is still enough to show off though LOL!

It is MUCH easier to vault if the horse is trotting as you use the 'bounce' of the trot to help you get up into the air. Also much easier to do bareback as the saddle gets in the way.

The trick when horse is standing still is to stand at the shoulder facing the tail. Put both hands just above the whithers. step back, then power-step forward and SPRING. You are aiming to get your knee OVER AND DOWN the other side. Let the rest of the leg follow the knee, the knee is your focus. Press down on the whithers with your hands to get the height. If you are trying to get your knee UP, you haven't jumped high enough. Knee needs to go OVER and DOWN.

When the horse is trotting, run along side, level with the shoulder. Hold onto the mane, just above the wither. Run in time to the trot and make your steps big and springy. When you feel ready, IN TIME WITH THE TROT, take one step, then land both feet together and SPRING. As you spring, use your arms to push and get the height you need. Swing your right leg over the saddle and there you are.

Beware that the pony doesn't immediately buck you off in suprise, you need to ensure you have a nice calm type to learn on!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KZTXfuz3Bc

If you cannot get the 'swing' then you can always try jumping across the horse\s withers.
The art to this is to get the left arm elbow to wrist, the other side of the neck on the first jump. The right hand goes elbow to hand flat along the spine.
Then as long as your arms are locked along the neck and back you can partially pull yourself up. Keeping your knees together kick your legs together to push yourself up.
 
OK I just watched the video. I'm now not sure if the OP wants to do the "leg over" version (sorry,that sounds a bit rude) or the easier, neater one.
I can still vault onto a small pony, but not a chance on anything bigger.

The way we've always done it is to stand in your normal mounting position but closer to your horse. Keeping feet together, give a bounce or two,then - and for me this is I think the part that makes it easy - with left hand on mane and right hand on the back, you sort of jump up out of your bounce and slide up, not putting your right leg over until your waist is pretty much as high as the horse's spine.

This is much safer than the legover as you can recover if your horse steps aside - not so easy with one leg up in the air!

I did this on 17hand horses until my twenties, but haven't a chance nowdays. So if you're still young and fit, develop the skill now. It may come in handy if you ever do long bareback hacking!

I'm now thinking I might give this a go tomorrow, but bounce off an upturned bucket or something. Which is cheating. But I am old.
 
I used to be able to launch myself onto a 13.2hh pony but no higher than that!
No tips, but I found it much easier when the pony is moving.
 
ajn1610 said:
It's my dream to be able to get onto a horse like Endo Spinks he is so light.
Click to expand...

I know, me too to but it's never going to happen. It takes some bottle too, as he's almost upside down-ish during it. Have watched vids of people practicing his technique and it's really not that easy. He just makes it look it!
 
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