...33 2015 Osierlea Award: Saacha DeAmborossio 34 139 Vaulters Awarded AVA Medals in 2015 ... The...

www.americanvaulting.org 1

2 EquEstrianVaultinG | Volume 47, Issue 2

AMERICAN VAULTING ASSOCIATION

1443 E. Washington Blvd. #289 Pasadena, CA 91104

323-654-0800

VaultinGEquEstrianVaultinG

EquEstrian

Editor in Chief: Megan Benjamin Guimarin, [email protected] Copy Editor: Katharina WoodmanPhotographers: Mackenzie Bakewell/ZieBee Media, Roy Friesen, Andrea Fuchshumer, Daniel Kaiser/Impressions, Devon Maitozo, Diana Sutera Mow, Sue Rose, Ali Smith, Sarah TwohigWriters and Contributors: Mackenzie Bakewell, Carol Beutler, Carolyn Bland, Laura L. Bosco, Robin Bowman, Alicen Divita, Tessa Divita, Mary Garrett, Michelle Guo, Rachael Herrera, Carlee Heger, Noel Martonovich, Yossi Martonovich, Mary McCormick, Devon Maitozo, Brittany O'Leary, Isabelle Parker, Donna Schult, Steve SullivanDesigner: Leah Kucharek, Red Hen Design

Equestrian Vaulting magazine is the official publication of the American Vaulting Association. Comments/suggestions/questions are welcome to [email protected]. For information on advertising rates, how to submit editorial content and more go to www.americanvaulting.org/contactus.

For address changes go to www.americanvaulting.org/members/memberservices and click on Membership Updates to make the change. If you are having problems receiving your copy of the magazine or wish to receive additional copies, contact the AVA National Office (ph. 323-654-0800 or email [email protected]). No part of this publication may be reproduced either in whole or part without written permission. Copyright by American Vaulting Association 2015. Equestrian Vaulting magazine is published three times a year.

American Vaulting Association Directory2016 AVA VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Effective January 1, 2016

ExEcutivE Board MEMBErs

President: Connie Geisler, [email protected]

Executive VP: Kelley Holly, [email protected]

Secretary: Sheri Benjamin, [email protected]

Treasurer: Jill Hobby, [email protected]

VP Competitions: Kathy Rynning, [email protected]

VP Development: Open

VP Education: Carolyn Bland, [email protected]

VP Membership: Kathy Smith, [email protected]

Competitions Director: Emma Seely, [email protected]

Education Director: Kendel Edmunds, [email protected]

Fund Raising Director: Open

Information Technology Director: Craig Coburn, [email protected]

Judges Program /Technical Committee Director: Suzanne Detol, [email protected]

Marketing & Communications Director: Megan Benjamin Guimarin, [email protected]

Membership Director: Dana Heger, [email protected]

Safety & Insurance Director: Linda Bibbler, [email protected]

Vaulting Program Development Director: Gibran Stout, [email protected]

Volunteerism Director: Kim Dushinski, [email protected]

REgIONAL SUPERVISORS

Region I: Patti Skipton, [email protected]

Region II: Sue Smith, [email protected]

Region III: Lori Robison, [email protected]

Region IV: Dena Madden, [email protected]

Region V: Beth Whillock, [email protected]

Region IX: Lisa Zielenske, [email protected]

Region X: Peter Senn, [email protected]

AVA NATIONAL OFFICE

Craig Coburn, National Office Manager

1443 E. Washington Blvd. #289, Pasadena CA 91104

[email protected]

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon PST • Ph: 323-654-0800, Fax: 323-654-4306

www.americanvaulting.org

FEI Vaulting Committee Member: Suzanne Detol, [email protected]

USEF Board/Elected Athlete: Devon Maitozo, [email protected]

USEF Vaulting High Perf. Comm. Chair: Linda Bibbler, [email protected]

USEF Vaulting Technical Committee Co-Chairs:

Craig Coburn, [email protected]; and Suzanne Detol, [email protected]

Volume 47, Issue 2

Equestrian Vaulting Designed by: Red Hen Design, Howell, MI, [email protected]

Give the Gift of

Up to 60% off!

subscription Prices (Three issues, published Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter)

• “Add on” subscription for current AVA Vaulting Fan and Recreational Members (US only): $12• US Non-member: $18annual Multi-pack Pricing for all current ava Members and clubs:• 5-Pack EV Magazine Bundles: $50—15% off single subscription pricing!• 10-pack EV Magazine Bundles: $90—25% off single subscription pricing!• 20-pack EV Magazine Bundles: $140—40% off single subscription pricing!

VaultinGEquEstriangive the gift of

Up to 60% off!

On

Ou

r cO

ver:

2015 Open Pas de Deux National Champions Haley Smith and Carlee Heger of Mile-High Vaulters dance alfresco at the height of Colorado’s autumn with Sampson.

Photo courtesy of Jorden Hobbs


2016 AVA VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Effective January 1, 2016

ExEcutivE Board MEMBErs

President: Connie Geisler, [email protected]

Executive VP: Kelley Holly, [email protected]

Secretary: Sheri Benjamin, [email protected]

Treasurer: Jill Hobby, [email protected]

VP Competitions: Kathy Rynning, [email protected]

VP Development: Open

VP Education: Carolyn Bland, [email protected]

VP Membership: Kathy Smith, [email protected]

Competitions Director: Emma Seely, [email protected]

Education Director: Kendel Edmunds, [email protected]

Fund Raising Director: Open

Information Technology Director: Craig Coburn, [email protected]

Judges Program /Technical Committee Director: Suzanne Detol, [email protected]

Marketing & Communications Director: Megan Benjamin Guimarin, [email protected]

Membership Director: Dana Heger, [email protected]

Safety & Insurance Director: Linda Bibbler, [email protected]

Vaulting Program Development Director: Gibran Stout, [email protected]

Volunteerism Director: Kim Dushinski, [email protected]

REgIONAL SUPERVISORS

Region I: Patti Skipton, [email protected]

Region II: Sue Smith, [email protected]

Region III: Lori Robison, [email protected]

Region IV: Dena Madden, [email protected]

Region V: Beth Whillock, [email protected]

Region IX: Lisa Zielenske, [email protected]

Region X: Peter Senn, [email protected]

AVA NATIONAL OFFICE

Craig Coburn, National Office Manager

1443 E. Washington Blvd. #289, Pasadena CA 91104

[email protected]

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon PST • Ph: 323-654-0800, Fax: 323-654-4306

www.americanvaulting.org

FEI Vaulting Committee Member: Suzanne Detol, [email protected]

USEF Board/Elected Athlete: Devon Maitozo, [email protected]

USEF Vaulting High Perf. Comm. Chair: Linda Bibbler, [email protected]

USEF Vaulting Technical Committee Co-Chairs:

Craig Coburn, [email protected]; and Suzanne Detol, [email protected]

Volume 47, Issue 2

Equestrian Vaulting Designed by: Red Hen Design, Howell, MI, [email protected]

VaultinGEquEstrian

JW642

6 8

12

FEATURES12 Vaulting Photos 101 18 The American Vaulting Association's 2015

US Equestrian Vaulting Hall of Fame

18 Kendel Edmunds20 Adrienne Stang22 Doc23 Giovanni24 Halali25 Sir Anthony Van Dyck26 Sundance Tom27 Toby

28 AVA Horse of the Year: Pepper Jack29 AVA Lunger of the Year: Saacha DeAmborosio30 AVA Trainer Recognition Award: Emma Seely31 AVA Volunteer of the Year: Kim Dushinski32 AVA Mentor of the Year: Blake Dahlgren33 2015 Osierlea Award: Saacha DeAmborossio34 139 Vaulters Awarded AVA Medals in 201536 Centerfold Poster38 2015 AVA National Champions Individuals

40 2015 AVA National Champions Teams

42 Nationals Photo Collage

COLUMNS5 From the Editor

6 Just for Vaulters: How to Stay Motivated for Training During the Winter Months

8 Horse Smarts: Step It Up: Introduction to Pole Work and Cavaletti Training For the Vaulting Horse

10 Club Management: How to Organize & Run Competitions, In the Words of Six AVA Horsewomen

16 Vaulter Fitness: AcroYoga for Vaulters

45 Events Calendar

2015 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSJW6 Warming Up for a World Championship JW8 Team USA SquadJW10 Team USA Pas de DeuxJW12 Team USA Women JW14 Team USA MenJW16 Junior Worlds Photos


from the EDITOR

L ast year as part of the AVA Membership Survey, we asked you about your experiences with Equestrian Vaulting magazine. Of the responses we received, one thing quickly became clear: you’d like to see the magazine in your mailbox on a more consistent basis (and ideally, way more often!). The magazine is a labor of love—a huge effort by a comparably tiny team of volunteers who work tirelessly to make sure the content you read is helpful, entertaining, and representative of our vast national organization. And we agree. It’s important to know when you can expect your much-needed dose of EV magazine.

Below is the schedule for the magazine moving forward.

Volume 48 Issue 1 (Annual Awards, Health and Fitness Issue)April 15 – Available OnlineApril 30 – Available In Print

Volume 48 Issue 2 (national championships, Senior World championships, Themed content TBD)August 30 – Available Online (publish date may shift slightly so as to be at least two weeks after the National and World Championships) september 15 – Available In Print

Volume 48 Issue 3 (Themed content TBD)December 1 – Available OnlineDecember 15 – Available In Print

Please feel free to send me a note with any questions, comments, concerns or (best of all) undying love for the magazine.

Megan Benjamin Guimarin [email protected]

T he American Vaulting Association’s marketing efforts run on images provided by volunteer photographers like you. With permission, we love featuring your images in this magazine, on Facebook, Instagram, the website, and elsewhere.

And we need more photos!Please send your vaulting photos to us whenever you have a great one burning a hole in your SD card. We love competition shots, but we especially love both action and candid photos from practice, photo shoots, and other events. If you’d like to have your photos featured, send them along to…

If you have a knack for the English language as a writer, editor or both, we need your help! We’re always looking for great writers and editors for this magazine and the website. If you have writing experience, a solid understanding of the sport of vaulting, and a few hours to spare each month, or just for a one-time article, please reach out to…

[email protected]

Calling All Photographers!Calling All Writers & Editors!


It’s getting cold outside! As temperatures drop, it can be difficult to stay motivated. Stay on top of winter training despite the frozen fingers and toes with these tips. It’s easier to keep training hard when you

know why you’re training in the first place. Are you aiming to make top ten at Nationals? Stay fit during the winter months? Qualify for the World Championships in 2020? Write it down! If there’s a place you can write out or otherwise display your big goal at the barn, do it. Just seeing your goal will remind you to stay positive and keep working even when you might rather call it a day and go get some hot chocolate.

Dressing in layers is your best bet for staying the right temperature while training. Opt for a pair of insulated leggings, a thermal top, and wool socks for your base layer. (Clothes designed for skiing and snowboarding are great options, because they wick sweat while keeping you toasty.) If it’s still chilly, add another pair of leggings, leg warmers, and a vest. Still cold? Layer on a big fleece zip up, a headband or hat, gloves, and a pair of sweat pants. Top it all off with a big, heavy barn jacket. After you get moving, you’ll warm right up.

just for vAulTERs

How to Stay Motivated for Training During the Winter Months

Warming up properly is especially important when it’s cold out. Warm up with a run, explosive plyometrics, some light gymnastics, and active stretching. Save any passive stretching (like spending two minutes in splits) for the end of practice. Or better yet, do that once you’re at home in front of the fire!

Sometimes in vaulting, we hang out. We hang out while we’re tacking up the horse. We hang out while the horse is warming up. We hang out between our turns on the horse. Unfortunately, when it’s cold out, hanging out and being inactive is the surest way to let your toes go numb. Between rounds, toss on an extra layer, work some drills, and stay warm. Hand warmers and thermoses full of tea are also wonderful things.

Having a clear lesson plan and sticking to it can help tremendously. Try to organize your practices to within five minutes of accuracy, then stay on track. Be especially specific about the drills you want to work on, the parts of your freestyle you’re training that day, and the conditioning you plan to do at the end of practice.

Sometimes, it’s just too cold/wet/snowy to vault on the horse. When that’s the case, it’s great to have a back-up plan. Some clubs have on-site gyms, or indoor areas where they have barrels and weight equipment for drills and conditioning. If you don’t have an on-site option, partner with a local gymnastics club or high school and use their indoor space. The only thing you need for a great horse-less practice is a barrel, some mats, a music system, and a clear lesson plan. It’s not ideal when you can’t practice on the horse, but it happens!

Set a Clear Goal

Dress Warmly

Always Warm Up Right

Stay Warm

Keep Practices Super Focused

Have a "Too-Cold/Wet/Snowy-To-Function" Back-Up Plan


By Megan Benjamin Guimarin

Megan Benjamin Guimarin is the only vaulter to have earned a medal in all three vaulting events-- individuals, pas de deux, and squad. Although a native Californian, Megan has had her share of experience vaulting in cold temperatures from winters spent training for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Ithaca, New York.

How to Stay Motivated for Training During the Winter Months

Remember to Enjoy It!

Even when it’s freezing out, vaulting is still a blast! With the cool air on your rosy cheeks, close your eyes and remind yourself why you love vaulting. It’ll put a smile on your face and help you persevere through the shivers. And just remember… it’ll be springtime soon enough!


By Carolyn Bland

STEP IT UPT he use of poles and raised poles (cavaletti) in your training program has myriad benefits for all vaulting horses. Pole work can help.

Enhance regularity and rhythm of gaits. Place poles in a series of three to six poles equidistant from each other. Poles should be spaced to match your horse’s optimum gait length. This encourages the horse to maintain clear regularity and rhythm as he steps over each pole.

Strengthen muscles. Working with poles and cavaletti will encourage the horse to stretch a stride, shorten a stride, or pick the limbs higher off the ground. All of this gymnastics work is part of a solid cross training program.

Increase heart and circulatory health. Pole and cavaletti training is hard work! The aerobic action of lifting the limbs in a rhythm over poles and cavaletti brings the horse’s heart rate up while increasing agility.

Increase balance. Practice perfect balance by manipulating distance, height, and direction of pole placement (either on a circle or in a straight line) and by training transitions in and out of pole work.

Develop suspension. Shortening the distances between poles and cavaletti encourages the horse to pick up his limbs more quickly. Trotting poles to a small jump encourages the horse to become nimble and develop suspension.

Develop ability to learn. Pole work and cavaletti work introduce small challenges to

horse smARTs

keep your horse fresh and interested. Using poles in your program will encourage the horse to think while working. Taking away other distractions is a great way to bring your horse’s attention to the work at hand.

Cavaletti Basics

You can work your horse over poles and cavaletti either under saddle or on the lunge line, in circles or on straight lines.

Distances

The most important thing when starting with poles or cavaletti is to make the introduction easy for the horse. Although there are “ranges” of pole distances available in books or on the Internet, the fail proof system is to measure your horse’s stride in each gait and set poles for your horse. Poles and/or cavaletti set incorrectly can cause a horse to be nervous, which can lead him to rushing or tripping over the poles.

To measure your horse’s stride in all three gaits (walk, trot and canter), first start with a freshly dragged arena or a place where you can clearly see new hoof prints. Have the horse take three different routes on a straight line, first in walk, then in trot, then in canter. Using a tape measure, measure from the hoof print of one limb (I used the inside foreleg) at the toe to the heel of the same hoof the next time it touches the ground.

This horse, for example, has a stride measuring four feet three inches. Knowing this, setting poles with a distance of about four feet between them will be comfortable for this horse.

Getting Started

Introduce your horse first to one pole on the ground. Have him walk and trot over the pole until he is comfortable with that exercise.

Next, add one more pole at the distance of his walk stride and walk over the two poles. When your horse relaxes over the two poles, you can reset for trot and start the process again. Once you feel your horse understands the exercise, then you can add another pole. For horses new to pole work, three to six poles usually work wonders.

Introduction to pole work and cavaletti training for the vaulting horse.


By Carolyn Bland

Trot Poles

Wal

k Po

les

Raised Trot Poles

Raised Canter Pole

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Different Obstacles for Different GaitsAt the walk… place poles in a straight line along the inside of the rail.At the trot… place a semi-circle of trot poles on part of a 20-meter circle. The inside distance should be in the four foot range, or slightly shorter than your horse’s stride, and the outside distance should be greater. This pole placement gives you the option of using the same set of poles to shorten the stride by using the inside track or to lengthen the stride using the outside track.

At the canter… set a raised canter pole (about 20 inches so the horse focuses on it as a small jump) on the far side of the trot poles. Trot the poles, transition to canter, then increase your circle size to canter the raised pole. After the small jump, transition back down to the trot, decrease your circle size, and take the trot poles again.

Carolyn Bland is a renowned vaulting and dressage trainer. She lunged Palatine and Team USA to an historic victory at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, where she earned a gold medal. Carolyn was the 2006 AVA Trainer of the Year for her extraordinary work with Mozart and F.A.M.E. and has continued to turn out exceptional vaulting horses since she joined the sport in 1996. She is the AVA's VP Education.

Adding In Challenges

Once your horse has this simple exercise well understood, start with raising the last cavaletti at one side. As long as this does not fluster your horse, then increase the difficulty by raising the poles at alternating sides.

This article is meant to be a beginners’ guide to pole work. If you and your horse feel comfortable with the exercises described in the article, there’s plenty more to learn! One of the most useful books on pole work and cavaletti exercises is Cavalletti —The Schooling of Horse and Riders over Ground Poles by Ingrid and Reiner Klimke.


Do you remember your first competition? How many vaulters did you have? Has it grown since you first started and what do you think made the biggest difference in its success?

Our first event was 20-25 years ago and I recall that we didn’t hold it as an annual event, but just during the Selection Trial years. I think our success came when we began to host the events each year. The predictability of the event

is critical to the support of all clubs in the long run because clubs can plan their year in advance when they know where and when competitions will be held.

Our first event had 15 vaulters. We calculated the cost of traveling to other competitions and found that hosting our own met our schedule and was cost-efficient. It also allowed us to have a medal test at home.

We offer a wide range of events on the barrel and on the horse, from Tiny Tots to Gold, as well as Masters and Adaptive. The key to meeting the needs of our region has been the realization that our clubs typically have to travel long distances to come to competitions, so offering a wide range of classes enables

them to have a competition experience for all their vaulters.

What was the biggest hurdle you had to face?

Weather. It can be unpredictable and cause problems if you don’t have use of an indoor facility.

Setting consistent dates; keeping prices as low as possible without losing money, retaining a consistent number of vaulters.

club mAnAGEmEnT

By Donna Schult

In the Words of Six AVA Horsewomen

Putting on a competition is hard work, but it’s a lot easier if you know what you’re doing. If you’re a newbie to competition management, but you’re looking to put on a competition, ask a seasoned expert for help.

linda Bibbler (lB), Carolyn Bland (CB), Kim Beisecker (KB), Robin Bowman (RB), Kelley Holly (KH) and Jennifer Williams (JW) all shared their knowledge and experience with me. As a leadership group, they have hosted barrel competitions, AVA and USEF-recognized competitions, National Championships, USEF Selection Trials and CVIs with attendance ranging from 15 – 120+ athletes. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to talk to each of these horsewomen. Here is what they had to say.

kb

kb

rb

rb

lb

jw

jw

kh

cb

cb

OrgAnIzE rUnHow to &

Competitions

lb


w Develop a realistic budget and consider adding medal tests and clinics to earn additional income.

w Know your audience and cater to them. Ask your local clubs which classes their vaulters want to enter and host those classes.

Is there anything that you would share with someone who was thinking about hosting a competition that I haven’t asked?

Make sure your registration fee (non-refundable) covers your ribbons and any costs that you’ll incur even if the event

is cancelled.

Seek out a mentor. Call or email someone who has done this before.

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Dia

na S

uter

a M

ow

kb

lb

lb

jw

kh

kh

OrgAnIzE rUn

If a new club wanted to host a competition, what would the top priorities be for them to know or think about? (I’ve taken the liberty of combining the responses, since many said the

same thing.)

w Ask for help from someone who has done this before!

w Know the rules. Follow the rules, but where the rules end, make the competition your own.

w Hire your judges early and treat them well so that they will want to return. Don’t forget the apprentice judges. They generally know the rules back and forth because they are studying them.

w Get many volunteers, develop a management team, and form committees early. You can’t do this alone and you will need a lot of help.

w Start with a barrel fest and get your feet wet.

w Horses. Make sure you have enough horses especially if people will be traveling to your event.

cb

Cost. [Both host CVI competitions that are expensive due to FEI

requirements and they bear the full financial responsibility of the event.]

Can you make money? Who typically underwrites (funds) your competitions?

For our AVA and USEF competitions, we almost always make money. We weigh the benefit of hosting competitions

close to home where prices may have to increase to cover increased facility costs versus the cost associated with traveling hundreds of miles to attend competitions away from home. Paying a little bit more to compete near home, on your own horse, is always worth it. CVI competitions are expensive and it is very hard to break even because of the higher costs associated with FEI requirements. We have had an average of 100 vaulters each year and some sponsorships, but it is still hard. We take full responsibility for the funding of the competitions.

Yes, you can make money. We have the sponsoring clubs underwrite the competition. Because the costs and work are shared, each club is

protected from bearing potential shortfalls alone.

Yes, we usually make a little bit of money on our barrel competitions and at least break even on our horse competitions. I also think

it’s a great opportunity for the kids to show off their skills.


Vaulting Photographyfeature

What makes a great vaulting photograph?

Since the photograph has become such an integral part of how we experience and share this sport of ours, it is becoming more and more difficult to stand out in the crowd. As a parent, I can attest to the fact that almost any shot of my son brings me joy, especially any shots of him vaulting. That doesn’t make every photograph of him particularly interesting though, especially to others. Let’s then agree to measure the quality of our photographs according to their own merits and not by our connection to the subjects being photographed. For a shot to be memorable, just like a vaulting freestyle, it must connect with the audience.

How do we do that? Here are some things to keep in mind to help take your photos to the next level.

You are the artist and the vaulter is your muse.

Approach taking a photograph as if you were painting, but instead of using a brush use your camera to capture the lines, shapes, and colors available to you in the natural world. The vaulter and horse provide an incredible array of material to compose great shots. Your subtle choices will make the difference. Decisions in timing, framing, focus, and how you capture your light can harmonize to create shots worth celebrating.

There is no great foreground without a suitable background.

Failing to find a background in a shot that doesn’t interfere, distract, or even camouflage the intended subject is one of the most common mistakes made by amateur photographers. How often have we seen an arena support beam turned guillotine chop right through the vaulter’s neck, or even worse, seen a lovely shot of our a vaulter in their beautiful new blue unitard performing their stag jump in front of a sea of empty blue seats? In order to avoid these unfortunate affairs, it is key to assess the background before taking a shot. This can be a matter of one second or one week. Try to avoid beams, light posts, and advertisements that interfere with the subject. Often we have little to no control over the actual makeup of the background available to us when shooting, especially at a competition, but we do have control over where we place ourselves relative to the circle. If the vaulter is wearing a very light-colored outfit, find a relatively dark background to place behind her. If she has a dark uniform, do the opposite, if possible. If her uniform is busy, find the cleanest, simplest background. You get the point. It’s all about contrast and drawing the eye to the subject that matters.

In this day and age of social media, the photograph has become an ever more important medium through which we share our sport and craft with people we know, and perhaps more importantly, with the rest of the world. While vaulting tends to be seen most often in a competition setting, as it reaches out to be experienced by others, through photography or another medium, it is an art form of the highest order.

There is no great foreground

without a suitable background.


Vaulting Photography

Phot

os co

urte

sy o

f Dev

on M

aito

zo

As you pan for the perfect shot, the face is your gold.

We need to recognize the power of the human face to portray emotion and to draw people in. There are plenty of great photographs that cannot include the vaulter’s face for many reasons, but always take special care to notice when the vaulters are showing their face, especially their eyes, and try to capture it. Faces, and especially the eyes, portray emotion and character. These photos are often

some of the most stunning and powerful.

By Devon Maitozo

Live by the law of thirds.

Having prefaced the issue as “law”, I will modify it by saying that there are no laws in photography other than the laws of physics, and in the

era of Photoshop, even those seem to be breakable. Generally speaking, though, when

composing a shot, place the primary focal point of your subject at the one-third mark in your frame (top to bottom in portrait orientation or side to side in landscape) to get a balanced shot. Allow the empty space in your shot to add power to the intended focus.

As you pan for the

perfect shot, the face

is your gold.

Live by the lawof thirds.


To chop or not to chop.

In trying to balance a vaulting shot, all too often we must choose whether or not to chop horse’s legs off (from the frame, of course). The answer depends on many different potential issues, but generally it is perfectly fine to wield your photographic axe. There is a tasteful way to do it, though, and a way not to do it. It is seldom good to chop a horse’s legs off at the fetlock or even below the hock or knee. If chopping, the more of the leg you remove, the less awkward the resulting photo. If you chop, it should be because you are zooming/cropping in closer to focus our eye on the vaulter or something specific they are doing.

It is also perfectly fine to chop a horse’s body within its torso, especially its hind quarters, but if you are chopping its head off, please make it well worth the amputation. Usually that would mean the vaulter is facing reverse and we can see their head and face well. Two heads missing is really unfortunate. Avoid it. As for chopping off parts of the vaulter, this is even less desirable; especially if it’s the end of a line they are creating. Unless it is a close-up of a facial expression or another part of the vaulter to show the details of our unique sport, cutting off a vaulter’s limb can make the photo look simply wrong. Extended legs or hands should always make it into the frame in order to respect the aesthetics of the sport we are capturing.

Enlighten us with light.

When it comes down to it, all your camera can really capture is the light that makes it through your lens. If your subject is a vaulter and you want to see them in the shot, you have only two choices regarding light. Either you capture the light bouncing off of the vaulter, or you have them provide contrast to the light coming from elsewhere. When taking pictures of vaulting, regardless of how much control you have over it, assess the light before you shoot. Avoid shooting into the light (the sun in your eyes) unless you are specifically using backlighting to get a silhouette or partially backlit image. Silhouettes are only as interesting as the shape that is being seen. As for a backlit shot, this can be a great way to create a halo or glowing effect, but a filler light source must also be casting enough light on the camera side of the subject if you expect to see any detail. Especially the face!

Also, try not to shoot with the sun or bright light source shining on the vaulter from the same general direction as your camera. This can eliminate nearly all sense of depth due to the lack of shadows. If you want to give depth to your shot, you need to have light coming from lateral angles. It is generally good to have direct sunlight behind you at about 45 degrees to one side.

Take it in stride.

Here is an important one, people! Familiarize yourself very well with all parts of a horse’s stride, be that trot or canter, so you know how to take your pictures during the more flattering phase as often as possible.

In the trot, it is best to shoot when opposite legs are lifting up and not at that very moment when a hoof lands on the ground. As for a canter stride, capture the horse at the peak of his uphill phase. When I am photographing a canter vaulting


Take it in stride.

Suspendotherwise lost

moments in time.

To chopor notto chop.


mentioned above) come even close to influencing the potential quality of a photograph more than the quality of the lens pulling in that light.

Photographers will always say, “It’s all about the glass.” The faster the lens, the more light you can pull in and the more control you will be able to have on how you will present your subject. The speed of a lens refers to the level of light intensity (illuminance) that a lens can deliver to the focal plane. If a lens has a larger maximum aperture (written as a smaller f-number), it can achieve the same exposure, but with a faster shutter speed. That’s why they call it a “fast” lens. Other factors besides “speed” that influence the cost of a lens include the actual quality of the glass inside, the focal length of the lens (telephoto verses wide angle), and stabilizing mechanism to avoid shaking caused by the human hand. For vaulting photography, the most practical and useful lenses you could have will be telephoto (100mm or higher), and will have an f-stop number of 2.8 or lower. Basically, the more light that can get in that camera from farther away, the more likely you’ll get that breathtaking shot.

Vaulting photography, like all sports photography, is usually a matter of how well you can freeze all the movement for a completely focused image while still getting enough light to make your subject pop. The right equipment will allow you to stand well outside of a vaulting ring and still get photos that are close up. It will also allow you to blur the background of the photograph, so as to draw all attention to what matters most.

I challenge all readers to consider how you want to see your sport. It may just be your future photograph that catapults our sport into the spotlight!


routine, I first start counting the canter strides and let that rhythm run in my head. If a vaulter hits a photo-worthy position or will perform a dynamic movement worth capturing, I will then primarily shoot that moment during every stride when the horse’s front legs are off the ground. The more you make this adjustment from behind the lens, the more marketable and flattering your shots will be!

Suspend otherwise lost moments in time.

When trying to capture the creativity of our fellow vaulters through photography, don’t forget that the photographer has a super power that a vaulter doesn’t have. We can freeze space and time. When choreographing a freestyle, a vaulter may put in leaps and turns and kicks and flying dismounts that defy gravity, but these moments are inherently fleeting, and are over just a moment after they begin. I challenge you to find those moments suspended in space and time when the click of your finger can paint a picture that otherwise would never be seen.

The fastest car usually wins the race.

Up until this point I have purposely avoided mentioning a word about specific camera technology. It is a subject that makes a world of difference, though, both in cost, and in quality results. All cameras, including the one on your phone, have the potential to shoot beautiful and meaningful vaulting photographs, but many have serious limits. Invest in a digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera, as well as quality lenses to go with it, to step up your photography to a new level.

Factors that will influence price will be how many megapixels of information the camera is equipped to process, how many frames per second it can shoot and process, how many autofocus points it provides for any autofocus and light measurements features; whether it is for large or small format lenses, and general durability. There are endless bells and whistles available, but none of these features, (not even the ones


By Mary Garrett with Mary McCormick

acroYogafor VaultErsjust for vAulTERs

Flying Upward-Facing Dog

Step 1: With the base on her back, place feet on the flyer’s hipbones. Both base and flyer hold hands.

Step 2: Flyer jumps onto feet, keeping the head up, the chest open, and the upper back lifted toward the sky. The flyer should keep her core engaged, so as not to sag through the middle.

Optional: As the flyer, grab one or both legs.

Advanced: Let go of the base completely for a true test of back strength.

Backbend Over Feet

Step 1: With the base on her back, the flyer kicks into a handstand with her hands near the base’s head.

Step 2: With as much control as possible, the flyer arches over the base’s feet, landing with her low back/hips on the base’s feet.

Optional: As the flyer, grab feet or shins for a deeper psoas

stretch.

Advanced: Do a massive abdominal crunch into flying boat pose! Keep the abs engaged and the legs squeezed tightly together. Balancing on your tailbone or seat bones, reach the arms and chest toward the sky.

Shoulder Stand on Feet

Step 1: The flyer stands near the base’s shoulders, with the base on her back and her legs mostly straight and near 90 degrees. Both base and flyer hold hands.

OPTIONAL

ADVANCED

Step 2: The flyer bends forward and places her shoulders in the arches of the base’s feet. The base may bend her knees and reach her legs toward the flyer to assist.

Step 3: The flyer jumps and tucks into a supported shoulder stand on the base’s feet, holding the base’s hands. Make sure the base’s legs move back to 90 degrees for a balanced pose!

Advanced: Try letting go of hands, grabbing legs, or holding nothing for a challenge.

OPTIONAL

ADVANCED


AcroYoga, where the high-flying fun of acrobatics and gymnastics meets the grounded, meditative practice of yoga, is the ultimate training tool for vaulters of all levels and ages. Combining balance, strength, flexibility, and trust, AcroYoga is much like vaulting! These are a few of our favorite exercises. Try them with a partner (and a spotter if you need one) at your next practice!

Shoulder Stand in Hands

Step 1: With the base on her back with her feet on the floor and her knees up, the flyer, standing facing the base near the base’s feet, places her hands on the base’s knees and puts her shoulders in the base’s hands.

Step 2: The flyer kicks, presses, or tucks into a supported shoulder stand.

Optional: The base can straighten and lift her legs, up to 90 degrees, so the flyer is balanced over the base’s shoulders.

Advanced: The flyer can let go of the base’s legs altogether and hold the base’s arms.

Handstand on Knees

Step 1: The flyer stands in front of the base, with base and flyer both facing in the same direction. The base grabs the flyer’s hips and rolls her over her shoulder.

Step 2: The flyer reaches down from airplane on shoulder to hold the base’s legs, just above the knee.

Step 3: With the base holding the flyer’s shoulders, the flyer pops off the base’s shoulder into a handstand with control, keeping her arms straight as the base leans back.

Note: This exercise is all about counterbalance! Don’t be afraid to stretch and lean.

Advanced: Try different leg variations, like scorpion!

Standing Counterbalance

Step 1: Both flyer and base stand facing each other, holding opposite hands (left to left or right to right).

Step 2: Flyer places one foot (if holding left hands, use right foot, and vice versa) on the base’s legs,

above the knee. The base squeezes her knees together and starts to sit back into a chair pose.

Step 3: As the base leans back to counterbalance the flyer’s weight, the flyer swings her other leg up to the back of the base’s neck.

Note: It is essential that both base

and flyer lean away from each other to counterbalance.

Advanced: Let go of all hands!

OPTIONAL

ADVANCED

OPTIONAL

ADVANCED

ADVANCED


2015 AVA Hall of Fame

Kendel edmunds

K endel Edmunds, an AVA Hall of Fame inductee, started riding at the young age of four, which gave a leg up to her vaulting career. In the summer of 1975, 12- year-old Kendel attended a horse camp that offered vaulting classes and immediately fell in love with the sport.

“I was always bugging my mom for gymnastics lessons,” said Kendel. “She told me that I couldn’t take gymnastics lessons because I had a horse. That summer, I found that I could do both!”

Kendel began vaulting with Forts Flyers, coached by Inez Forts. She competed with many different teams, including the

By Laura L. Bosco

Leprechauns, located in Watsonville, Ca., and ended her vaulting career with California Carousel, located in Woodside, CA.

“My friend Inez Fort compelled me to work with her little team in Oakland, CA., of which Kendel was a member,” said Jeff Ashton Moore. “I was impressed with Kendel from the beginning—when I saw her practicing her vaulting moves on her own anywhere and everywhere, even on the back of the sofa! In those days that was unusual dedication. I figured then that if she stuck with it, she was bound to be successful. She did, and she was.”

When asked about vaulting horses in her career, she remembers one most fondly of all.

“Anyone who has been around for a while will remember Babar,” Kendel shared. “He was probably one of the first full drafts to be

used in vaulting. Personality-wise, he was a lovely horse. I have the best memories of vaulting with him.”

In 1977, Kendel represented Team USA in Lake Konstanz, Switzerland as a member of the U.S. composite team, coached by Jeff Ashton Moore and Elizabeth Searle, co-founders of the American Vaulting Association.

“Prior to leaving for Europe, we had an intense six-week vaulting camp in California,” Kendel remembers. “I considered myself lucky to have five to six people who each brought something different to my vaulting and made it better.”

“During the years that Kendel vaulted, she won what would be the equivalent of two World Championships in 1977 and 1979. There was no such thing as a CVI, a WEG or even intercontinental/international vaulting

events,” shared Craig Colburn, an AVA “R”, USEF “R” and FEI “I” vaulting judge. “Kendel was a true pioneer of the elite aspect of the sport of vaulting. She was the first to perform a handstand, and the first woman to perform a back flip and front flip off of the horse. Kendel was extraordinary.”


In 1981, Kendel represented U.S. vaulting in Robert Vavra’s book, “All Those Girls in Love with Horses”. Chapter two captures Kendel’s vaulting through Vavra’s camera lens.

“It was an amazing honor to represent our sport,” shared Kendel. “I was so thankful for Inez, my coach at the time, who made me behave and follow his instructions. I was seventeen at the time.”

During Kendel’s final vaulting season, she competed at the 1992 World Championships in Heilbronn, Germany.

“I was judging the World Championships in Germany, in which Kendel participated,” Moore shared. “ I was so proud of her accomplishments that, in my effort to be fair in my judging, I probably judged her too harshly. Hopefully I've been forgiven.”

With a vaulting career that spanned 16 years, Kendel revolutionized the sport by challenging herself, creating moves and focus on improving. She continues her career as a USEF “R” vaulting judge and clinician; she travels and impacts vaulters, coaches and lungers around the country.

“Even though I wasn’t responsible for her success, I must admit that I felt incredibly proud of it—hoping that my encouragement contributed a little to what came later,” Moore commented. “Kendel was a role model, from a modest start with a modest team, and without special advantages, she still made it to the ‘Big Time’.”



Adrienne stAng


It all started with a little girl who couldn’t keep her eyes off the kids dancing on ponies at Chez Scherf Pony Farm, a small horse ranch in Saratoga, California. Adrienne Stang was roped into vaulting the same way many parents have been throughout the years. Her daughter, Sydney Stang (who herself is a member of the AVA Hall of Fame), was a young gymnast when she first spotted vaulting. After that fateful first glimpse, Sydney begged her parents to let her try the sport; they caved.

“Sydney had suffered a pretty serious ankle injury from gymnastics, and the doctor told us we should probably find her a new sport,” Adrienne said. “As soon as Sydney’s ankle had healed well enough, we turned to vaulting, and we’ve never looked back.”

Sydney learned how to vault from Hope Scherf, the owner and head-riding-instructor-turned-vaulting-coach at Chez Scherf Pony Farm. Since vaulting was still new and mostly unestablished at the time, Hope learned how to teach vaulting on the fly, standing in the center of the ring with the whip and lunge line in one hand and Liz Searle’s book on vaulting basics in the other.

“One day, Hope asked me to be in charge of the book,” Adrienne remembered. “We couldn’t figure out if the kneel came before or after flag, and Hope had too much going on between the pony, the vaulters, and trying to decipher the fine print at the same time.”

Adrienne became the keeper of the book and from there it wasn’t long before she became a coach herself. In 1976, Adrienne became

the coach of the Garrod Farms (now Mt. Eden Vaulting Club) A Team, located just up the road from Chez Scherf. That year, the Garrod Farms A Team placed third at the National Championships.

A couple years later, Adrienne got a frantic call from Phoebe Cooke, the founder of a burgeoning club in Northern California. Phoebe’s head coach had suffered a serious back injury in a car accident and the club was in dire need of a new head coach.

“Phoebe called me up in a panic. I was the Secretary of the AVA at the time, so she figured I would know someone who could help her,” Adrienne said. “I couldn’t find anybody to help her, so I just went up to her barn myself.”

Phoebe’s barn had everything. There was a full gym, horses trained by Jeff Moore, the foremost vaulting horse trainer at the time, and a covered arena was in the works. It was a vaulter’s training dream come true.

Adrienne had other vaulters under her wing at the time, and she was reluctant to give them the impression she was abandoning them. Instead, she showed her vaulters Phoebe’s facility and let them decide—would the team train at the fancy new facility or stay put? Seven hands went up in the air opting to train with Adrienne at the new facility, and off they went.

From its humble beginnings, the club, which would be christened Sundance Vaulters, grew to 120 members, including everything from beginning to elite vaulting and a robust program for emotionally disabled children. With world-class facilities and under Adrienne’s watchful eye, the club began to thrive.

Led by Hall of Famers Sydney Stang (Carey), Jeannette Boxall (Krassow), and Craig Coburn, Adrienne Stang and Sundance Vaulters brought home 20 AVA National Championship podium finishes in the Gold, 3-Phase, A Team, and Pas de Deux classes in just under eight years.

“When I became a Sundance family member, it was great,” said Jeanette Boxall-Krassow, 1986 Silver Medal World Champion and AVA Hall of Fame inductee. “We had plenty of horse time on Adrienne’s beautiful horse, Whisper a Wish. Sydney and Adrienne were always moving forward and pushing the sport to new heights. I just rode the wave with them.”

That wave brought Jeannette and Sydney to the 1986 World Championships, where Jeannette finished with the silver medal, Sydney finished 4th, and fellow Sundance vaulter Julie D’Atri finished 5th.

Adrienne attributes her vaulters’ international success to the fluidity and harmony of their freestyle routines.



“At the time, most vaulters were doing one move, pause, change position, new move, pause, change position, with their music playing in the background,” Adrienne recalled. “The music had nothing to do with the horses or the routines. The routines had no connection to the horse. Our vaulters changed that.”

Adrienne used a metronome to find the exact beat of her horses’ canters, then chose music that suited the horse’s gait best. The vaulters built routines with dynamic transitions and graceful musical interpretation. They were rewarded for it by judges and audiences alike.

After nearly a decade of coaching, Adrienne transitioned to a career in judging, eventually judging at international competitions as a top-ranked FEI judge. Yet, even as her role in the vaulting community shifted, she continued to coach the top US vaulters on their roads to success.

Of the 16 current AVA Hall of Fame members, herself included, Adrienne has worked with nearly all of them as they geared up for their biggest competitions. She worked with Craig Coburn while he studied at UC Berkeley and with Kenny Geisler as he prepared for international competition. Isabelle Bibbler (Parker) started her vaulting career on Adrienne’s team. She worked with F.A.M.E. team members Devon Maitozo, Rosalind Ross, Blake Dahlgren, Megan Benjamin (Guimarin), and with coaches Emma Seely and Carolyn Bland before their historic Silver (F.A.M.E., team) and Gold (Megan Benjamin, individual) finishes at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. She fine-tuned Kerith Lemon’s posture and technique before the nine-time National Champion hit the road to conquer the competition in Europe. She trained Sydney Stang (Carey) and Jeannette Boxall (Krassow) directly.

“I just love working with the highest-level athletes, fine-tuning their routines and presentation so they are at their absolute best when they compete abroad,” Adrienne said. “It’s definitely the most fun kind of coaching.”

Adrienne has since retired as both a coach and as a judge, but she will forever be a fan of vaulting.

“It’s been an incredibly fun run,” Adrienne reminisced. “I met some of my closest friends through this sport. It is like a second family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”



doc

The Martonovich family purchased Doc as a five-year-old driving horse at a draft horse auction in 1996. Our son Erik picked him out. Fortunately for us, Doc was the last horse in the auction and a snowstorm blew in before he came up for sale. While many people went home to avoid the storm, our family stayed to place the winning bid on Doc. We loaded him into the trailer, took him home, and started his training as a vaulting horse.

Within a year, he was ready to take the Golden Gate Vaulters to the National Championships in Tennessee, where Erik won the Gold Men’s National Championship. He went on to compete in ten consecutive National Vaulting Championships, carrying the Golden Gate National Pas De Deux Champions, Gold Men’s National Champions, Pairs National Champions, as well as Silver and Bronze National Champions.

In addition to carrying vaulters from our own club, Doc also carried many vaulters from different clubs. He represented the USA at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain.

Doc, in addition to being an excellent competitor, was also a superb performer. He performed in front of thousands of spectators for five years at the Night of Dancing Horses at the Denver National Western Stock Show. He performed for three years at Pat Parelli’s Savvy Conferences, as well as at the Equifest of Kansas, Equine Affaire in Kentucky and Massachusetts, and at many other venues throughout the country. There is even a large poster of him and Yossi, forever memorialized, in the competition arena at the National Western Complex in Denver.

By Yossi & Noel Martonovich

When Doc finished his competition career, he went on to perform with Erik’s Big Horse Productions as a Roman riding horse, a vaulting horse, and as the lead horse in Erik’s eight-horse Roman Riding act. He even performed as a high-level dressage horse!

Most importantly, Doc was the backbone of the Golden Gate Vaulting Club. He took the club from a small beginning club all the way to the World Championships. He proved over and over again to be a terrific school horse— always gentle, steady, and reliable for all his vaulters, no matter if they were beginning vaulters, disabled

vaulters, adult vaulters, or top-level competitive vaulters. They all trusted him fully.

Doc is truly a great ambassador for vaulting. Among his many honors and awards, Doc received the prestigious Certified Horsemanship Association School Horse of the Year award in 2007. Doc, in his mid-20s, is now retired happily at Little Spring Ranch in Golden, Colorado.

Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies


By Alicen Divita2015 AVA Hall of Fame

giovAnni

There are many famous duos throughout history: Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Batman and Robin, even peanut butter wouldn’t be considered a favorite American classic without jelly added to sweeten it up. Sometimes there is just something about that other half that brings out the best in those with whom it is paired. Giovanni is just such a horse—a horse who was an absolute privilege to call a partner.

Giovanni was a teacher. He is the horse who taught me that vaulting is not just tricks on top of a horse, but rather a partnership with a living, breathing animal, and I know those who have lunged for him or vaulted on him could say the same.

Off the ground, Giovanni has always been a wise and sensitive soul. Like many wise humans who have earned the right to speak their mind freely, Gio didn’t hold back when he wasn’t satisfied. He let you know when he was happy, and he also always let you know when he was not.

Gio had a special elegance about him on the vaulting circle, but once you broke through his glamorous walls, Gio was sweet, and his cuddles felt that much more special because he made you earn them. In the vaulting arena, Giovanni was dependable, an old pro from the start who took great pride in training and competing with his human partners. He made his job as a vaulting horse look easy, and those who called him a partner considered it an honor.

Vaulting with Giovanni was different because he was quite an emotional horse, which meant when you came to vault you had to make

sure you were not only physically prepared, but also mentally prepared and in tune with him, too. I believe because of this, he turned good vaulters and lungers into great ones. Learning how to vault, specifically how to do swings, felt like learning how to fly; once you tapped into his rhythm, he would send you up with just the right amount of power.

Personally, I will always remember competing with him in the huge Alltech arena for the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky, and even though people began clapping during the routine (he wasn’t typically a fan of clapping) he couldn't have been more confident.

Giovanni is now retired and living out his days as a trail horse in Woodside, California. Even as he ages, everyone can see that Giovanni is a beautiful Warmblood with a heart of a champion. As he now takes his place in the

Hall of Fame, I hope that he sets an example for vaulting horses to come. Sensitive in spirit and strong in frame, Giovanni was a partner in the purest sense of the word.



HAlAli

Soon after California Carousel Vaulters were founded in the fall of 1985, the search began for a canter horse. Jan Marrack of Orchard Isle Vaulters on the big island of Hawai’i had barely started training this Percheron/Thoroughbred cross mare for vaulting when she decided to find a buyer and a new home for Halali. Through a connection with Adrienne Stang, Nina Wiger and Gail Ostendorf of Carousel were able to view a video (yes, a VCR tape - it was 1985, after all!) of Halali and liked what they saw so much that they sent word to Hawai'i to have the mare brought over to the mainland.

So to the mainland she traveled! In the winter of 1985/86, Halali was airlifted to the San Francisco airport. Gail and Nina picked her up at SFO on a dark and stormy night. This was before the days of fancy airline horse transports, and so horses and cattle were stuffed together in little pens in a room that took most of the inside of the freight plane.

Gail and Nina eagerly awaited Halali’s arrival. The mare walked down the long, narrow ramp from the plane. Gail and Nina could hardly believe their eyes. “She’s so big,” Gail exclaimed. Simultaneously Nina murmured, “She’s so little.”

Halali was a tricky horse to train with a very strong will. She was a mare, after all.

“Halali was the most difficult horse I had ever trained for vaulting,” Nina said. “She had a

By Carol Beutler

wonderful canter but it took forever for her to decide to cooperate. She raced around at her first few competitions like a maniac. It was a wonder nobody gave up on her.”

Halali had clear favorites. We spent a long time building her up both physically and mentally, and eventually it paid off. Halali could maintain her wonderful canter for circle after circle, year after year no matter what you did on her back.

Unless you dared step behind the pad. She was not cool with that.

In 1986 at Bolado, the California Carousel C Team took the National Championship. It was Halali’s first Nationals. It was at this National Championships that Liz Seerle and Jeff Moore declared that they needed a best horse and lunger award and awarded Halali and Nina Wiger the unofficial honors. While this win was never officially recorded, it spurred the creation of the Osierlea Award for the best turned out horse and lunger

sponsored by Liz and Jeff in honor of their farm, Osierlea, located in San Juan Bautista.

Halali was lost to cancer in 1991, ending this lovely mare’s career in her prime. She will lovingly be remembered by those who trained her, vaulted on her, washed and bushed her coat, braided her mane and tail for competitions, picked her hooves and gave her flakes of hay at the end of the day.

Halali, with humble beginnings on the beautiful island of Hawai’i, carried teams and individuals for California Carousel and Mt. Eden Vaulting Club and was a pioneer for the Osierlea and Horse of the Year Awards. Now she is, deservedly, one of the first inductees into the AVA Horse Hall of Fame.



sir AntHony vAn dycK

Back in 1997, the vaulting landscape looked quite a bit different than it does today. High performance vaulting horses were hard to come by, especially in the United States, and it was a big problem for our international competitors.

Dissatisfied with the lack of consistent, reliable horses for our nation’s internationally competitive athletes, my grandmother, Sydney Frankel, decided to act. She was looking for a horse that would set international standards for top-level vaulting horses. She found just the horse in Sir Anthony Van Dyck.

Van Dyck came to the Frankel barn (now Pacific Coast Vaulters) in 1997, where Kerith Lemon was training for the World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy. Kerith quickly fell in love with Van Dyck.

“The more I worked with him, the greater our connection became,” Kerith remembers. “Soon, I just knew he would be there for me no matter what. He's the best argument for just how much

By Brittany O'Leary

the right horse is the most important member of any vaulting team.”

Just a few years later in 2000, Van Dyck jet-set his way over to Mannheim, Germany for the World Championships, his international debut, where he carried both Kerith Lemon and Devon Maitozo to bronze medals.

After a solid career with Kerith Lemon, Van Dyck spent the remainder of his competitive vaulting years with his partner and pal, multiple Gold Women’s National Champion, Mary McCormick. The two of them traveled together throughout the U.S. and eventually to the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, where Mary placed first in her second round of freestyle and fourth overall.

To this day, Mary and Van Dyck’s bond is as strong as ever. Although

he’s retired from competition, you can find the two of them riding around bareback, Roman riding, or hanging out for an occasional late night snuggle.

“He continues to teach me valuable lessons as we take our partnership to the next level,” Mary remarked. “He took care of me in the vaulting arena for so

many years, and I am grateful that I can help care for him now.”

Van Dyck always had the power to connect with his vaulters on a deeply emotional level. He could feel when you were happy, excited, relaxed or nervous. More importantly, he knew when you were confident, and empowered his vaulters to rise to the occasion and perform their very best. He was world-class in every sense of the word.

Cheers to the horse that made the best vaulters even better and empowered them to compete with the confidence they needed to perform their very best.



sundAnce tom

It was the most horrific moment in my vaulting career. I was coaching a Hidden Hills Horsemen Vaulters team practice on our first-string A Team horse, Sundance Tom, when he suddenly stumbled and fell forward toward the ground. I called to the vaulter on his back, “off!”

The vaulter dismounted just before Tom stumbled forward onto the ground. I pinned Tom’s head down until we had released the side reins. I relinquished control of Tom’s head and stood up. Tom laid where he had fallen. The team gathered around Tom aghast. I examined him for signs of broken bones as he lay motionless, except for his respiration.

A voice said, “Did anyone ask him to get up?” I responded, “Tom, get up.“

Tom got up. A thorough check confirmed that he was fine. He had done exactly what he was told when things got serious. He stayed down when I told him to and he got up when I told him to.

Sundance Tom was more than just one of our eleven vaulting horses. He was more than the horse who carried us to five consecutive A Team national championships, who carried more vaulters to their AVA gold medals than any other in his day. He was more than the platform for champion individual vaulters. Sundance Tom had a long list of impressive credentials, but this is not why he was the heart of our team.

Tom was not our A Team horse because he was the ideal type. He was the biggest horse that our upstart team had available, but he was still tiny by today’s vaulting standards. He was a rather typical quarter horse; short quarter horse back, sloping quarter horse croup, and not much wider than most quarter horses. He could go the distance though. Tom toned up to over 1,200 pounds of rock-solid muscle at just 15.2 hands tall.

By Steve Sullivan

Tom was mischievous. He was a miserable beast to lunge. He knew all of his vaulters. He knew our exercises and our routines and often gleefully taunted us at practice. He knew how to make our carefully balanced exercises collapse in heaps, our mounts go flat, and how to see to it that we missed his beat. Tom hardened us to “complications” in our routines.

Yet Tom knew the boundaries of his teasing. When we grew tense while practicing risky exercises, when we entered the exhibition or competition arena, Tom was precisely where we needed him to be when we needed him to be there. Because he paid close attention to what we were doing, he found his own ways to actually help us through our routines. Add some impulsion here, flatten his gait, drop a hip there. No one trained him and no one cued him to do what he did. He was more than just a steady platform.

Tom placed an incredible amount of trust in his team. I never once saw fear in him. He literally took every new vaulting exercise in stride. Every new experience, every harebrained idea we had, Tom was game for it.

Tom continued his career until he was retired in 1983 after 15 amazing years as the Hidden Hills Horsemen Vaulters’ first choice. Even in retirement, Tom refused to miss a practice while his team was training. He would stand tied to the rail and soaking up the attention that his teammates showered upon him. There are many fine horses, yet there will only be one Sundance Tom.



toby

T oby, owned by Ursula and Wolfgang Eisenhut, is one of the most iconic horses in AVA history.Toby started his career pulling a cart and training dressage and jumping. He found his niche as a vaulting horse in New Mexico, where in 1991 he won his first ASHA/AVA National Championships in Pas de Deux.

In the spring of 1995, a sponsor for the Woodside Vaulters purchased Toby. Over the next four years, Toby and his team dominated the A Team competition in the U.S. They won four National Championships and qualified for two World Championships. (The team also won a Bronze medal at the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome.) Additionally, Toby performed in demonstrations at the Rose Parade, Santa Barbara’s Celebration of the Horse, the Kentucky Horse Park, the Del Mar Night of the Horse, and appeared in an American Girl book on horses. Toby promoted vaulting on national television many times, including ESPN, CBS and Prime Sports.

In 1997, Toby became "Toby the Breyer Vaulting Horse". It was a limited edition, and only 5000 plastic Tobys were made. In 2000, Breyer also published Toby trading cards.

Throughout his tenure at Woodside Vaulters, Toby was lunged by Susie Bors and Jim Bibbler. Lunging and caring for Toby was no small feat. Though Toby was well behaved with his vaulters, he liked to take his lungers water skiing across the arena when the audience applauded. He was also an escape artist who more than once let himself out of his stall at a competition. Toby was particularly fond of his stable mate, Beau. At

By Isabelle Parker

the 1998 National Championships, he managed to escape and went to find Beau – in the competition arena. He made it all the way into the area and stopped right in front of the judge’s stand. He loved a dramatic entrance.

Toby was retired in 2000 and lived in Woodside, California until arthritis made the winters too difficult for him. In May of 2003, he moved to a ranch in Gardnerville, Nevada, where he lived out his long, happy life pampered in a stall at night and a pasture during the day. Toby passed away peacefully on April 5, 2011.


Photo courtesy of Sarah Twohig

Photo courtesy of Sue Rose

PEPPEr JacKaVa HorsE of tHE YEar

By Tessa Divita & Alicen Divita

There are few horses who have successfully carried as many smiling vaulters competing in as many different levels as Pepper Jack. Affectionately known as "Spencer," he is a steady partner for every vaulter he carries, from Preliminary Trot up to Gold, with several C and 2-Phase teams in his lengthy repertoire of vaulting ventures. He is trustworthy, snuggly, and puts up with all sorts of madness with his sweet attitude.

It is extremely easy to feel confident on Spencer. I personally learned many of my favorite moves on him, including my first ever stand at the canter, as well as my first click off, jump, shoot up mount, and many more. For those in the vaulting world, you understand that these "first ever" moves often require

a particularly special equine partner due to their assuredly clunky, awkward, and unsure performance quality. Whenever anyone starts to feel nervous or lacks confidence, they hop up on Spencer and can suddenly take on the world, oftentimes quite literally.

Spencer has carried international vaulters at several CVIs, many times stepping in at the last minute to help his athletes fulfill their dreams of international competition. In 2013, he carried Juan Martin Clavijo, along with his sister Silvia Margarita of Colombia, for their very first international competition. Juan has since gone on to become the Junior World Champion, and from his performance with Spencer, you would have easily predicted it. Competing internationally any time—let

alone for the first time for yourself or your country—can have a lot of stressful unknowns. For those unknowns, Spencer is always the perfect partner, offering a beacon of quiet confidence to those

competitors new to the international vaulting arena.

Although often described as cute and little, Spencer may actually be one of the most highly experienced vaulting horses living in the United States. His unassuming and reliable personality allows him to boost any vaulter to their highest potential. We are incredibly proud and honored to celebrate his achievement to be awarded American Vaulting Association Horse of the Year! Here's to Pepper Jack and to many more steady (and stunning!) vaulting partners to follow in his wake.

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Sar

ah T

woh

ig


By Mackenzie Bakewell (ZieBee Media)

What qualities do you think make for a great lunger?

You need to be calm and patient, combined with the appropriate amount of demanding. While lunging, you have to be able to read situations, emotions, and movements quickly, and then be able to adjust to changes in your horses and your vaulters mid-performance.

I also think great lungers are well presented, demonstrating good posture, grace, and professionalism.

What tips do you have for dressing professionally for the arena?

I personally am a fan of all white and all black, or a mixture of white and black. I love my KileyAnn jacket from O'Shaughnessey paired with black slacks. I like to avoid wearing anything that is overly loud in color or that isn’t secure, as both can end up distracting from your horse and vaulter.

How does lungeing a vaulting horse compare to lungeing in other situations?

The funny thing is, the use of lungeing for vaulting is completely opposite from lungeing in other disciplines. Growing up, I would always

lunge my horses to get the bucks out before I rode. Now with vaulting, I ride my horses to warm them up and get them ready to be lunged on the vaulting circle!

How do you prepare your horses for the show ring?

It starts months ahead of time. A big part of our training involves integrating tools from other equestrian sports. Outside of vaulting, our horses are trained on the long line and are shown in different disciplines such as jumping and dressage.

On competition days, I warm them up and work them through exercises that encourage rhythm, suppleness, impulsion, and collection. This gives me the ability to know that their body is feeling good and that they’re ready and prepared to compete.

What do you love most about vaulting?

I love my horses. It is amazing for an animal to accept working on a lungeing circle with a vaulter moving over his entire body, jumping and flipping. The challenge of creating an athlete like that is what intrigues me most. I also love giving horses the opportunity to be great.

Photos courtesy of Mackenzie Bakewell with ZieBee Media Photography

Saacha is the coach of Above & Beyond Vaulters, which she founded in 2007. The club currently has four vaulting horses and 27 vaulters. In both 2014 and 2015 Saacha won the Osierlea award and she won the Lunger of the Year award in 2014.

Saacha started vaulting with the Redwing Vaulters when she was 11 years old. She has been coaching equestrian sports for over 15 years and has always incorporated vaulting into her equestrian program to help create better riders. Saacha has coached and trained horses for (and has herself competed in) hunter/jumpers, dressage, eventing, driving, polocrosse, and vaulting.

What does winning the AVA Lunger of the Year award mean to you?

It is a great honor. I feel blessed to be appreciated and accepted, especially in a field that I never expected to be in since I come from a hunter/jumper background. Vaulting has slowly taken over, and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. I’ve loved continuing to expand on my horsemanship and my overall knowledge of this sport and its complexities.

saacHa DeaMBorossioaVa lungEr of tHE YEar


EMMa sEElYaVa trainEr rEcognition awarD

By Michelle Guo

T his past year, Emma Seely earned the Trainer Recognition Award, which is given in recognition of the hard work by those who train and maintain our most valuable team members—our horses! This very prestigious award recognizes the professionalism, horsemanship, and horse training practices to which all AVA members, as well as past award recipients, aspire.

A horse stands patiently with index cards stuck to his withers, cannon, and fetlock. Meanwhile, a group of seven-year-olds are having the time of their lives. Though the sight is quite amusing and a little absurd, this horse anatomy identification activity is integral to the education

of Mt. Eden’s youngest, and it is evidence of Emma Seely’s commitment to teach horsemanship from level one. Emma has a gift for working with horses, or—as she consistently reminds her vaulters, both young and old—the most important members of any vaulting team, and shares that immense aptitude daily with the vaulters, lungers, and coaches with whom she works.

I often see Emma darting about in her white lungeing attire at competitions, ready to warm up one horse and run in with the next. Somehow, between all her goes, she still manages to organize club affairs and be an involved coach. It is a wonder how many horses she can

lunge in a day, and even more incredible is the number of horses she has lunged throughout her career. Her club regularly welcomes new four-legged members into the family, and Emma transforms them

from hesitant beginners into strong workers who not only score well, but also—more importantly—carry vaulters who can wholly trust them and perform comfortably. Rarely does a week go by when Emma is not searching for another horse to train for her constantly growing club.

Emma travels around the world helping to promote our sport and returns from these trips with new ideas to implement at home. Among these techniques that

Emma investigates are new approaches in lungeing, keeping horses healthy and happy, and healing those who have suffered injuries. Such talent and initiative, however, has little value if it is not shared. Fortunately, that is never the case with Emma—those of us with the privilege of working with her frequently learn something new every day and admire her ability. At every vaulting event, Emma exhibits professionalism in and out of the arena; vaulters from other clubs who have competed with Mt. Eden horses are guaranteed the same warmth that she shows her own vaulters.

If you ask anyone in the vaulting community about Emma, you will hear words of high praise, whether they refer to her role as a coach, a lunger, or an overall mentor. Emma earned this reputation by touching countless human and equine lives along the way and she continues to do so without fail. I, and many others, owe infinite appreciation and respect for all she has done in the vaulting world. As far as icons come, Emma Seely is one of them for our sport and indeed deserves the Trainer Recognition Award.


KiM DusHinsKiaVa VoluntEEr of tHE YEar

By Robin Bowman

Vaulting cannot exist without our volunteers. Even though we are a volunteer-based organization, we exhibit a high degree of true sportsmanship. People like Kim Dushinski personify what it means to be a volunteer and always strive to be the best we can be to help our sport.

As the recipient of our Volunteer of the Year award, Kim is a great example of someone who is devoted to vaulting and the growth of our sport. Kim, like most of us, began volunteering when her daughter Anya began vaulting with Golden Gate Vaulters.

She started by volunteering with the club and then began helping to manage the volunteers at our regional events. She then took over coordinating volunteers for Nationals. She has done a great job growing this position into a well-oiled machine, developing programs to make sure each team is equitably providing volunteers to enable Nationals to run smoothly. She works long days throughout Nationals making sure that each assigned job is being completed as well as providing training as needed.

Even though her daughter is currently retired from competitive vaulting and yes, she does hold a full-time

Photo courtesy of Devon Maitozo

paying job, Kim still manages to do an extraordinary amount of great work for the AVA.

As Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give." Kim has made a huge impact on the lives of all our vaulters, coaches and lungers. Thank you to all our great volunteers and especially to Kim Dushinski, AVA Volunteer of the Year!


Blake is many things. At practice we keep it vague, usually summing him up by saying, “well, that’s Blake for you.” The AVA named Blake the 2014 Mentor of the Year. Well, that’s Blake for you.

Blake is one of those wise souls who indirectly teaches more than he realizes. As a coach and vaulter, he holds all of the answers, but he also knows when it’s time to withhold them. The teacher appears when the student is ready to learn.

He pulls from his vast knowledge and experience to give vaulters tools to explore and find their own success. He teaches us to learn from our mistakes and is humble enough to share his own. Whether it is working together to problem solve on a specific move or asking our input on the horse, he values the opinions of others and is just as open to learning and growing collectively as he is to teaching.

Anyone who has ever spent time with Blake can attest to the fact that he is warm. The warmest. He travels all over the country for clinics and no matter where he goes, he has that uncanny ability to make everyone feel like they are part of his community. He takes the time to know and understand a person and their vaulting so he can adjust his teaching accordingly, making everyone with whom he works feel significant, regardless of age, level or experience. He is not

BlaKE DaHlgrEnaVa MEntor of tHE YEar

By Rachael Herrera

just a mentor to the vaulters on his team, but to vaulters everywhere.

Many members of the vaulting community define themselves through vaulting. Those who have had the opportunity to work closely with Blake can attribute part of who they are to him. On the surface, one can see Blake’s influence through his swing drills or even his (sometimes hilarious) attempts at “pretty” choreography, but he has a greater impact on the vaulters he coaches than meets the eye.

Each practice, he drives his vaulters to be better athletes, better teammates, and better people. Vaulters and families travel hours for practice

or even across the country for clinics, not only for Blake’s vaulting expertise, but also for his ability to push vaulters to their full potential. The attitude Blake brings to practice fosters a motivation to succeed. He creates a place where you can be who you truly are and achieve things beyond the limits you previously thought confined you.

Other awards and medals Blake has received show how devoted he is to vaulting, but the Mentor of the Year award shows how devoted he is to the next generation of vaulters, those who, both literally and metaphorically, look up to all 6’4" of him.


2015 AVA National Championships Osierlea Presentation Award

Saacha DeAmborossio & CharlesAbove and Beyond Vaulters

For best presentation and turn out of horse and lunger.

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Bakewell with ZieBee Media Photography


Medals By Clubw Mt. Eden Vaulting Club (18)

w Harbor View Vaulters (16)

w OC Vaulting (14)

w Great Falls Vaulters (12)

w Rogue River Vaulters (11)

w Tambourine Vaulters (10)

w JT Ranch Vaulters, Mile-High Vaulters, Topaz Vaulters, Vaulters Del Sol (5)

w Above and Beyond Vaulters, Gold Star Pacesetters, Lone Star Vaulters, Northern Lakes Vaulters, Pacific Coast Vaulters (4)

w Grand Valley Vaulting Harmony, Triangle Equestrian Vaulting (3)

w Equestrian Crossings Vaulting, Mt. Tabor Vaulters, Rolling Hills (2)

w Bear Gap Vaulters, Cascade Vaulters, Hope Reins Vaulters, Los Angeles Equestrian Vaulting Club, Steel City Vaulters, Wasatch Peak Vaulters (1)

Medals By Typew Trot (35)

w Bronze (23)

w Novice Walk (29)

w Novice Trot (27)

w Novice Canter (12)

w Silver (9)

w Bronze to the Right (2)

Highest Medal Earned in 2015w Carlee Heger, Mile-High Vaulters: Silver with Honors

139 Vaulters

Awarded AVA Medals in 2015

Great falls Vaulters hosted one of the final medal tests of 2015. rebecca share lets moxie wear her hard-earned trot medal.

NaME vauLtiNG cLuB MEdaL aWardEdNaME vauLtiNG cLuB MEdaL aWardEd

Carlee Heger Mile-High Vaulters Silver - HonorsBonnie Ubben Harbor View Vaulters Silver - CommendedHaley Smith Mile-High Vaulters Silver - CommendedKayt Shaffer Mt. Tabor Vaulters Silver - CommendedMichelle Guo Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Silver - CommendedShayla Keating Great Falls Vaulters Silver - CommendedBodhi Hall Mt. Eden Vaulting Club SilverFrancesca Foley Vaulters Del Sol SilverMalu Foley Vaulters Del Sol SilverCaroline Morse Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Bronze - Honors

Cassandra Mauro Steel City Vaulters Bronze - HonorsElizabeth Phelps Great Falls Vaulters Bronze - HonorsHeather Haugen Harbor View Vaulters Bronze - HonorsLianne Quek Lone Star Vaulters Bronze - HonorsRachel Cathro Cascade Vaulters Bronze - HonorsAnastasia Zenin Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Bronze - CommendedAva Flanigan Lone Star Vaulters Bronze - CommendedBritney Ornellas Harbor View Vaulters Bronze - CommendedColton Worrell Harbor View Vaulters Bronze - CommendedGiorgia Borgarelli Mt. Tabor Vaulters Bronze - Commended


NaME vauLtiNG cLuB MEdaL aWardEd NaME vauLtiNG cLuB MEdaL aWardEd

Haley Brant Vaulters Del Sol Bronze - CommendedHallie Johnson Harbor View Vaulters Bronze - CommendedHannah Beehler Mile-High Vaulters Bronze - CommendedHazel Atwill Harbor View Vaulters Bronze - CommendedIohanna Quinones-Carter Vaulters Del Sol Bronze - CommendedIsabelle Elrick Vaulters Del Sol Bronze - CommendedJade Wentland JT Ranch Vaulters Bronze - CommendedLisa Cebula Great Falls Vaulters Bronze - CommendedMattea Petry Pacific Coast Vaulters Bronze - CommendedMorgan Lambert Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Bronze - CommendedTarra Samak Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Bronze - CommendedElizabeth Phelps Great Falls Vaulters Bronze - Right CommendedLisa Cebula Great Falls Vaulters Bronze - Right CommendedGiulia Corno Mt. Eden Vaulting Club BronzeAlexa Brown Above and Beyond Vaulters TrotAlice Brookston Tambourine Vaulters TrotAllison Jungmann Equestrian Crossings Vaulting TrotAmanda Neuweiler Tambourine Vaulters TrotAugusta Rose Lewis Mile-High Vaulters TrotBeyhan Unan Los Angeles Equestrian Vaulting Club TrotCapri Schmidt Northern Lakes Vaulters TrotCharlotte Brown Triangle Equestrian Vaulting TrotClara Hansen Grand Valley Vaulting Harmony TrotColton Worrell Harbor View Vaulters TrotDayna Bailey Topaz Vaulters TrotFatima Cervantes Tambourine Vaulters TrotGianna Cagliostro Mt. Eden Vaulting Club TrotHallie Dudley Hope Reins Vaulters TrotHazel Atwill Harbor View Vaulters TrotIzzy Pioli Above and Beyond Vaulters TrotJace Brooks Wasatch Peak Vaulters TrotKyrsten Tabada Equestrian Crossings Vaulting TrotMadelyn Hubb Mt. Eden Vaulting Club TrotMargaret Long Above and Beyond Vaulters TrotMattea Petry Pacific Coast Vaulters TrotMaya Drusinsky Mt. Eden Vaulting Club TrotMegan Stambaugh Mt. Eden Vaulting Club TrotNatalie Broshears OC Vaulting TrotNatalie Luedecke Tambourine Vaulters TrotRebecca Share Great Falls Vaulters TrotRebekah Espino Topaz Vaulters TrotRhianon Hampton Mile-High Vaulters TrotSarah Booker Triangle Equestrian Vaulting TrotSayre Kurecian Bear Gap Vaulters TrotSevanah McNeil Above and Beyond Vaulters TrotShelby Williams Grand Valley Vaulting Harmony TrotSofia Oberg Mt. Eden Vaulting Club TrotSyvannah Fraser Grand Valley Vaulting Harmony TrotTrinity Fleckner Harbor View Vaulters TrotLeandra Espino Topaz Vaulters Trot - RightBritney Ornellas Harbor View Vaulters Novice - CanterClaire Burnett Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Novice - CanterClara Oberg Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Novice - CanterDaniella Kovalerchik Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Novice - CanterGrace Marcus Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Novice - CanterHannah Peterson Northern Lakes Vaulters Novice - CanterHelen Mills-Selch Triangle Equestrian Vaulting Novice - CanterJazmyn Wentland JT Ranch Vaulters Novice - CanterMarie Obeloer Mt. Eden Vaulting Club Novice - CanterRachael White Lone Star Vaulters Novice - Canter

Raelyn Snyde

...33 2015 Osierlea Award: Saacha DeAmborossio 34 139 Vaulters Awarded AVA Medals in 2015 ... The...

Documents

Transcript of ...33 2015 Osierlea Award: Saacha DeAmborossio 34 139 Vaulters Awarded AVA Medals in 2015 ... The...