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2 2 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

3 Equestrian Vaulting Columns 5 From the President Sheri Benjamin 22 Through the Eyes of the Judges Compulsory Exercises: Hot Tips for Higher Scores Suzanne Detol 26 Just for Vaulters Jumping and Landing! Megan Benjamin and Stacey Burnett 28 Coaching Corner The Secret to Spectacular Flight Nancy Stevens-Brown 30 Events Calendar Features 6 The 2010 World Equestrian Games: Your Vaulting Team USA 12 AVA/USEF National Championships Scores 16 AVA/USEF 2010 National Team Vaulting Champions 18 AVA/USEF 2010 National Individual Vaulting Champions 20 Mind Games Alicen Divita 24 Classical Riding Center Adds Vaulting Program 6 12 On our cover: AVA/USEF 2010 A Team National Vaulting Champions Free Artists Creative Equestrians (FACE). Shown: Rosalind (Rosey) Ross and Devon Maitozo with Palentine, owned by Devon Maitozo. Photo courtesy of Lynne Owen Photography 3

4 Equestrian Vaulting Equestrian Vaulting magazine is the official publication of the American Vaulting Association. Comments/suggestions/questions are welcome to For information on advertising rates, how to submit editorial content and more, go to For address changes: memberservices/ and click on Membership Updates to make the change. If you are having problems receiving your issues, or wish additional copies contact the AVA National Office ( , fax or No part of this publication may be reproduced either in whole or part without written permission. Copyright by American Vaulting Association Equestrian Vaulting magazine is published quarterly: spring, summer, fall and winter. Thanks to our editors, writers, photographers and proofers: Megan Benjamin, Stacey Burnett, Craig Coburn, Suzanne Detol, Alicen Divita, Eileen and Mike Jassowski, Lynne Owen, Nancy Stevens-Brown and Katharina Woodman. Special thanks to Lynne Owen Photography and Primo Ponies Photography. A A AMERICAN VAULTING ASSOCIATION AMERICAN VAULTING ASSOCIATION 8205 Santa Monica Blvd. #1-288 West Hollywood, CA Equestrian Vaulting American Vaulting Association Directory 2010 AVA VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Board Members President: Sheri Benjamin, , sbenjamin@americanvaulting.org Executive VP: Kelley Holly, , tambourine-farm@worldnet.att.net Treasurer: Jodi Rinard, , chestnutvaulter@yahoo.com Secretary: Robin Bowman, , thebowmans4@msn.com VP Competitions: Linda Bibbler, , lbibbler@gmail.com Board Members Jessica Ballenger, Kim Beisecker, Megan Benjamin, Carol Beutler, Bill Brown, Craig Coburn, Merry Cole, Suzanne Detol, Priscilla G. Faulkner, Rick Hawthorne, Virginia Hawthorne, Cambry Kaylor, Yossi Martonovich, Amy McCune, Marianne Rose, Patti Skipton, Bob Weber Regional Supervisors Region I: Connie Geisler, , connie_geisler@hotmail.com Region II: Carolyn Conner, , carolyn.conner@verizon.net Region III: Penny Maydak, , pajamas14@hotmail.com Region IV: Noel Martonovich, , nmartonovi@aol.com Region IX: Elizabeth Brigham, , elizabethmbrigham@gmail.com Region X: Jane Egger, , jegger@bpl.coop VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND SPECIAL PROGRAM DIRECTORS 2011 Annual Convention: Connie Geisler, , connie_geisler@hotmail.com Barrel Initiative: Open Bylaws: Craig Coburn, , nationaloffice@americanvaulting.org Coaching Certification Initiative: Nancy Stevens-Brown, , ncnature@pacbell.net Competition Awards: Carol Beutler, , cbeutler@sbcglobal.net Competitions Secretary: Suzanne Detol, , sdetol@aol.com Equestrian Vaulting Magazine: Megan Benjamin, , megan.benjamin@gmail.com Friendship Team: Priscilla G. Faulkner, , prisf@aol.com Grants: Jan Garrod , jan@garrodfarms.com Grievance: Bill Brown , onzacat@comcast.net Historian: Nancy Stevens-Brown , ncnature@pacbell.net Horses: Yossi Martonovich , ymartonovi@aol.com Insurance: Kim Beisecker , kbeiseck@vt.edu Medal Test Secretary: Suzanne Detol, , sdetol@aol.com Nationals 2011: Linda Bibbler, , lbibbler@gmail.com and Marianne Rose, , mariannerose@worldnet.att.net National High Point: Open Pony Club Partnership Committee: Beth Whillock, , ewhillock@msn.com Publications: Jan Weber, , janmweber@gmail.com Safety: Bob Weber, bobcweber@gmail.com Technical Advisor: Suzanne Detol, , sdetol@aol.com Technical Advisor for Therapeutic Vaulting: Rick/Virginia Hawthorne, , vvvrick@ca.rr.com Technical Committee Chair: Kelley Holly, , tambourine-farm@worldnet.att.net Trade Shows: Jan Weber, , janmweber@gmail.com Volunteer Recognition: Carol Beutler, , cbeutler@sbcglobal.net Website: Eileen Jassowski, , eej@primoponies.com AVA NATIONAL OFFICE Craig Coburn, National Office Manager 8205 Santa Monica Blvd., #1-288, West Hollywood, CA nationaloffice@americanvaulting.org Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon PST Ph: , Fax: Vault into Fall with GrettaWear! 4 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010 FEI Vaulting Committee: Emma Seely, , emmaseely@sbcglobal.net FEI Athletes Council Vaulting Representative: Megan Benjamin, , megan.benjamin@gmail.com USEF Board Members: Sheri Benjamin, , sbenjamin@americanvaulting.org Linda Bibbler, , lbibbler@gmail.com USEF Board/Elected Athlete: Devon Maitozo, , devomai@mac.com USEF Director of Vaulting: Pam Lane, , plane@usef.org USEF Vaulting High Perf. Comm. Chair: Linda Bibbler, , lbibbler@gmail.com USEF Vaulting Technical Committee Co-Chairs: Craig Coburn, , nationaloffice@americanvaulting.org; Suzanne Detol, , sdetol@aol.com USEF Youth Council Member: Annalise VanVranken, , anna@shootingstarsvaulting.com Volume 1, Issue 3 Equestrian Vaulting Designed by: Red Hen Design, , redhendesign@comcast.net

5 AVA communication 101 From the President A place for everything. And everything in its place. --Benjamin Franklin This year, as our dedicated volunteers have worked hard to make sure you re in the know, some important pieces have fallen through the cracks, including a cheat sheet that details all of our various communication channels (smoke signals? a couple of tin cans and some string?). Which communication channel do we use for what purpose? Read on, and check out the chart in the publications section of the members only website for further details. AVA Blast: In early 2007 we created the AVA Blast, a twice a month newsletter, to keep members up to date on the latest AVA happenings in between issues of the magazine. The Blast serves a variety of functions: announcements and news that cannot wait for the next magazine issue (think deadline-oriented news such as a last call for Nationals entries, or breaking news such as a list of our recently elected board members or national champions); information on the latest AVA website additions (for example, our annual National Championships microsite, or the latest PDF issue of the magazine, way before it hits your mailbox) and lots of fun photos (whenever people contribute them). AVA Websites: Both the public and the members-only website have become important communication tools, and even more so, the one place where we can permanently deposit and store important information to make sure it doesn't get lost and forgotten in a box in someone s garage. While the public website is meant to be very simple, and a place for the non-vaulting expert to go to learn a little more about vaulting (and how to start a vaulting program!), the AVA members-only website is a beast of its own, with a (now) working search function, an attached (and very complex) database, and increasing pages of content. In a perfect world, the members-only website is THE place to check for historical and current information (everything from results from all AVA recognized competitions from 2002 to our most recent Nationals Championships and AVA volunteer award winners, to members addresses/ phone numbers, recent issues of the magazine, and even a historical database of who has been awarded which AVA medals and when!) In addition, some of our Regions' websites are now attached to our national website (look under Find a Club), for one-stop shopping! If you haven t trolled around the members-only website recently, you re missing out. AVA Magazine: With the release of version 3.0 of our non-profit s longest-running communication tool this year, the new Equestrian Vaulting magazine became a quarterly publication with less breaking news (that s the purview of the AVA Blast), fewer lists (competition results can now be found, mere days after an AVA competition, on the results page of the members-only website), and more feature articles that cover the entire scope of vaulting. Our goal is to cover USA vaulting in its entirety: beginning level to elite; recreational vaulting and competitive vaulting; vaulting for girls and boys, women and men; vaulting in every single region. AVA Forums: As part of the members-only website, we are also busy testing our members-only forums, where we encourage members to start and continue dialogues on topics ranging from articles in the magazine to anything you deem important! AVA Social Media: And, of course, you can always hear and read about information through many of our social media tools: our American Vaulting Association Facebook Fan Page, our Twitter account, our Yahoo Groups for each region, etc. Let me know how it s going! Sheri Benjamin sbenjamin@americanvaulting.org Photo courtesy of Lynne Owen Photography 5

6 Your 2010 World Equestrian Games: Vaulting Team USA Fun Facts: Among the 15 members of Team USA, the group has a combined 215 years of vaulting experience! Members of Team USA have attended a total of 9 World Championships some since 1992! At 14, Emily Hogye is the youngest member of Team USA. At 6 2", Blake Dahlgren is the tallest member of Team USA. Members of Team USA have earned a combined total of 18 medals over the years 2 Gold, 5 Silver, and 11 Bronze. The only two non-californians on Team USA are Annalise VanVranken, from Mays Landing, NJ and Todd Griffiths, from Babb, MT. At 19, Sir Anthony Van Dyck is Team USA s oldest horse. The horses traveling the farthest to attend WEG are Leonardo and Urfreund Rosengaard, coming all the way from Hvejsel, Denmark. Craig Coburn Team USA Chef d'equipe The Chef is the team leader, responsible for overseeing the interests of that country s team at large FEI (international level) competitions including World Championships and the World Equestrian Games. Hometown: Hidden Hills (Los Angeles), CA Vaulted: from 1973 to 1988 Vaulting Highlights: Part of the AVA vaulting demonstration at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Competed at FEI World Championships in 1984 (7th place) and 1988 (8th place) and won several CVIs. AVA/USEF Men's Gold National Champion from 1984 to Professional Highlights: Became an FEI "C" Vaulting judge in 2008 and an FEI "I" Vaulting judge in 2010 My favorite things about vaulting: The gift of making life-long friends as a result of vaulting. Watching little kids grow up into responsible, young adults who represent the USA in international competition as elite athletes. Vaulters train hard and sacrifice a lot to earn the privilege to represent their country. Things don't always go as planned, but our vaulters have demonstrated sportsmanship that would make any parent proud. My vaulting life has been amazing: starting out as a 7-year-old kid who couldn't even mount the horse and ending up as a National and International Champion who would ultimately earn the honor of becoming an FEI Vaulting judge. I wake up every day and feel an overwhelming appreciation for the day my mother first signed me up to vault in I can't imagine my life without vaulting! Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography Team Freestyle Music: Andre Previn and London Symphony Orchestra: Sergei Prokofiev s Romeo and Juliet Training Grounds: The Frankel Residence: Pacific Coast Vaulting Club in Woodside, CA 6 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

7 WEG2010 WEG is finally here! Check out these interesting tidbits and facts on members of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Vaulting Team USA! Vaulting Team usa Team Division weg 2010 F.A.C.E. (Free Artists Creative Equestrians) Horse: Palatine Breed: Westphalian Height: 17.1 hh Age: 12 Color: Chestnut Lunger: Carolyn Bland Emily Hogye Hometown: Ben Lomond, CA Age: 14 Years of Vaulting: 11 World Championships Experience: 2008 (Team Bronze: F.A.C.E.) One thing to know about me: I have six horses and ride a variety of disciplines, though I focus on dressage. I am a part of the US Pony Club and 4-H. Rosalind Ross Hometown: Woodside, CA Age: 20 Years Vaulting: 16 World Championships Experience: 2004 (Team Bronze: Coastline Vaulters), 2006 (Team Silver: Free Artists Mt. Eden F.A.M.E.), 2008 (Team Bronze: F.A.C.E.) One thing to know about me: I believe in eating chocolate after every meal. Mari Inouye Hometown: Palo Alto, CA Age: 27 Years Vaulting: 15 World Championships Experience: 2000 (individual) 2004 (individual), 2008 (Team Bronze: F.A.C.E.) One thing to know about me: I love to sweat! Blake Dahlgren Hometown: Sun Valley, CA Age: 26 Years Vaulting: 24 World Championships Experience: 2000 (team), 2002 (team), 2004 (individual), 2006 (Team Silver: Free Artists Mt. Eden F.A.M.E.) One thing to know about me: I still find it difficult, after all these years, to point my toes. Mary Garrett Hometown: Seal Beach, CA Age: 20 Years Vaulting: 8 World Championships Experience: My first World Championship! One thing to know about me: If I weren t vaulting, I'd be stuck playing college softball. Devon Maitozo Hometown: Woodside, CA Age: 35 Years Vaulting: 28 World Championships Experience: 1992 (individual), 1994 (individual), 1996 (Individual Bronze), 1998 (Individual Gold), 2000 (Individual Bronze), 2002 (Individual Bronze), 2004 (individual), 2006 (Team Silver: Free Artists Mt. Eden F.A.M.E.), 2008 (Team Bronze: F.A.C.E.) One thing to know about me: I love performance and how it can heighten our lives. I also believe we control fate. Not the other way around. Annalise VanVranken Hometown: Mays Landing, NJ Age: 18 Years Vaulting: 12 World Championships Experience: 2006 (Team Silver: Free Artists Mt. Eden F.A.M.E.), 2008 (Team Bronze: F.A.C.E.) One thing to know about me: My latest nickname is Nanners, but I have many others including Waffles, Banana, Annabelle, and Annalize. All profile photography courtesy of Lynne Owen Photography 7

8 Mary McCormick Hometown: Sonoma, CA/Nashville, TN Age: 27 Years vaulting: 18 Occupation: Chiropractic assistant at Midtown Natural Health. Vaulting coach at Mt. Eden Vaulting Club. Horse: Sir Anthony Van Dyck Breed: American Warmblood Height: 17.1 hh Age: 19 Color: Bay Lunger: Poppy Coulter World Championships Experience: 2006 (individual), 2008 (individual) Big Wins: 2010 Gold Women s National Champion, 2009 CVI** Leipzig Individual Champion Proudest Moment: Winning Nationals in 2003 with my Silver Star team Vice: Diet Coke obsession Workout: Pilates, yoga, rock climbing, running, kettlebells, and lots of barrel drills Snack: Garbanzo beans, edamame and a piece of string cheese Can t Live Without: Horses, of course Favorite Pastime: Lying on my horse s back to watch the stars Keeps Me Grounded: My Mt. Eden family Best Kept Secret: I compete with a piece of Star s (my old horse of 10 years) forelock in my hair. I m Against: Winging it Unless you absolutely have to. Photo courtesy of Alex Thomas Photography Megan Benjamin Hometown: Saratoga, CA Age: 22 Years Vaulting: 13 Occupation: Newly minted graduate of Cornell University Horse: Urfreund Rosengaard Breed: Oldenburg Height: 17.1 hh Age: 10 Color: Dark Bay Lunger: Lasse Kristensen World Championships Experience: 2004 (individual), 2006 (individual and team), 2008 (team) Big Wins: 2006 World Equestrian Games Women s World Champion, 2006 World Equestrian Games Team Silver, 2008 World Vaulting Championships Team Bronze Proudest Moment: Carrying the American flag for a victory lap after winning the Gold Medal in Aachen Workout: Embarrassing yet effective weight lifting exercises, physio ball training, gymnastics, modern dance, yoga, stationary bike, and lots of stretching Motivation: The feeling of complete freedom I achieve when I m in harmony with my horse Post-WEG plans: Travel the world. Then get a fantastic job in San Francisco! Must Have: Chocolate once a day Can t Live Without: The support of my family and friends Favorite Pastime: Downhill skiing, traveling, learning Keeps Me Grounded: My best friend, Michael Guimarin Photo courtesy of Lynne Owen Photography 8 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

9 Vaulting Team usa Individual Women's Division weg 2010 Workout: Gymnastics, yoga, weightlifting, running, hiking, rowing, riding, dancing Quote: All that we are is the result of what we have thought. (Buddha s Twin Verses) Motivation: If not now, when? Post-WEG Plans: Just being a normal college student, not racing back and forth from classes in Berkeley to practices in Woodside. Snack: Anything with cheese! Favorite Pastime: Exploring new places, everything from restaurants and shopping to hiking trails and local gems. My favorite places so far: Bay Area, Paris, Berlin. Keeps Me Grounded: My family Alicen Divita Hometown: Emerald Hills, CA Age: 21 Years vaulting: 9 Occupation: Junior at University of California, Berkeley Horse: Giovanni Breed: Mecklenburger Height: 17.1 hh Age: 13 Color: Bay Lunger: Julie Divita World Championships Experience: 2006 (individual alternate), 2008 (individual) Big Wins: 2003 Bronze Women s National Champion, 2004 Silver Women s National Champion, 2008 and 2009 Gold Women s National Champion Proudest Moment: Watching my little sister, Tessa, star as Sandee in her middle school s rendition of Grease Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography Workout: Gymnastics, running, and weightlifting Quote: Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you re gunna get! Post-WEG Plans: Continue vaulting, school, and playing on my high school varsity soccer team Snack: Peanut butter sandwiches! Can t Live Without: My golden retriever, Linus Favorite Pastime: Skeet shooting with my dad and brothers Keeps me grounded: My brother s participation in the army Katharine Wick Alternate Hometown: Hillsborough, CA Age: 17 Years vaulting: 10 Occupation: High School Senior at Woodside Priory School Horse: Giovanni Breed: Mecklenburger Height: 17.1 hh Age: 13 Color: Bay Lunger: Julie Divita World Championships Experience: None until now! Big Wins: 2010 CHIO Aachen Prize of the Sparkasse Team Champions, 2006 Women s Silver National Champion Proudest Moment: Hearing the national anthem played in Aachen in honor of our team s victory. All profile photography courtesy of Lynne Owen Photography 9

10 Todd Griffiths Hometown: Babb, MT Age: 30 Years vaulting: 6 Occupation: Equine and mixed animal veterinarian serving Northern Montana and Southern Alberta. Horse: Lanson 16 Breed: Hanoverian Height: 17.1 hh Age: 12 Color: Chestnut Lunger: Jessica Ballenger World Championships Experience: 2006 (individual) Big Wins: CVI** Chilliwack 2010, Garrod s Spring Classic 2010 Proudest Moment: Winning round one freestyle with just one vaulting shoe at Nationals 2010 Vice: Not picking up my dirty laundry Workout: Gymnastics, core exercises, and running Post-WEG Plans: Continue being a father and veterinarian and focus on coaching Snack: Fiber One granola bars and fruit Favorite Pastime: Playing with my kids Keeps Me Grounded: My wife, Hannalee Best Kept Secret: I started vaulting again in January after three years off! I Never Learned: A proper flag Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography Kenneth Robert Geisler Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA Age: 29 Years vaulting: 25 Occupation: General manager at Unleashed, a new pet specialty store by PETCO Horse: Sunny Boy Breed: Dutch Warmblood Height: 17.1 hh Age: 11 Color: Chestnut Lunger: Emma Garrod Seely World Championships Experience: 1998 (team), 2002 (individual), 2006 (individual) Big Wins: Team Bronze Medal in Rome WEG Proudest Moment: Wedding day Vice: Must play great practical jokes all the time Motivation: Fun Post-WEG Plans: Open my new store Can t Live Without: My wife, Kalyn Geisler Best Kept Secret: It is best kept... think about that... I Never Learned: How to surf Three Greatest Words: Environment of mutual respect Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography 10 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

11 Vaulting Team usa Individual men's Division weg 2010 Vice: Runescape (online game) Workout: Vaulting and conditioning 3 days a week and gymnastics 5 days a week Motivation: The many years I have ahead of me to perfect my vaulting and compete internationally Post-WEG Plans: Immediately begin preparing for the upcoming gymnastics competition season Must Have: The latest technology! Can t Live Without: Honey Nut Cheerios cereal Favorite Pastime: Trap Shooting Kristian Roberts Hometown: Moss Beach, CA Age: 17 Years vaulting: 5 Occupation: Homeschooled High School Senior at Alma Heights Christian Academy Horse: Highwater Bay Breed: Thoroughbred/Shire Cross Height: 17.0 hh Age: 8 Color: Dark Bay Lunger: Jill Palmer World Championships Experience: None yet, but that's about to change! Big Wins: 2008 Silver Men s National Champion. Proudest Moment: Finding out that I am going to represent the USA at WEG. Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography Vice: Good food. I love to eat. Workout: Running, tumbling, bikram yoga Quote: "I am nobody without my team. For me, that s my horse, lunger, club, and coach. Motivation: The dream of one day being on that podium Post-WEG Plans: Training for Worlds 2012 and WEG 2014 Keeps me grounded: A horse beneath my feet I Never Learned: How to live without vaulting. I haven t been without the sport for more than a week or two in over a decade. Patrick Stevens Alternate Hometown: Martinez, CA Age: 19 Years vaulting: 15 Occupation: Sophomore at Diablo Valley College Horse: Pepper Jack Breed: Thoroughbred/Percheron Cross Height: 16.0 hh Age: 13 Color: Grey Lunger: Julie Divita World Championships Experience: This is my first championship! Big Wins: 2007 Silver Men s National Champion, 2009 Gold Men s National Reserve Champion Proudest Moment: Standing on a horse at the canter for the first time. That was the first day of the rest of my life. All profile photography courtesy of Lynne Owen Photography 11

12 USEF/AVA National Championships Team Events A Team 1. F.A.C.E. on Palatine, lunged by Carolyn Bland (8.176) Devon Maitozo, Rosalind Ross, Annalise VanVranken, Mary Garrett, Mari Inouye, Emily Hogye, Karly Frankel-Newman 2. Sundae Rush on Sovira, lunged by Ingrid Hamar (7.858) Cassidy Palmer, Marisa Hamar, Katie Richie, Kimberly Palmer, Grace Robinson, Ruby Robinson, Leslie Taylor 3. Mt. Eden on Sunny Boy, lunged by Emma Seely (7.806) Alexandra Thrasher, Kalyn Geisler, Elizabeth Ioannou, Kenny Geisler, Makayla Clyne, Tasha Thorner, Cate Thomas 4. EPIC on Stanford, lunged by Teresa Keville (7.005) Katie Gieschen, Karensa Douglas, Hannah Boyd, Julie Young, Florence Rubinger, Miranda Marcantuno, Ashley Ondaro 5. Warm Beach Revelation on Tack Room, lunged by Patti Skipton (6.842) Shelby Janes, Danielle Rynning, Jamie Wantland, Anna Erickson, Alexandria Jaynes, Ryan Barbee, Mark Vernacchia 6. Woodside - The Pride on Giovanni, lunged by Krista Mack (6.736) Samantha Smith, Yvonne Greenen, Gabe Aniello, Katharine Wick, Siddhartha Kreaden, Tessa Divita, Alyssa Bonora B Team 1. Woodside on Caspar 128, lunged by Krista Mack (6.690) Kathryn Jaggers, Molly Gould, Julia Plungy, Ellie Gifford, Katrina Nibbi, Janie Salisbury, Sarah Dunn 2. Pacific Coast on Wyeth/Cheval, lunged by Poppy Coulter (6.419) Dusti Hausman, Talesia Dobin, Nicole Gorman, Emily Rose, Natasha Fabricant, Charlotte Deanda, Karey Markham 3. Mt. Eden on Sir James, lunged by Olivia Swan (6.379) George Joseph Gadd, Adria Revell, Jennifer Daniels, Heide Rothweiler, Kate Morse, Mackenzie Thurman, Merina Rainville 4. Warm Beach Chronicles on Promise/Praise, lunged by Patti Skipton (6.012) Mckenzie Enge, Julia Overton, Kelsie Tays, Quinn Albright, Sarah Anderson, Kaleb Patterson, Ruth Overton C Team 1. Lone Star/Gold Star Pacesetters on Fabio/Gustauff, lunged by M. Schaubhut/T. Pritchett (6.017) Trey Lasater, Kimberly Pritchett, Maya Lesenten, Alex Schaubhut, Ana Gabriela Louis, Christina Hogg, Courtney Madden 2. Valley View on Waldmeister/Odyssey, lunged by R. Hawthorne/S. Son (5.933) Geoffrey Woolson, Sarah Wendee, Rachel Herrera, Rebecca Herrera, Ian Fraim, Peter Matsumoto, Whitney Jones 3. Mt. Eden on Aspen, lunged by Kim Dunham (5.917) Amanda Thomas, Ashley Miller, Jordyn McCarley, Megan Macinnes, Morgan Lambert, Michelle Guo, Molly Hickman-Smith 4. Tambourine on Wyoming/Moony s Super Sadie, lunged by Kelley Holly (5.637) Shannon Hoke, Olivia Merino, Laura Jassowski, Lystra Hobby, Clare Sitzer, Nicholas Fujii, Kimberly Jassowski 5. Warm Beach Exodus on Peace/Praise, lunged by M. Vernacchia/Patti Skipton (5.343) Hadessah Rynning, Tammie Benoit, Leandra Essman, Luke Overton, Kalli Roberts, Haley Fryrear, Rita Murphy Trot Team 1. Warm Beach/Above and Beyond on Promise/Praise, lunged by J. Patterson/P. Skipton (5.644) Rowan Bender, Ruth Valsquier, Danielle Lindstrom, Camille Birch, Brittany Painter, Madison Jaynes, Stacey Phillips 2. Woodside on Isabella, lunged by Krista Mack (5.529) Katherine Salisbury, Holly Kuhn, Bridget Kiernan, Audrey Kiernan, Samantha Welch, Kristen Kuhn 3. Mile-High on Amidala, lunged by Jodi Rinard (5.188) Eric Rinard, Terah Hochhauser, Dena Madden, Anika Ramey, Hana Mason, Zoe Rinard 4. Mt. Eden on Trooper, lunged by Jennifer Daniels (4.972) Bohdi Hall, Justine Hoover, Caroline Morse, Michele Stahler, Matilda Hickman-Smith, Sophie Cabot, Clifford Owen 12 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010 Photos courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography Region X s Malik Finney, from Cedar Lodge, does a little horse bonding with Dillon from Morning Star.

13 July 30 - August 1, 2010 Santa Barbara, California Judges: Suzanne Detol (FEI O), Adrienne Stang (FEI O), Craig Coburn (FEI I), Lynne Owen (USEF R), Toni Amoroso (USEF r), Kitchy Burdette (USEF r), Steven Bertling (AVA r) Pas de Deux Events Open Pas de Deux 1. Cassidy Palmer/Kimberly Palmer, Half Moon Bay, on Hudson, Jill Palmer Nicole Czyzewski/Kelly Moore, Golden Gate on Smokin' Joe,Martonovich Leah Coe/Mikalah Bowman, Golden Gate on Flash, Noel Martonovich Kelsey Trainor/Lindsey Anderson, Diamond Bar on Sampson, Jodi Rinard R. Bublitz/R. ArneySchultz, Golden Gate on Flash, Noel Martonovich Preliminary Pas de Deux 1. Matthew Shubert/Caroline Shubert, Del Sol on Sampson, Jodi Rinard Katrina Nibbi/Hadley De Brine, Woodside on Pepper Jack, Julie Divita Christine Herrmann/Sarah Dunn, Woodside on Pepper Jack, Julie Divita Kimberly Pritchett/Alex Schaubhut, Lone Star on Gustauff, Tom Pritchett Individual Events Gold Women 1. Mary McCormick, Mt. Eden, on Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Poppy Coulter Megan Benjamin, Mt. Eden, on Sunny Boy, Emma Seely Elizabeth Ioannou, Mt. Eden, on Lanson 16, Jessica Ballenger Katharine Wick, Woodside, on Giovanni, Krista Mack Alicen Divita, Woodside, on Giovanni, J. Divita/K. Mack Annalise VanVranken, FACE, on Espoir Ardent, Nicole D Auriol Marisa Hamar, Showtime, on Sovira/Quno, Ingrid Hamar Cassidy Palmer, Half Moon Bay, on Highwater Bay/Hudson, J. Palmer Alexandra Thrasher, Mt. Eden, on Lanson 16, Jessica Ballenger Nicole Czyzewski, Golden Gate, on Smokin Joe, N. Martonovich Gold Men 1. Devon C. Maitozo, FACE, on Palatine, Carolyn Bland Kenny Geisler, Mt. Eden, on Gustaff/Sunny Boy, Emma Seely Todd Griffiths, Mt. Eden, on Lanson 16, Jessica Ballenger Blake Dahlgren, FACE, on Palatine/Jacadi de Rox, C. Bland/T. Keville Kristian Roberts, Half Moon Bay, on Highwater Bay/Hudson, J. Palmer Patrick Stevens, Woodside, on Caspar 128/Cambria, J. Palmer/S. Smith Eric Garcia, Tambourine, on Moony s Super Sadie/Dillener, Holly,Conner Clay Thomas, Blue Star, on Highwater Bay/Hudson, Jill Palmer Steven Patterson, Sunshine, on BHR John Boy Hoe, Y. Martonovich Silver Women 1. Kelly Moore, Golden Gate, on Oliver/Smokin Joe, Martonovich/Martonovich Mikalah Bowman, Golden Gate, on Oliver/Flash, Martonovich/Martonovich Emily Addison Hogye, FACE, on Buddy, Mona Hogye Kathryn Jaggers, Woodside, on Caspar 128/Pepper Jack, K.Mack/J.Divita Karly Frankel-Newman, FACE, on Cheval, Poppy Coulter Annie Young, Shea-Rose, on Oliver, Yossi Martonovich Shannon Hoke, Tambourine, on Tank/Moony s Super Sadie, K. Holly Kelsey Drewry, BrookWood, on Sovira, Ingrid Hamar Alexandria Jaynes, Warm Beach, on Prophet, Patti Skipton Makayla Clyne, Mt. Eden, on Vermeer, Olivia Swan Silver Men 1. George Joseph Gadd, Mt. Eden, on Gustaff, Emma Seely Colton Palmer, Half Moon Bay, on Highwater Bay/Hudson, Jill Palmer Kaleb Patterson, Warm Beach, on Promise/Peace, Patti Skipton Mark Vernacchia, Warm Beach, on Prophet, Patti Skipton Bronze Women 1. Grace Robinson, Pacific Coast, on Wyeth/Cheval, Poppy Coulter Adria Revell, Mt. Eden, on Vermeer, Olivia Swan Rachel Herrera, Valley View, on Waldmeister, Rick Hawthorne Jordyn McCarley, Mt. Eden, on Aspen, Kim Duhham Regina Thompson, Mountain Wind, on Lady Mae, Tamea Denault Miranda Marcantuno, Vaulting Visions, on Pepper Jack/Jacadi de Rox Audrey Sims, Vaulting Visions, on Jacadi de Rox, T. Keville Julia Robinson, Piedmont, on Jacadi de Rox, Teresa Keville Ashley Ondaro, Silver Bay, on Jacadi de Rox, Teresa Keville Kate Morse, Mt. Eden, on Vermeer, Olivia Swan continued Congratulations to Pacific Coast Vaulters Poppy Coulter and Cheval, winners of the AVA s annual Osierlea Award. The Osierlea, sponsored by AVA founders Elizabeth Searle and J. Ashton Moore, is designed to encourage clubs, coaches and lungers to present their horses in the best possible light at the horse inspection before the National Championships commence. This is the second consecutive year that Poppy and Cheval (owned by Sydney Frankel) have won the cup! 13

14 Bronze Men 1. Malik Finney, Cedar Lodge, on Dillenger, Carolyn Conner Neal Iversen, Ecco Ridge, on Toby/Gustaff, Christine Hull Matthew Shubert, Del Sol, on Fortunada, Gretta Shryock Geoffrey Woolson, Valley View, on Waldmeister, Rick Hawthorne Trey Lasater, Gold Star Pacesetters, on Gustauff, Tom Pritchett Ian Fraim, Valley View, on Waldmeister, Rick Hawthorne Copper Women 1. Hadessah Rynning, Warm Beach, on Peace/Promise, Vernacchia/Skipton Kalli Roberts, Warm Beach, on Peace/Promise, Vernacchia/Skipton Christina Hogg, Gold Star Pacesetters, on Gustauff, Tom Pritchett Maya Lesenten, Lone Star, on Fabio/Gustauff, Schaubhut/Pritchett Michelle Guo, Mt. Eden, on Lanson 16/Aspen, J. Ballenger/K. Dunham Hadley De Brine, Woodside, on Pepper Jack, Julie Divita Portia Jeronimo, Ecco Ridge, on Van Gogh, Christine Hull Sarah Wendee, Valley View, on Waldmeister, R. Hawthorne Daly Broekema, Lakeshore, on BHR John Boy Joe, Yossi Martonovich Francesca Foley, Del Sol, on Fortunada, Greta Shryock Copper Men 1. Nicholas Fujii, Tambourine, on Wyoming/Tank, Kelley Holly Nicholas Cox, The Riding Academy, on Sheza Skeeto Bunny, R. Hill II Luke Overton, Warm Beach, on Peace, Vernacchia/Skipton Jonathan Baird, Technique Equestrian, on Ranger/Sampson, J. Rinard Kyle Gehring, Vaulting Visions, on Jacadi de Rox, Teresa Keville Adrian Lee, Mt. Eden, on Aspen, Kim Dunham Kaleo Regalmuto-Jones, Valley View, on Waldmeister/Simpson Peter Matsumoto, Valley View, on Waldmeister/Simpson, Hawthorne Trot Women 1. Katherine Salisbury, Woodside, on Isabella, Lisa Plungy Camille Birch, Warm Beach, on Promise/Praise, J. Patterson/P. Skipton Rowan Bender, Above and Beyond, on Lady Mae, Tamea Denault Hana Mason, Mile-High, on Amidala, Jodi Rinard Danielle Lindstrom, Warm Beach on Praise/Promise, Patti Skipton Josslyn Tonge, Morning Star, on Tania, Carolyn Conner Juliette Cimetiere,Cascade, on Cali, Thomas Sayles/Tamea Denault Mara Coe, Golden Gate, on Chunky Monkey, Noel Martonovich Brittany Painter, Warm Beach, on Praise/Promise, Patti Skipton Madison Jaynes, Warm Beach, on Praise/Promise, Patti Skipton Trot Men 1. Jonathon Hamilton, Southern Stars, on Sir Henry, Peggy Van Hook Andrew Velazquez, Del Sol, on Maggie, Greta Shryock Erich Rohrer, Silver Moon, on BHR John Boy Joe, Yossi Martonovich Eric Rinard, Mile-High, on Amidala, Jodi Rinard Phase Events Open 2-Phase Team 1. Rockin Silver Visions on Jacadi de Rox, lunged by Teresa Keville Ashley Ondaro, Katie Gieschen, Karensa Douglas, Florence Rubinger, Hannah Boyd 2. Vaulters Del Sol on Fortunada, lunged by Greta Shryock Matthew Shubert, Caroline Shubert, Francesca Foley, Malu Foley Preliminary 2-Phase Team 1. VVV Top Gun on Waldmeister, Rick Hawthorne Geoffrey Woolson, Ian Fraim, Kaleo Regalmuto-Jones, Peter Matsumoto 2. Texas Stars on Gustauff, Tom Pritchett Trey Lasater, Maya Lesenten, Ana Louis, Christina Hogg, Kimberly Pritchett 3. Morning Cedar Willows on Dillenger, Carolyn Conner Malik Finney, Piper Frank, Kaleo Regalmuto-Jones, Peter Matsumoto 4. Woodside on Pepper Jack, Julie Divita Christine Herrmann, Hadley De Brine, Sarah Dunn, Tessa Divita 5. Ecco Ridge on Van Gogh, Christine Hull Penny Maydak, Kiernan Hull, Portia Jeronimo, Mckenzie Jones, Kerry Noble 6. Mt. Eden on Aspen, Kim Dunham Elise Owen, Giulia Corno, Anastasia Zenin, Adrian Lee Mile High s Zoe Rinard practices flying high with Alex Schaubhut basing on the barrel during the very popular Gambler s Choice Doubles event at the National Festival National Festival Results on our Top AVA Vaulters Trot Pas de Deux 1. Camille Birch/Allison Justus, Cascade Rachel Cathro/Sarah Cloes, Cascade Zoe Rinard/Eric Rinard, Mike High Hana Mason/Terah Hochhauser, Mile High Delaney Campbell/Juliette Cimetiere,Cascade Preliminary Trot Overall - Women 1. Kristen Kuhn, Woodside Audrey Kiernan, Woodside Anika Ramey, Mile-High Camryn Bowden, The Riding Academy Victoria Jerusal, JerusalIndependent Preliminary Trot Overall - Men 1. Tristan Martin, Tambourine Stefano Corno, Mt. Eden Clifford Owen, Mt. Eden Novice Trot Overall 1. Miki Yang, Woodside Novice Advanced Walk Overall 1. Anna Fowler, Above and Beyond Morgan Perlnuter, Valley View Novice Walk Overall 1. Lily Markee, Lompoc Daniella Lombardo, The Riding Academy Catherine Hill, The Riding Academy Novice Walk Compulsories - Men 1. Isaac Reyna, Valley View Sammy Lieberman, Valley View Trot 2-Phase Team Overall 1. Cascade Canter Doubles 1. Ashley Ondaro/Miranda Marcantuno, Silver Bay Trey Lasater/Christina Hogg, Gold Star Pacesetters Nicholas Fujii/Clare Sitzer, Tambourine Selina Thor/Piper Frank, Willow Tree Julia Plungy/Katherine Salisbury, Woodside Trot Doubles 1. Juliette Cimetiere/Sarah Cloes, Cascade Bridget Kiernan/Audrey Kiernan, Woodside Holly Kuhn/Kristen Kuhn, Woodside Tristan Martin/Arilyn Martin, Tambourine Riley Baker/Kylee Winner, Albuquerque EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010 Photos courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography

15 July 29, 2010 Santa Barbara, California Judges: Toni Amoroso (USEF r), Steven Bertling (AVA r) Participating Clubs: Above and Beyond, Albuquerque, Beyond the Rainbow, Blue Star, Cascade, Diamond Bar, Ecco Ridge, Gold Star, Lompoc, Meadow Creek, Mile-High, Morning Star, Mt. Eden, Phoenix, Silver Moon, Southern Stars, Sunshine, Tambourine, The Riding Academy, Topaz, Valley View, del Sol, Warm Beach, Woodside of the Future: watch out these up-and-comers are the future of vaulting! Gambler's Choice Doubles 1. Alex Schaubhut/Zoe Rinard, Mile-High Kimberly Pritchett/Morgan Perlnuter, Valley View Josslyn Tonge/Kimberly Pritchett, Valley View Rowan Bender/Lauren Horton, The Riding Academy Hana Mason/Maya Lesenten, Lone Star Special Doubles 1. Sammy Lieberman/Sarah Wendee, Valley View Isaac Reyna/Rachel Herrera, Valley View Amber Huber/Rebecca Herrera, Valley View Kaitlin Woolson/Morgan Perlnuter, Valley View Open Barrel Freestyle 1. Laura Jassowski, Tambourine Caroline Shubert, Del Sol Desiree Scheel, Sunshine Ryan Barbee, Warm Beach Preliminary Barrel Freestyle - Women 1. Clare Sitzer, Tambourine Lauren Horton, The Riding Academy Lystra Hobby, Tambourine Francesca Foley, Del Sol Cassie Dufond, Tambourine Preliminary Barrel Freestyle - Men 1. Matthew Shubert, Del Sol Nicholas Cox, The Riding Academy Ian Fraim, Valley View Nicholas Fujii, Tambourine Malik Finney, Cedar Lodge Trot Barrel Freestyle - Women 1. Camille Birch, Warm Beach Rowan Bender, Above and Beyond Emily Coolidge, Diamond Bar Juliette Cimetiere,Cascade Hana Mason, Mile-High Trot Barrel Freestyle - Men 1. Jonathon Hamilton, Southern Stars Erich Rohrer, Silver Moon Andrew Velazquez, Del Sol Preliminary Trot Barrel Freestyle - Women 1. Victoria Jerusal, JerusalIndependent Audrey Kiernan, Woodside Camryn Bowden, The Riding Academy Madison Weatherford, Lompoc Kristen Kuhn, Woodside Preliminary Trot Barrel Freestyle - Men 1. Tristan Martin, Tambourine Clifford Owen, Mt. Eden Stefano Corno, Mt. Eden Novice Trot Barrel Freestyle 1. Miki Yang, Woodside Novice Advanced Walk Barrel Overall 1. Morgan Perlnuter, Valley View Novice Walk Barrel Compulsories - Women 1. Lily Markee, Lompoc Daniella Lombardo, The Riding Academy Grace Clark, Lompoc Catherine Hill, The Riding Academy Kaitlin Woolson, Valley View Novice Walk Barrel Freestyle - Women 1. Lily Markee, Lompoc Daniella Lombardo, The Riding Academy Grace Clark, Lompoc Kaitlin Woolson, Valley View Catherine Hill, The Riding Academy Novice Walk Barrel Compulsories - Men 1. Isaac Reyna, Valley View Sammy Lieberman, Valley View Novice Walk Barrel Freestyle - Men 1. Sammy Lieberman, Valley View Isaac Reyna, Valley View Little girls love their big horses! Mt. Eden trot vaulter Sophie Cabot and Trooper. (Left) Hudson and lunger Jill Palmer look over their prizes with USEF Vaulting Director Pam Lane and Announcer Nancy Stevens-Brown (seated). The Texas contingency, shown here with their horses, won the C Team Championship. 15

16 Congratulations to our AVA/USEF 2010 Our AVA/USEF 2010 National Team Vaulting Champions A-Team F.A.C.E. (Palatine, Carolyn Bland) B-Team Woodside (Caspar 128, Krista Mack) C-Team Texas Stars (Fabio, Melanie Schaubhut and Gustauff, Tom Pritchett) Trot-Team Warm Beach Above and Beyond (Promise, Jeannie Patterson and Praise, Patti Skipton) Open Pas de Deux Cassidy Palmer/Kimberly Palmer, Half Moon Bay (Hudson, Jill Palmer) Preliminary Pas de Deux Matthew Shubert/Caroline Shubert, Del Sol (Sampson, Jodi Rinard) Open 2-Phase Rockin Silver Visions (Jacadi de Rox, Teresa Keville) Preliminary 2-Phase Valley View Vaulters Top Gun (Waldmeister, Rick Hawthorne) A Team: F.A.C.E. B Team: Woodside Open Pas de Deux: Cassidy & Kimberly Palmer Preliminary P 16 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

17 National team Vaulting Champions! C Team: Texas Stars Trot Team: Warm Beach Above and Beyond as de Deux: Matthew & Caroline Shubert Open 2-Phase: Rockin Silver Visions Preliminary 2-Phase: Valley View Vaulters Nationals photos courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography 17

18 Congratulations to our AVA/USEF 2010 Na Our AVA/USEF 2010 National Individual Vaulting Champions Gold Women Mary McCormick, Mt. Eden (Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Poppy Coulter) Gold Men Devon Maitozo, F.A.C.E. (Palatine, Carolyn Bland) Silver Women Kelly Moore, Golden Gate (Oliver, Yossi Martonovich and Smokin Joe, Noel Martonovich) Silver Men George Joseph Gadd, Mt. Eden (Gustaff, Emma Seely) Bronze Women Grace Robinson, Pacific Coast (Wyeth and Cheval, Poppy Coulter) Bronze Men Malik Finney, Cedar Lodge (Dillenger, Carolyn Conner) Mary McCormick Copper Women Hadessah Rynning, Warm Beach (Peace, Mark Vernacchia and Promise, Patti Skipton) Copper Men Nicholas Fujii, Tambourine (Wyoming and Tank, Kelley Holly) Devon Maitozo Trot Women Katherine Salisbury, Woodside (Isabella, Lisa Plungy) Trot Men Jonathon Hamilton, Southern Stars (Sir Henry, Peggy Van Hook) Kelly Moore Tack photos courtesy of Lynne Owen Photography George Joseph Gadd 18 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

19 tional Individual Vaulting Champions! Grace Robinson Nicholas Fujii Hadessah Rynning Malik Finney Jonathon Hamilton Nationals photos courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography Katherine Salisbury 19

20 M i n d Step 1: Create a Mental Checklist Have you ever planned what you were going to think about in a situation before it happened? For every vaulting routine you perform, have a mental routine to go along with it. Grab a piece of paper and list every aspect of each move in your routine. Include corrections from your trainer, the way you re gripping the handles, how tightly you have to squeeze your legs, where you are in the music as many things as you can imagine. This list will become an important part of your visualization routine. Step 2: Find the General Feeling Specifics then lead to a move s general feeling a perfect picture of what that move looks and feels like. Try imagining how it feels to be performing the move perfectly and also what it looks like, as if watching yourself vault. You may also find it helpful to have an anchor word for each of your moves. It can be something as basic as toes if that is something you tend to forget or as abstract as water if you need to remember to be fluid with the horse. Once you get to a point where you can easily picture each move perfectly on its own, you can begin to visualize your entire routine. Step 3: Play with Time Try visualizing your routine in slow motion, without any time reference, and think about the specifics of each move in your routine in the order you perform them. When you re not limited by four strides you can imagine every aspect of each move. As you get good at this, run through your routine at competition pace, using anchor words and general feelings. Eventually, you should be able to run through your entire routine very quickly, bringing to mind your entire mental routine including your anchor words or cues. Step 4: Add Music Certain points in your music can act as anchors. For example, in addition to knowing that you have to start your needle right as the chorus starts up, you can also use it as a reminder to straighten your leg. Visualizing your routine while listening to your music gives you a sense of how much time you actually have a nice reality check amid all this mind work! Step 5: Keep It Real Regularly incorporate your mental training with physical training. Part of being a great athlete is accepting and embracing the imperfections and realities of your sport. Many issues exist in the real world that we just don t factor in while visualizing a perfect routine. Mental training is a great tool for making sure you are paying attention to important signals your body may be trying to send you. By Alicen Divita As athletes, vaulters frequently encounter physical challenges and obstacles. Limited flexibility keeps some from the perfect needle. Limited strength keeps others from hitting handstands in scissors. When we fall short of our goals, vaulters tend to focus on tweaking their bodies to make their goals possible. But what about tweaking our minds and our perceptions? The truth is our bodies are much stronger than we think they are, and often it is our thoughts, not our bodies, that keep us from reaching our physical limits. Unlike our bodies, our minds are not limited by the 20 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

21 Games physical forces of the world. For example, you may not physically be able to hold a handstand on a cantering horse, but you can probably picture yourself balancing upside down for minutes without difficulty. If our minds are virtually limitless, why are we so often held back by mental qualities such as fear, nerves, and negative emotions? When it seems as if your mind is keeping you from doing things that your body would otherwise be capable of doing, it may be time to even out your physical exercise with some mental training. Step 6: Competitions Check-In You are not alone if you tend to get nervous before you compete. In order to avoid being overwhelmed, do your mental training homework ahead of time. Know what you need to do in each move and in the routine as a whole. Nerves are manageable so long as they are directed at specific targets. About an hour before competing, check in with how you are feeling. Some days you may be feeling distracted and unfocused. Sit down in a quiet area and go through your routine in your mind until you feel you are connected with your thoughts. If this makes you feel overwhelmed, remind yourself that your body knows what to do after all your hard practice. Think of your anchor words and the rest will come naturally. In both practice and competition settings, never ignore how you are feeling. Instead, really tune in and use your emotions as a guide for how best to prepare yourself in the final moments. Step 7: Finding The Zone Ideally, by competition time you have thought about each move of your routine in so much detail that it is engraved in your body. You may have conscious cues for each move or section, but everything from your mental training comes naturally. Some people describe this feeling as being in the zone. It seems as though everything has slowed down because you are fully aware of all that is going on, yet you are completely relaxed and everything seems effortless. Once you ve achieved the zone, you ve achieved mental calmness! Get a head start on your mental training this season by practicing visualization techniques every time you vault. Remember, mental training is a process, not a one-size-fits-all system. I am not suggesting that all of my ideas may work for you, but hopefully this article can serve as a launching point for developing a personalized plan that focuses on aspects of training you cannot physically see. Interested in discussing this article with others in our vaulting community? Do you have a question, a comment, or an alternate point of view? Let s talk! Go to the AVA members-only website, click on Forums (your same user name and password) and then find the section for Equestrian Vaulting magazine. Click on the article title and join in or start a dialogue with other members about what you just read! Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography About the Author: Alicen Divita is a junior Interdisciplinary Studies major at The University of California Berkeley where she is studying psychology, neuroscience, Buddhist studies, and philosophy. She is a two time Gold Women s Champion and has recently been selected to represent Team USA at the upcoming World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky her third World Championships. 21

22 Through the Eyes of the Judges compulsory exercises: Hot Tips By Suzanne Detol, FEI O Judge for higher scores The compulsory exercises are judged 100 percent on performance, and that score is made up of the following components: mechanics, essence, form, scope, security, balance, continuity and harmony with the horse. Here are some tips to help vaulters improve their scores on the compulsory exercises. (The listed deductions use the international methodology and deductions that you can find in the FEI Guidelines for Judges.) The mechanics component focuses on how the exercise is supposed to be done. Judges ask themselves What is the description of the exercise, and is the athlete meeting that description? (See Appendix D in the AVA Rule Book or FEI Vaulting Guidelines for Judges, 2009 edition.) Mount Tip 1: Keep your hips squared and shoulders parallel to those of the horse after the punch off the ground. Turning in to the horse can earn up to a 1 point deduction. Tip 2: Get your hips higher than your shoulders in the Mount, or you may receive up to a 2 point deduction. basic seat Tip 1: The Seat is a sitting exercise. Sit on your ischium bones (sitting bones). Your legs bear very little weight when you are performing a correct Basic Seat. If you re sitting too far forward (tilting forward onto the front side of the pelvic bones-- Fork Seat ), your basic score may be a 4.0, (you re not really sitting) with any other deductions taken from that. Tip 2: Your shoulders, hips and heels must be aligned on the vertical. An extreme Chair Seat, where the legs are too far forward, starts out with a basic score of 5.0, with any other deductions (form faults, not held, etc.) taken from that. Flag Tip 1: Your weight must be evenly distributed over the entire down leg (depending on which direction you are vaulting). A judge can easily spot this error, and it can entail up to a 2 point deduction from your score. Not only are you not fulfilling the mechanics of the exercise, but you are not in harmony with the horse and may be causing him discomfort. No air under the ankle, if at all possible. Tip 2: Hips should remain flat, with leg raised at least above the vaulter s shoulders and hip (ideally there should be a horizontal line from fingertip to head level to toe level). If the hip is turned out (raised) substantially, the basic score for your flag may start at 5.0, with any other deductions taken from that. With this beginner's flag, the back leg is too high, the body is tilted forward, and there is "air" between the down-leg's ankle and the horse (up to a 2-point deduction). Mill Tip 1: The Mill is a sitting exercise. A vaulter s buttocks may not leave the horse at any time. This fault will result in an up to 2 point deduction from your score. Tip 2: Count. Do not give the judge an easy deduction. They can count to 4 and you should be solid in your counting also. scissors Tip 1: Turn your first half on the way up just before you reach the vertical. The hips should be turned by a quarter of a turn at nearly the point of maximum elevation. If you wait until you hit your handstand or your maximum elevation and then begin your turn, your score sheet will show the code LT (Late Turn). Depending upon the judge, you may have only a basic score of 5.0 for that first half, no matter how high the elevation, simply because you did not begin the turn on the way up. Tip 2: Complete both your turns (first half and second half ) cleanly landing softly, upright and centered in the seat position. A judge may take up to 2 points off each half (if the problem occurs in both) for not landing in the correct position, and having to adjust your sitting position. stand Tip 1: Be sure to come to both knees before hopping to your feet. A judge will deduct one point if he/she sees that you skipped the kneeling position. Don t rush. 22 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

23 Tip 2: Practice your balance at home, over and over again. Your feet must remain stationary with your weight evenly distributed over the entire sole of the foot throughout the entire exercise. If you take a step (loss of balance), you will receive a minimum one point deduction. If your weight is unevenly distributed and you are rocking on your feet, you are not in harmony with your horse and will undoubtedly have balance and security issues. Practice your stand until it is rock solid. flank Tip 1: Do not arch your back. Engage your core and keep a straight axis of the body. An arched back is easy for the judge to see, and you may receive up to 2 points off your first half (or your second half, or both, if the fault occurs in both halves). Tip 2: Keep your legs together. Up to 1 point may be taken off for swinging with one leg only to achieve elevation for the second half of flank. There are many other aspects that can affect your scores--form, security, balance, harmony with the horse, etc. Knowing and understanding the mechanics of your compulsory exercises should assist you in improving your scores and placings. Good luck and have fun! Interested in discussing this article with others in our vaulting community? Do you have a question, a comment, or an alternate point of view? Let s talk! Go to the AVA members-only website, click on Forums (your same user name and password) and then find the section for Equestrian Vaulting magazine. Click on the article title and join in or start a dialogue with other members about what you just read! With this full flank, the vaulter s back is arched, which results in a 2-point deduction. Engage your core and keep a straight axis of the body. About the Author: An AVA judge since 1990, Suzanne Detol became an FEI O judge in 2001, and is well respected in the international judging arena. She is on the AVA board of directors, and is the organization s Medal Test Secretary and Competitions Secretary. Cover and pads for your barrel, Complete Barrels and Barrel Kits order online LBVaultingBarrels.com lance@lbvaultingbarrels.com or call (801) Quality vaulting barrels at an affordable price Dense padding UV and waterproof covers with integrated cossack loops Square or round handles with comfort grip wraps Available in a variety of colors Adjustable, removable legs, tall Very Sturdy, great team barrel! 23

24 Classical Riding Center in Las Vegas Adds Vaulting Program (Editor s Note: For the next few issues, Equestrian Vaulting will feature equestrian centers that have successfully added vaulting to their program mix.) Licensed riding instructor and NARHA Registered instructor AnneMarie Corey recently started a vaulting program at Talisman Farm (housed at Twin Palm Stables) in northwestern Las Vegas, to complement an already successful multi-discipline equestrian program owned and operated by Esther Hillner, herself a winning equestrian. Talisman s unique equestrian programs include 12-week horsemanship classes for the Girl Scouts and Brownies, lessons to families of military personnel, firefighters, and police officers through the Horses4Heroes non-profit organization, and the usual riding instruction, horse training, and dressage and jumping clinics. The farm is home to the UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) Equestrian Club and Intercollegiate Riding Team. Our vaulting program started with recreational vaulting, and we hope to progress to a competitive level in the future, says Corey. She has been training riders with and without disabilities for more than a dozen years. More than a dozen of her riders compete in the annual Special Olympics equestrian competition, in Dressage, English/ Western Equitation and Trail Classes. This summer, Corey attended the AVA National Vaulting Championships in Santa Barbara, to learn more about Talisman Farm s newest equestrian discipline. I was very impressed with all the levels of competitors, Corey said. I m really looking forward to the Vaulting in Vegas competition this coming November, and will make sure all of my 'barn family' attends as well! This fall, Talisman Farm also added a vaulting component to its long-standing Girl Scouts Horsemanship class. When we did an open house recently and showcased vaulting, there were so many young riders in our barn who were excited to try this new sport, says Corey. Vaulting is a great addition to our equestrian programs. Excited young riders and now first-time vaulters give their trusted vaulting horse a whole lotta love! Above: Carrie Ronning, Rick Hawthorne and Konstantin Merk (on horse s neck), a gold level vaulter visiting from Germany, spot Alexandria Peterson from Talisman s Girl Scout Horsemanship Program as she vaults for the first time. Right: Riders at Talisman Farm watch a vaulting demonstration in wonder. Photos courtesy of KJ Anthony & EquestrianMoments.com Fast Facts n Talisman Farm at Twin Palm Stables, Las Vegas, NV n European classical riding center founded by Esther Hillner, classical dressage rider. n Equestrian programs offered: Dressage, eventing, equitation, Girl Scout/ Brownie horsemanship classes, show jumping, trail classes, vaulting. Home of the UNLV Equestrian Club and Intercollegiate Riding Team. n Other classes offered: Rider strength training and equine massage therapy n Facilities: A large, lighted arena, a jumping course, grass paddocks and three large barns. n Instructors/Clinicians: 5 24 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

25 BE THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN DOMAIN We build your Website. You easily Control. control and update it! Affordable solution to websites woes. 20% OFF Registered AVA Clubs discount of 20%. Grow your club Club with an a interactive website. whimby4@aol.com 25

26 Just for Vaulters Tools required: Your body, a Thera-Band, a box/chair/folded mats 1 group Jumping and Landing By Megan Benjamin with Stacey Burnett Each vaulting routine begins with a mount and ends with a dismount. Proper jumping and landing technique is essential to every vaulter s fitness and is an important aspect of injury prevention. Below are a series of body weight exercises to help strengthen some of the most active muscles used while jumping and landing. 1. Ankle Alphabet: While sitting upright with your legs stretched out in front of you, trace the ABCs with your foot. Rotate at the ankle while keeping your leg lifted and still. Trace both lower and upper case letters with each foot. As easy at it seems, this exercise will help activate the small muscles in your foot and ankle muscles essential to safe landings. 2. Glute Bridging: Lie on your back with your knees bent so they are directly over your ankles. Tilt your pelvis under and elevate your hips off the floor. Repeat 20 times, pausing at the top for 2 seconds. Your gluteus maximus helps drive you off the ground when you jump and stabilizes your pelvis when you land. 3. Fire Hydrants: Start on all fours with weight evenly distributed between your hands and feet. Pulling in your bellybutton to activate your core, elevate one leg at a 90-degree angle then return to the starting position. Repeat 20 times, pausing at the top for 2 seconds. In addition to using your core strength, this exercise isolates the smaller muscles in your gluteus maximus, abductors, and hamstrings which control your pelvis, upper leg, and knee position when you land. 4. Box Squats with Thera-Band: Place a circular 9-inch Thera-Band around both legs just above the knees. Stand in front of a box or chair that is low enough so that your upper leg is parallel with the floor when sitting. While keeping your chest upright, push your hips back and touch the box with your seat without actually sitting down. Push your knees out against the band so your knees face forward and do not cave in. Descend slowly and stand up quickly, taking 5 seconds to touch the box and 1 second to stand up. Repeat 20 times. This exercise simulates the body s form in proper landing technique. 5. Thera-Band Lateral Walks: Place a circular 9-inch Thera-Band around both feet at the arch. Keeping your toes pointed straight ahead and with continuous tension on the band, pick up your feet and move side to side. Strides should extend to shoulder width apart and should return to hip width in between. Walk first to your right 10 yards, then to your left 10 yards. This exercise helps strengthen your hip abductors, adductors, and gluteus maximus, which stabilize your pelvis, upper leg, knees, and ankles when you land. 3a 4 5b 2 strength! 5a 3b 26 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

27 2 group 3a 5b 4 jumping & landing Drills 2 3b 5a 1. Spring Drill: Start by standing with your feet together. Hop onto the balls of your feet with legs hip width apart. Descend slowly into a Ninja squat position*. Spring from a squat into the starting position. Repeat 20 times, focusing on controlled transitions between standing and squatting. 2. Floor Taps to Single Leg Balance: This exercise works best with a partner. Start with your feet hip width apart, hopping on both of your feet. When your partner claps, land on one foot with your hip slightly angled back and with your knee directly over your shins and ankles. Focus on one side at a time to warm up. Make it more challenging by alternating feet. Repeat 10 times. This exercise speeds up your reaction time and simulates proper landing technique in unbalanced situations. 3. Box Drops: Stand on a medium sized box or step. Lead with one foot and step off the edge of the box, quickly landing with your feet squarely in a Ninja squat position. Repeat 5 times leading with each foot, landing squarely with your knees directly over your shins and ankles. When this becomes comfortable, step off to land on one foot. Repeat 5 times for each foot. 4. Squat Jumps: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands behind your head. Drop into a Ninja squat position and jump straight up as high as you can, extending your entire body. Return to the squat position. Repeat times, maintaining form the entire time. 5. Box Jumps: Stand directly in front of a medium sized box or step with your feet shoulder width apart. Start with your arms stretched behind you in a loaded squat position. Swing your arms and jump onto the box, landing softly into the Ninja squat position. Repeat times, pausing in the Ninja squat before repeating the jump. Increase height when you can maintain correct form and easily clear the height of a lower object. Vary your landings, practicing jumping 2 feet to 2 feet, 2 feet to 1 foot, 1 foot to 2 feet, 1 foot to 1 foot. Remember, vaulting jumping and landing surfaces are by nature uneven and imperfect. The stronger you are and the more practice you have landing perfectly in imperfect conditions, the fewer landingrelated injuries you will suffer. Find your inner Ninja and you ll be on your way to higher mounts and more solid landings in no time! * Ninja Squat Position: Keep your chest up, hips back, knees at or just above 90-degrees with your arms straight out for balance or behind your head. For a short video showing these exercises, go to the AVA members-only website: About the Authors: Megan Benjamin is a recent graduate from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. A Mt. Eden Vaulting Club member, she is the 2006 World Equestrian Games Women s Vaulting Champion, and a member of the AVA Board of Directors. Stacey Page Burnett (pictured) is a Certified Personal Trainer based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been training vaulters and riders of varying fitness levels since For further information on how you or your vaulters/riders may become more fit, contact her at staceypburnett@gmail.com. 27

28 Coachingcorner THE SECRET TO SPECTACULAR By Nancy Stevens-Brown F The pillars of correct vaulting are harmony and balance. Harmony with the horse is the ideal quest of all equestrians, while balance is essential to the success of any athletic endeavor. In vaulting, any loss of balance decreases control while simultaneously reducing harmony. Balance is crucial for successful vaulting, since without balance, harmony is impossible. Great flight is exciting and elegant, appearing effortless and harmonious with soft control from start to finish. Gravity War It is easy to see when balance is lost during a static exercise such as the flag or stand, since the vaulter will quickly tighten up or instinctively collapse to keep from falling off. During flight moves, vaulters can be just as out of balance as in static exercises, but this happens so swiftly that the balance problem often remains unrecognized. Unfortunately, the faster an object is traveling when balance is compromised, the greater the chance that object will go completely out of control. Off to a Bad Start In clicks, flank, and scissors, balance is most often compromised as soon as the vaulter begins to swing. Often the vaulter swings back and away from their center of gravity (hips), sending their body mass flying out behind their shoulders in a way they cannot gymnastically control, even on the ground. The typical back swung flight exercise ends up being dragged by the horse s forward energy while the vaulter struggles to retain form and maintain control. This results in flights that are often clumsy, inconsistent and lack elevation, since throughout the entire exercise the vaulter is off-balance. Despite extension and elevation this vaulter clearly will be falling with form because she is behind a place she could balance on the ground. Her shoulders must be far more forward at this phase to have a superb and soft return. Forward Focus To counter this habit and become balanced in compulsory flights, the vaulter must swing and immediately drive their center of gravity (hips) forward in the direction the horse is traveling where they can balance their whole body. This requires that their head and shoulders rapidly move as far forward as possible to allow the hips to swing up and become centered over the handles. Frequently vaulters mistakenly tuck their head down in front of the surcingle, forcing the rest of their body to stay behind their center of gravity. Think of balance as equal and even distribution of weight with the hips as the pivot point for the body to fly above. It is not how high the vaulter goes but how centered they become that allows the whole movement to be balanced and controlled. Lined Up! Or Else Besides being far enough forward over the handles, the second key to maintaining balance in flight is for the vaulter to remain aligned with the horse as much as possible throughout all phases of the move. They must avoid twisting or turning off center, as this immediately creates an imbalance where gravity and the circling energy of the horse compound their loss of center and balance. Building Balance Basics Beyond the much-understood need to begin all compulsory flights from a correct harmonious seat with good body tension and timing, there are a few techniques to focus on for consistently balanced flight: 1. Swing the whole body from the hips forward up and over the handles. Vaulters must use the same arc tension and timing they have always practiced for clicks but swing their hips forward (not their legs back) to reach a centered balanced place. (Ask a vaulter when sitting on a barrel to lift themselves up in a balanced pose and you will see they immediately shift their hips forward over the grips to do this exercise.) Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography 28 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

29 light Balance is crucial for successful vaulting, since without balance, harmony is impossible. 2. At the very start of the swing the vaulter needs to push/drive the upper body rapidly forward in front of the handles. If the vaulter merely pushes down on the grips, the forward momentum and energy of the horse will inevitably leave them dragging behind. 3. Once the hips are up and over the handles, the vaulter must remain stretched, forward, and elevated while letting only gravity and the horse s forward movement bring them back down. It is critical to practice staying up in flight exercises, rather than trying to come back down (which doubles the energy, speed and force of gravity). The vaulter must try to stay up and float above the handles. This enables the vaulter to feel being balanced and experience control while flying. As they linger in a balanced upside-down position, they will begin to feel how the horse carries them easily. When feeling this suspension for the first time vaulters often comment on how much easier flight is! But then we all know everything is easier when you are balanced! 4. For really mastering balanced control the vaulter must seek to get stuck to know where they are in flight. Once they have a feel for their balanced peak they will be able to execute the compulsory flight exercises as a continuous flowing movement without loss of balance, flow or rhythm. After the vaulter has mastered simply floating along above the handles they may then practice turning up the compulsory scissors, or piking their hips up higher when folding the flank. When a vaulter understands and experiences balance throughout flight, they quickly improve their height and control, maintain better harmony with the horse, and allow the horse to remain more balanced, too. Great flight is exciting and elegant, appearing effortless and harmonious with soft control from start to finish. By focusing on the cornerstones of vaulting balance and harmony (especially in flight) vaulters will rapidly improve and the horse will be happier, too! Vault On! This is a perfect moment of suspended and extended balance. Although this is a freestyle handstand, vaulters should seek to achieve this same balance in their compulsory flight exercises. Interested in discussing this article with others in our vaulting community? Do you have a question, a comment, or an alternate point of view? Let s talk! Go to the AVA members-only website, click on Forums (your same user name and password) and then find the section for Equestrian Vaulting magazine. Click on the article title and join in or start a dialogue with other members about what you just read! About the Author: Since 1981 Nancy Stevens-Brown has continuously coached all levels of vaulting, and her Timberline Vaulters won countless national championships, individual AVA medals (including Nancy s own gold medal) and exciting international successes. With innovative methods and boundless energy, Nancy encourages every vaulter to recognize and tap into their individual strengths and creativity to unleash their own distinctive style and potential. Photo courtesy of Primo Ponies Photography 29

30 eventscalendar 2010 September Great Falls & Topaz Vaulters Fall Fest Frying Pan Park: Herndon, VA Jennifer Williams: September 25 - October 10 World Equestrian Games Kentucky Horse Park: Lexington, KY Pam Lane: plane@usef.org October Harbor View Vaulters OktoberFest Donida Farm: Auburn, WA Lori Robinson: lori@fourwindsrc.com (253) October 23 Mt. Eden s Halloween Fest Garrod Farms, Saratoga, CA Marianne Rose: marianne@mariannerose.net October Region IV OktoberFest Castle Rock, CO Noel Martonovich: nmartonovi@aol.com November 6 AVA Board Conference Call 5-8pm PST (8-11pm EST) Jill Hobby: jill.hobby@hobbyfamily.org November 6-7 AVA Region I Championships Vaulting in Vegas III Horseman s Park: Las Vegas, NV Connie Geisler: (909) connie_geisler@hotmail.com 2011 March 3-6 AVA Annual Meeting Sunset Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV Connie Geisler: (909) connie_geisler@hotmail.com May Garrod's Spring Classic Garrod Farms, Saratoga, CA Marianne Rose: marianne@mariannerose.net August USEF/AVA National Championships National Western Complex: Denver, CO Linda Bibbler: (650) lbibbler@gmail.com 2011 AVA Convention: Las Vegas! The AVA Convention will be held March 3-6, 2011 at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada ( hosted by Region I. Join with your friends to help plan the future, learn something new, share what you know, and have fun. There will be meetings, clinics, seminars and fun for vaulters, parents, coaches and all of those who just love vaulting. Watch for more details in the AVA Blast and on the website! 30 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010

31 For the Love of the Ride You love to ride. Everyday if it s possible. They do, too. Their legs carry you through training, or hours on the trail. So check their legs daily, treat early and reverse joint damage to keep on riding. Rely on the proven treatment. Go to and tell us about your love of the ride. Every Stride Counts Official Joint Therapy of USDF and Official Joint Therapy of USEF There are no known contraindications to the use of intramuscular Adequan i.m. brand Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan in horses. Studies have not been conducted to establish safety in breeding horses. WARNING: Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Not for use in humans. Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children. Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Each 5 ml contains 500 mg Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan. Brief Summary Indications: For the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal and hock joints in horses. SEE PRODUCT PACKAGE INSERT FOR FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION. Adequan is a registered trademark of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. LUITPOLD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., Animal Health Division, Shirley, NY AHD , lss. 3/10 EVM 31

32 32 EquestrianVaultinG Fall 2010