Learning to vault on to a horse? (Kind of a stupid question :D )?

I want to start participating in mounted games, but I think it will be a while before I'll be able to. I know being able to vault on to your horse/pony is pretty much necessary for mounted games, so I wanted to get started at home. (I think it's also just a good thing to know how to do in general.) I can hop on to my 14.2 pony, but it's definitely not very graceful and I can't do it for a horse any higher than her :) I have a 23 year old, 15.2 hand horse who's NUCLEAR bombproof that I could use, along with another experienced horse person. How should I go about learning this (the safe way! (-: )? Any tips would help! Thanks|||I learned how to do it at camp onto a big mare. Vaulting is SO fun! Anyway, you face the horse's rump, grab a chunk of the horse's mane with your left hand (at the base of his withers, not in the middle or anything), and swing your right leg up and over. They teach you a different way when you have to vaulting thingy on but when the horse is bareback you do it that way. Sounds like you have a great horse to learn on! Good luck! (:



This is like the way I explained. haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dusqWBBGK鈥?/a>



here is a sorta different way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq-R5KS4e鈥?/a>



this girl faces away first, which is a good idea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-xlSbUyV鈥?/a>|||You probably will not believe this but it is easier to vault on a horse that is cantering!





You need to just practice both jumping on and off at a canter.





Although you do want a willing pony for gymkhana games it must be trained to go in a straight line and to run with you.


On Youtube watch videos of the Prince Phillip Cup and you will see that in the games where they need to dismount the riders do this at about the half way line and watch ow, when they are vaulting on the ponies keep going straight.|||You can start participating in mounted games without being able to vault! It will just make a difference in your speed, but you'll already be going slower since the skills will be new to you. Vaulting can make the difference between winning and losing, but I don't think you should let that hold you back from getting out there, having fun and gaining experience!





The two types of vaults to use in games are standing, and running vaults. The key to both types is to LOOK DOWN, because it's very hard to hoist your butt up high enough if your head is also up.





Standing: Stand facing your horse's rear, holding the reins and mane in your left hand and with your feet even with his front feet. Take one big step backwards (towards his head) with both feet. When ready, take that big step forward again, starting with your left foot. Put it next to your horse's foot, then push off that foot and pivot as you bring your right leg up and over. While doing this, KEEP YOUR EYE ON YOUR FOOT (or your horse's). Leap off the left foot, while using your upper body strength to pull yourself up and on. The hardest part when learning is getting the connection between your legs, arms, and stomach muscles.





Running: Run alongside your trotting pony, even with his front legs, with your right hand holding reins and mane. When ready, jump forward onto both feet at once, LOOK DOWN, and use the horse's momentum to help swing your legs up and over. Like the other vault, this one requires a good link through your stomach muscles to connect the pulling of your arms with the jumping of your legs.





It would probably be best to learn the technique on a shorter pony before you try it on your 15.2 horse. Once you "get it" it's easier to do it on any size horse.