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History of Vaulting
“Some trace the origins of
vaulting to Roman games, including acrobatic displays on cantering horses.
Others see roots in the bull dancers of ancient Crete. In either case, people
have been performing acrobatic and dance-like movements on the backs of moving
horses for more than 2,000 years.
 Renaissance
and Middle Ages history include numerous references to vaulting or similar
activities, and it seems apparent that present-day gymnastics performed on the
"vaulting horse" was developed from vaulting—allowing concentration on the
gymnastics without (unfortunately) the horse. The present name of the sport
comes from the French "La Voltige," which it acquired during the Renaissance,
when it was a form of riding drill and agility exercise for knights and
noblemen.
Perhaps vaulting's most prominent recognition as a form of equestrian sport in
more recent times was its inclusion (as "Artistic Riding" by cavalry officers)
in the 1920 Olympic Games.
Modern
vaulting was developed in post-war Germany to introduce children to equestrian
sports. In 1983, vaulting became one of only seven equestrian disciplines
recognized by the Federation Equestré International (FEI), and the first FEI
World Vaulting Championships were held in Switzerland in 1986.
Vaulting in
America and the AVA
American vaulting can be traced to 1956, when Elizabeth Searle first saw the
sport during a visit to Europe. Seeing a potential application for her pony club
in California's Santa Cruz County, she obtained a 16mm film of the basic
exercises, and took it back to America.
Later, in 1966, the American Vaulting Association was founded by Searle and J.
Ashton Moore, and in 1969, held the first official AVA competition at the Santa
Cruz County fairgrounds in Watsonville, California. In 1974, U.S. vaulters
participating in the first international exchange in Stuttgart, Germany.
AVA
members demonstrated vaulting at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and
again at the
Atlanta Olympic games in 1996.
 Today the AVA has more than 1,000 members in 100 AVA clubs and affiliates from
Hawaii to Massachusetts, and Washington to Florida. Originally focused solely on
competitive vaulting, the AVA today has programs for all types of vaulters, from
recreational and pony club vaulters to therapeutic vaulters, from beginner to
world championship levels. “
Source – American Vaulting
Association Web Page 2009
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