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Horseback Riding Lessons

Vaulting Lessons

With each vaulting lesson I take, my fears subside and my confidence grows. I’ve graduated from a stout Haflinger named Cheyenne to a much taller (probably 15.1 or so) Quarter Horse named Leo. The intense workout program I’ve been doing at home has helped my stamina and ability to better execute the vaulting movements, and I learn something new with every session. I recently learned the scissors, which is very complicated, and accomplished my first exercise at the canter–the basic seat! On the downside, I was introduced to the spandex unitard I will be wearing if I do demonstrations at the horse park (Eek!). All in all, I’m very proud of myself and actually surprised. I would never have thought I’d have the guts or the ability to tackle a sport like this. I will keep you posted with my progress.



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Abigail Boatwright

Abigail Boatwright is a freelance writer and photographer based in Texas, and is the editor of Horse Illustrated’s sister publication, Western Life Today.

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  • the infamous spandex unitard - the downside of vaulting, I can still remember my red one, definitely not the most forgiving piece of clothing :o) Good luck!

  • Thanks for the comments! I have a demonstration coming up this weekend. My first! I am definitely a little nervous about donning the unitard, but I'm excited for the demo. It should be fun! Alecia, to answer your comment about my exercise regimen, it's a program called P90X. You should be able to easily Google it. Like I said, it's tough but definitely worth it! I've seen improvements in my regular riding as well as in my vaulting.

  • good luck with the demo and pls make sure that you take pics and share them with your readers...good luck!

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