Most people land on “vaulting” because they’ve heard the word in a club, a school program, or a highlight reel and want to know what it actually means. The catch is that “vaulting” is used for three different sports—one with horses, one in athletics, and one in gymnastics—and the equipment and risks are completely different.
Below is a clear map of each type, what you’ll see at training or competition, and the safety basics that matter when bodies are moving quickly—whether it’s over a bar, onto a vault table, or around a circle on a cantering horse.
What “vaulting” usually means
Equestrian vaulting is the horse-based discipline: gymnastic-style movements performed on the back of a horse that is usually cantering on a circle, guided by a lunger on the ground.1 It’s its own sport under the FEI (Fédération Équestre Internationale), with individual, pair (pas-de-deux), and team formats.1
Pole vault is an athletics (track and field) event. Athletes sprint, plant the pole into a box, and try to clear a bar at increasing heights.2
Gymnastics vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Gymnasts run, take off from a springboard, contact the vaulting table with their hands, then fly and land under control.
Where it comes from (and what to be careful about)
Equestrian vaulting is often traced back to ancient military training and horseback acrobatics—practices that evolved into organised sport over time.1 Modern competitive vaulting is governed internationally by the FEI.1
A common mix-up: equestrian vaulting is not a current Olympic sport. It appeared at the Olympics in 1920, but it is not part of the modern Olympic equestrian program (which is dressage, jumping and eventing).3
Types of vaulting, side by side
Equestrian vaulting (on a horse)
In competitive equestrian vaulting, athletes perform set and choreographed exercises on a horse moving on a circle, with a lunger maintaining a steady pace and line.1 Depending on level, the horse may be at walk or canter.
- Individual: one vaulter at a time, scored on compulsory and freestyle elements.
- Pas-de-deux: two vaulters working together for short sequences.
- Team: a squad, with limits on how many may be on the horse at once.1
Pole vault (athletics)
Pole vault is a height event with a simple objective: clear the highest bar. Athletes get up to three attempts at each height and can pass to a higher height; three consecutive failures eliminate you.2 The pole is planted into a metal planting box at the end of the runway.2
Gymnastics vault (artistic gymnastics)
Gymnastics vault is performed on a vaulting table (the modern replacement for the older “vaulting horse”), with a run-up, take-off, a brief hand contact on the apparatus, then flight and landing.
Equipment: what you actually need (by discipline)
Equestrian vaulting equipment
Equestrian vaulting uses horse and lunging gear, plus vaulting-specific tack designed for gripping and stability (commonly a surcingle) and an arena set-up that allows the horse to move safely on a circle.1 Most beginners start in structured sessions with a coach and an experienced horse accustomed to the work.
Pole vault equipment
- Pole: modern poles are typically fibreglass or carbon fibre, chosen for the athlete’s size, speed and strength.2
- Planting box: the metal box the pole is planted into at take-off.2
- Landing mats: large foam landing systems are standard because falls can be high and awkward.
Gymnastics vault equipment
- Vaulting table: modern competition tables are height-adjustable and built to be stable under impact.4
- Springboard: for take-off and lift.
- Landing mats: placed to absorb force and reduce injury risk.
Physical demands: what vaulting asks of the body
Across all forms of vaulting, the common thread is short, intense effort built on timing. Strength and speed matter, but so does the quiet control that keeps joints stacked and landings safe.
- Equestrian vaulting: balance, coordination, grip strength, core stability, and the ability to adapt to the horse’s rhythm.1
- Pole vault: sprint speed, take-off mechanics, upper-body strength, and aerial body control.2
- Gymnastics vault: explosive power, shoulder stability, spatial awareness, and consistent landing mechanics.
Mental preparation: keeping nerves useful
Vaulting has a particular flavour of pressure: you’re committing to a movement that can’t be half-done. The goal isn’t to erase nerves, but to make them predictable—so your body does what it practised.
- Repetition under supervision: build the movement in small pieces, then link them.
- Clear cues: a short run-up focus (pole vault, gymnastics) or rhythm focus (equestrian vaulting) helps attention stay narrow.
- Video and feedback: simple, specific corrections tend to calm the mind more than big motivational speeches.
Training approaches that translate into safer progress
Good training looks slightly ordinary from the outside: lots of basics, plenty of rest, and a coach stopping things before fatigue turns technique into guessing.
- Warm-up for joints and landing mechanics: ankles, knees, hips, shoulders.
- Strength and conditioning: especially posterior chain, core, and shoulder stability.
- Skill progressions: drills that isolate take-off, hand placement, swing, or mounts/dismounts, depending on the discipline.
- Planned recovery: fatigue is when awkward falls and sloppy landings tend to appear.
Safety: injury prevention and first aid basics
Most sessions are routine, but vaulting is still a sport where falls happen. Safety is mostly unglamorous: equipment checks, clear training spaces, and a willingness to stop early.
Simple precautions that matter
- Use a qualified coach and an appropriate training environment (especially for pole vault and gymnastics vault).
- Check equipment before each session: pole condition, mat placement, apparatus stability, and (for equestrian vaulting) horse and lunging gear fit and condition.1
- Keep the landing area clear of bags, bottles and stray gear.
If there’s a head knock: treat it seriously
If someone takes a knock to the head (or a blow to the body that jars the head), assume concussion is possible and remove them from activity for assessment. The Australian Sports Commission guidance is plain: if in doubt, sit them out—and don’t let an athlete diagnosed with concussion return to play on the same day.5, 6
Some signs need urgent medical help (including neck pain, repeated vomiting, seizure, deteriorating consciousness, or weakness/tingling). If you see red flags, call an ambulance.7
What the future looks like
Vaulting tends to change quietly, through safety practice and coaching craft rather than flashy reinvention. In Australia, the most visible recent shift in sport safety has been clearer concussion recognition and return-to-sport guidance, which affects any discipline where falls and collisions can occur.5
For equestrian vaulting, the sport continues to develop as an FEI discipline with established international competition formats and judging structures.1
Final thoughts
“Vaulting” isn’t one thing. If you remember the horse, you’re talking about equestrian vaulting. If you remember the runway and the bar, it’s pole vault. If you picture a springboard and a table, it’s gymnastics vault.
Whichever one drew you in, the pattern is the same: a short burst of speed, a precise moment of contact, then the quiet business of landing well.
References
- Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) – Vaulting (discipline overview)
- World Athletics – Pole vault (rules and event overview)
- Olympedia – Equestrian Vaulting (Olympic history)
- American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) – ELITE Artistic Vault Table (apparatus overview)
- Australian Sports Commission – Concussion in Sport (guidelines and position statement resources)
- Australian Sports Commission – Concussion guidance (return-to-play principles and assessment tools)
- Australian Sports Commission – Concussion guidance for officials (red flags and actions)
- ABC News – AIS releases concussion guidelines for junior and community sport (31 January 2024)
Veterinary Advisor, Veterinarian London Area, United Kingdom