Equestrian vaulting is a discipline that combines gymnastics and dance performed on the back of a moving horse, making it one of the most physically demanding and visually spectacular equestrian sports in the world. Competitors perform compulsory and freestyle exercises on a horse moving in a consistent canter on a 15-meter circle. The horse is controlled by a lunger on the ground rather than a rider, and the quality of the horse's consistent, rhythmic movement is as central to the score as the vaulter's gymnastic execution.
Vaulting is an FEI discipline contested at the international level including the World Equestrian Games, and it is also one of the most inclusive equestrian sports, welcoming children as young as five through adult competitors, athletes with disabilities, and both male and female participants. At the competitive level there are individual, pas de deux, and squad divisions, with squads typically composed of six to eight vaulters performing simultaneously.
In the United States the American Vaulting Association governs the sport and sanctions competitions from local schooling shows through the national championship level. Beyond competition, vaulting is widely used therapeutically and as a rider development tool, because the balance, core strength, and body awareness it develops transfer directly to improved performance in all other equestrian disciplines.