People, horses bond in vaulting competition

Equestrian vaulting -- a sport in which athletes perform gymnastics on a moving horse -- is much more popular in Europe than in the United States, but Virginia and Rick Hawthorne hope to change that.

This weekend, the Hawthornes will bring their Valley View Vaulters from California to compete in the second annual Regional Championships for the American Vaulting Association. The couple helped start the event at Horseman's Park, 5800 E. Flamingo Road, in an effort to build support for horse vaulting simply through exposing more people to it.

Participation in the competition is expected to double this year, from 69 vaulters representing California and Utah to 140 vaulters from 10 states, Virginia Hawthorne says.

"The response has been great. That's what we really wanted to do, to try and spread vaulting out to the rest of the country," she says.

Europe has tens of thousands of enthusiasts, while there are about 2,000 horse vaulters in the United States, Hawthorne notes. The sport, believed to be about 2,000 years old, doesn't require any special training or skill to start the program; all that is required is a love of horses. It can even be good therapy for people with disabilities.

"We have around 125 vaulters and a third of them are handicapped," Hawthorne says. "We have people who use wheelchairs, people who are blind, autistic, amputees. The only handicap we can't take is being overweight."

Vaulting shares some similarities with gymnastics; athletes perform handstands, cartwheels, flips. The difference is that it's done on a moving horse. Participants can be as young as 7. They start with basic moves and learn to perform more elaborate moves with practice.

The vaulting horses are of no specific breed, Hawthorne says. They must be large and have a good disposition. Teams usually own their own vaulting horses but sharing is a common thing. In fact, Hawthorne's team will loan their vaulting horse to a competing team this weekend.

The event will be divided into four categories of competitors: Copper, bronze, silver and gold. Saturday, from 1 to 8 p.m., the copper and bronze categories -- younger, less experienced athletes -- will be showcased, Hawthorne says. The silver and gold vaulters will compete Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winners will receive ribbons. Admission is free.

Currently, there are no local horse vaulting clubs, but the Hawthornes hope someone takes the reins and starts one. The couple does clinics across the country and teaches people how to run a club.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.