Vaulting Demo with Kiwanis at KECSA Horse Show
On Sunday, October 12, 2014 my vaulting club, Valley View Vaulters was invited to participate in a demo at the 21st Annual KECSA Event at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center.
The Kiwanis Club of Warner Center and the volunteers from the former Special Olympics crew put on a wonderful day that allowed individuals who had been practicing all year at their respective Southern California Therapeutic Riding Programs to compete in various classes. I showed in three classes throughout the day (see previous post). At lunchtime they invited us to put on a demonstration to show what our group does with horses and how we can work together with all ages and abilities. The demo was a hit! We showed off the compulsory components as well as the freestyle routines we are currently working on.
We also had a lot of fun pairing up together and even doing triples! Waldmeister was a star and so well behaved as usual!
We had such a great response from the various coaches and trainers from the riding programs in attendance, as well as from the athletes and parents there competing. Many had never heard of vaulting and were intrigued by the sport. Others had known about it, but didn't know that it could ever be an option for them! We had a fun day working together as a team and supporting one another, and can't wait to do it again.
We leave for the Amercian Vaulting Association's Region 1 Championships this weekend. I'll be competing for two days straight in 5 different classes: compulsories and freestyle on the horse and barrel, and Pas de Deux (doubles) on the barrel. The demo was a great warm up for me to practice performing in front of an audience. Normally in competitions, you have to mount the horse at either the walk, trot, or canter. However, my coach and I petitioned the AVA to change the rules so that I can mount while he is stopped. I haven't quite mastered pushing my chair and gracefully mounting Waldmeister at the same time! We did try to get creative with ideas such as installing an airbag in my cushion that would deploy at the exact right moment so I would go flying and land right on Waldmeister's back! The AVA didn't want to change the rules, but I can do everything on the horse, so there is no reason why I should be excluded. I'm excited to compete, cheer on my teammates, and see all the other vaulting clubs.
