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 Safety
With its Three
Points of Vaulting Safety that distinguish
it from the riding disciplines, vaulting
is the safest of all the equestrian
activities. The United
States Pony Club states that "Safety is the first
and most important application of vaulting." And,
in fact, the safety of vaulting served
as the basis for its
introduction in
the United States.
 Competitive vaulting
was brought to the United States by Elizabeth
Searle from Germany in the late 1960s.
(With over 100,000
vaulters, vaulting is considered a prerequisite
for riding
in
Germany, and over
50 percent of German riders holding competitive
licenses were vaulters in their early years.)
She attended a vaulting display at the
Olympic
Games of 1956 in Stockholm on
a visit from America and realized immediately
that the United
States Pony Club would benefit by
the inclusion of vaulting in its program
in
terms of safety, opportunity, preparation
for riding, and fun. (See United
States Pony Club and Vaulting). When
she took over the running of a riding
school
with
a
high accident rate, she insisted on all
pupils
gaining a proficiency certificate in
vaulting before being allowed to join
a riding class.
The
accident rate dropped dramatically.
 With
its stringent reporting guidelines
for member clubs, the American
Vaulting Association (AVA) has
no reported concussions, spinal injuries,
or deaths
from vaulting (AVA Injury Summary
Reports). And the AVA vaulting injury
summary reports reflect literally thousands
of
contact hours of vaulting practice
for its members. With a lower incidence
of
injury than dressage, most
vaulting
injuries
are
comparable
to
those seen in gymnastics and are
generally comprised of sprains (See the
U.S.
Safety Record).
And while it can be a thrilling spectator
sport, vaulting has a lower injury rate
than
many other everyday activities.
With it's long and rich history (vaulting
as an activity for young people started
in Northern Germany in 1930), the German
statistics demonstrate the same
high
level of safety.
Because of it's safety
and benefits, vaulting is a sport that
can be integrated, valuing input from special
needs vaulters.
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Vaulting