Fourth Grade
Worksheets
The Ride of a Lifetime: Equestrian Vaulting
Most athletes like to concentrate on one sport. People who love horseback riding must practice for years to master it. Gymnasts and dancers also work for a long time perfecting their skills. Imagine how much effort it would take to perform all three sports at the same time! The bold and graceful competitors in equestrian vaulting do just that. They love the challenge and the wonderful bond they share with their horses. They think that equestrian vaulting gives them the ride of their lives.
Equestrian vaulting is not new. It has been around for over 2,000 years. Some people think that this sport has its roots in ancient Crete. There, "bull dancers" rode wild bulls and performed athletic feats while riding them. One fresco in the palace at Knossos showed an acrobat grabbing a bull's horns as the animal charged him. The acrobat then somersaulted onto the bull's back and then jumped off. Now that was a wild ride!
Many civilizations continued the tradition of vaulting in different ways. One creative general in ancient Greece used vaulting in his training regimen. The soldiers "vaulted" onto their horses using their lances. They looked like pole vaulters except that they ended up on a horse's back instead of flying over a horizontal pole. Vaulting continued during the Middle Ages when knights and noblemen enjoyed its challenges. Each culture added its own twists to vaulting.
