Has anyone ever taken beginner lessons with a vaulting surcingle?
No. I took a few beginner lessons at age 10 in a western saddle and rode bare back as a teen but it’s been a very long time. It could be useful I guess. Vaulters do have excellent balance!
A surcingle gets in the way of where legs generally go, no?
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I believe that it is the best for first time riders. It teaches balance, develops very good core strength and helps with following the movement of the horses back. All of this without pulling on the horse’s mouth. Any loss of balance will be absorbed by the handles and not the horse’s back.
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I’ve seen it done quite a few times.
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Kyra Kirklund advocated vaulting for children.
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Do you remember where you saw that about Kyra?
I like to do this for all very little kids (2-7ish) and for slightly older ones who are nervous or uncoordinated for the first few rides. Really little kids are top-heavy and they are just usually better at figuring out their own natural balance if they can do it with hands/arms at first instead of legs/feet.
It’s also nice for casual pony ride situations since you don’t have to worry about adjusting stirrups and the littles can stay in their sneakers.
It does mess with correct leg position so I tend to graduate them out of it as soon as I see balance and core strength coming along.
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Possibly in one of her books, definitely in one of her videos.
Bear in mind that some vaulters would not touch a riding horse with a ten foot pole.
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I never have but they did this at a very reputable therapeutic riding facility where I volunteered a lot. All the kids enjoyed it and had a good time. Makes you stronger and it’s something different
