Have you heard of gymnastics? On a horse? I'm a gymnast and haven't ever heard of that!Miranda Marcantuno is a gymnast. But instead of gymnastics in a gym on bars, beam, floor, or vault she does gymnastics on a horse. So, she doesn't do floor on the horse, bars, or beam vault. Pretty much, it's like ballet on a horse. Miranda's team is called the Vaulting Visions. Miranda is 11 and in 5th grade. Her team is a national champion team. I wouldn't do this because gymnastics on a moving thing just doesn't seem safe.
Gymnastics is a hard sport and dangerous because you can break bones falling off the beam or bars. I saw someone who dislocated her shoulder just by putting her hand in a slightly wrong position when doing a roundoff-back-handspring, a flip-flop. So, no matter where or how you do gymanstics, you must be careful.
You can read more of gymnastics on a horse on The New York Times.
Gymnastics in a moving horse... Awesome!
ReplyDeleteActually, equestrian vaulting has been around for thousands of years in European countries. It was originally used as a tool to train mounted soldiers for battle and was one of the original sports in the first Greek Olympics. It is used all over the world therapeutically and has wonderful results with handicapped individuals. It is documented safer than regular gymnastics and even soccer. Our safety record in this sport is amazing because we control the horse so precisely, they are extremely well trained and the first thing vaulters learn is how to dismount safely from any position. I am coach of Vaulting Visions and in 17 years of doing this sport, we have had not one serious injury and very few minor sprains.
ReplyDeleteActually, vaulting is a very safe sport. Vaulting has been around in European countries for thousands of years. It was originally used to train mounted soldiers for battle and evolved into a competitive sport. It was part of the first Greek Olympic games. It is used as a therapeutic service for handicapped individuals with great success, all over the country. The horses are safe and well trained and the first thing a competitive vaulter learns is how to dismount safely from any position on the horse. I am the coach of Vaulting Visions and we have been doing this for 17 years with an amazing safety record!
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