Fun in the saddle

A county rising school is giving children the chance to hone their skills in the sport of equestrian vaulting. Emma Suddaby reports

I’m at Perry Riding for the Disabled Group’s headquarters in Yeaton, near Shrewsbury, hanging over the railings of the outdoor riding school watching six little blue spandex figures fling themselves around on the back of an enormous horse while it thunders around in a tight circle. 

It looks scary, but I’m secretly wishing I could have a go too.

Perry Vaulting Group are being put through their paces on one of their regular practice sessions. For those of you who haven’t heard of equestrian vaulting, it’s an up and coming sport combining horse-riding with gymnastics. It’s still fairly rare to find a vaulting group at all, let alone one as special as the Perry Group.

These kids have got some guts and daredevil attitude but they aren’t just ordinary kids – the group is a mix of able and disabled members and there are virtually no limitations on who can and can’t join. 

The group happily takes on children with mental or physical disabilities, and will work with each child to help them towards becoming as skilled as those already taking part.

Perry Group’s open-door attitude is unusual, they’ll take on anyone who wants to have a go, regardless of age, ability or experience. The day I watched them practice, the youngest member was a three-year-old called Harvey, and the oldest was Alison at 29. 

Holly Dormer, one of the vaulting coaches, told me about the little boy who’d joined recently, brought along reluctantly by his father. 

She said dad had sat down to wait for his son to finish, but by the end of the session he was so fired up that he made the necessary arrangements and turned up to the next session as a member, instead of the chauffeur!

And I can totally understand why he fell for it – boom boom – it makes a brilliant spectacle. Horses, music and acrobatic children, all the fun of the fair, but ten times more amazing.

And vaulting brings genuine health benefits too. Sam Gant helps coach the group alongside Holly and is also mum to young Harvey. 

She explained why it’s such a great activity for all of us, not just for kids or the more horsey among us.  At a time when we all need to get inspired about our health, vaulting ticks all the boxes – aerobic activity, strength, balance, posture, and that’s just the physical side of things. Sam told me how brilliant it is watching shy kids join, and within their first few sessions, make friends and grow in confidence.

Perry Group RDA has been around for some time and run sessions of riding and carriage-driving for disabled children and adults. They started running vaulting sessions with local special needs schools after their group organiser, Jane Barker, fell in love with equestrian vaulting on a visit to Hong Kong. 

Recognising the huge therapeutic potential it brought to the children she’d worked with in the school sessions, she eventually started a new group, registered with the British Equestrian Vaulting Association, open to all and aimed at competing.

By now that group’s evolved into three separate weekly sessions. There are two on a Saturday, one of them a therapeutic session, which takes on mainly disabled members and aims to stimulate rather than compete. The other deals with beginners and improvers, and welcomes mixed abilities, whether able or disabled and where no-one cares how long it takes to find the inner acrobat! 

If all goes well, those attending the Saturday group will graduate to the Wednesday group where more advanced skills are taught, all work is done at a canter and those taking part dream of competing one day soon.

The star of the show for me that day was little Harvey. At three years old he stood in line in the heat, patiently waiting his turn. He didn’t whinge, fidget or cry, but watched enthralled as each member took their turn to launch themselves at Spanner, the gentle giant of a horse lumbering patiently around the circle. 

When his big moment arrived he gamely trotted along in the shadow of his giant friend, giggling and whooping as mum, Sam scooped him up on to his back. 

My heart was in my mouth as he plopped on to the saddle like a very small cherry on top of an enormous wobbling jelly, and I stifled a giggle as he bounced madly around the circuit. But the joy on his face matched the strength in his chubby little arms and he completed his go with honours. And it’s obvious to see how taking part in an activity like this would help a child grow in all the ways that matter.  

So, if your kids have a streak of the circus in them and would enjoy getting up close and personal with some gentle equestrian giants, take them along to Perry Vaulting Group and get involved. 

But what about the grown-ups? Sam and Holly told me they’d very much like to start an adult group should enough people show an interest.

• l To find out more about taking part, contact Perry RDA Group on 01939 261147.

Thanks to www.crabtreeart.com for the photographs