Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.
Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
In December 2001, National Vaulting Championships were held in South Africa for the first time ever, at D Grade level.
In August 2004, the first South African ever to vault in an overseas competition competed as a ‘wild-card’ at World Vaulting Championships in Stadl-Paura (Austria).
In 2005, at a CVI in Nitra (Slovakia) for the first time, four young South African qualified for the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen.
Obviously vaulting has come a long way in a short time in South Africa, and much of this achievement is due to the kindness and support of the international vaulting community. Over the years, FEI officials such as Ulrike Rieder, Emma Drinker and Anita Flamand have helped us with rules and regulations, and, in Ulrike’s case, visited the country more than once to judge and run clinics and assisted us in obtaining our 2004 wild-card. Our most recent international visitor was Switzerland’s Roland Böhlen, who came out in December 2005 judge at our National Championships.
Many young vaulters from Europe and America have also visited for long or short periods to coach in South Africa. In 2004, we had Lisa and Sabrina Schönenberger (Austria) who came to coach our young vaulters. In 2005 we had Devon Maitozo(USA), Lisa Varmbo, Lukas Klouda and Dalibor Blazek(Czech) in South Africa to give coaching and judging clinics.
Bongani Mabandla - SA Champs 2006 - Port Elizabeth
Agata Pekala from Poland is currently the coach of South Africa’s champion children’s, junior and mixed teams: with her guidance and knowledge, our vaulters managed to qualify for WEG – she acted as chef d’équipe for the vaulters, and put us in contact with Petra Cinerova and Lukas Klouda (Czech) who helped us with horses, lungeing, training and transport in the most supportive and encouraging way.
Steffi Waidmann has been teaching vaulting in South Africa since October 2005. She initially taught at Riba, and then began taking private pupils. Her pupils now include three of our international vaulters: Cara Frew, Megan Taylor and Eleni Stais. Steffi came to us from Germany, where she vaulted with the Krumbach Vaulting Team.
Anja Traub was Germany’s 5th-ranked vaulter in 2005. She also vaulted with the Krumbach Vaulting Team. Anja has been coaching vaulting in Cape Town for the last six months and was involved in preparing the Western Cape vaulters for SA Champs 2006.
Bettina Daeppen has been coaching vaulting at Riba Stables since November 2006. Bettina is from Switzerland, where she vaulted with the Kuesnacht Club and was editor of the Swiss Vaulting Bulletin.
In South Africa, a vaulting show is very different from in Europe. We have only one indoor venue, so we usually compete in the hot sun. Our horses are smaller than those you are accustomed to in Europe – we even vault on Thoroughbreds! Our lowest grade is E-grade, where everything is done at the walk, but at least now our highest grade (B Grade) has the same compulsories as CVI events: the level of the vaulters, however, is not quite the same.YET!
