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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
6 Wednesday, September 6, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Vaulting into Central Oregon’s equestrian sports scene By Kathryn Godsiff Correspondent Equestrians in Central Oregon have no excuse for boredom. Activities vary from trail riding to classic and cowboy dressage. Carriage driving, show jumping, eventing, high school eques- trian team, 4-H, Pony Club, cattle work and just enjoying a pasture pet are all enjoyed by local horse enthusiasts. One activity not on offer until now is the venerable discipline of vaulting. Long established in Europe and included as one of the 10 equestrian disciplines at the World Equestrian Games, vaulting is usually described PHOTO PROVIDED Ruthanne Steere hopes to create a vaulting club. as gymnastics on horseback. Its origins stretch back at least two thousand years to Roman times and military training. More recent history includes vaulting as part of equestrian acts in circuses. Nowadays, participants may vault competitively or purely for recreation. Ruthann Steere, who grew up in Michigan, recently arrived back in Sisters Country with her husband, Paul. She is prepared and qualified to teach and encour- age children and adults who wish to engage in a safe, con- trolled, and lovely-to-watch equestrian activity. She is a certified vaulting instruc- tor with a wealth of experi- ence and a love of the dis- cipline. Her business, Hope Mountain Vaulters, is based at a property near the Sisters Rodeo grounds, owned by Ann and Greg Christmas- Dale. Steere’s aim is to estab- lish a vaulting club in Central Oregon where participants may vault for fun or fame. “Vaulting is a very diverse sport,” said Steere. “You can start at age 2 and go to 102.” One of her favorite groups in a previous club was the Golden Gals, a group of senior women who put their age-related fears on hold and learned to execute the flowing NEW FALL MERCHANDISE UGG BOOTS & SLIPPERS FOR THE ENTIRE FA M I LY Dansko, Hafl inger, Merrell and many more comfort shoes & boots have just arrived! Mon-Sat 10 AM -6 PM , Sun 11 AM -5 PM 541-385-7405 • Costco Forum Center 2680 NE Hwy. 20, Ste. 380, Bend movements that are vaulting. Just to be clear, the vault- ing horse in this equestrian sport is not stationary while the participant hurtles toward it at speed, leaping over its back in a powerful and grace- ful movement. The horse, a live one with a broad back, calm demeanor and steady gaits, is traveling in a circle around the coach, attached to a line called a longe line and moving at either a walk, trot or canter. As the vaulter develops skills, more gymnastic movements are incorporated. Some beginning lessons, however, do take place on a vaulting barrel and the use of the barrel in the winter enables Steere to continue to teach indoors while the weather is inclement. Those who wish to com- pete find that the vaulting world is quite small but very friendly, supportive and fam- ily-oriented, Steere said. She noted that in Germany, youngsters are required to take a couple of years of vaulting lessons before com- mencing a riding career. It instills a solid base of balance and unity with the horse. Steere began her athletic career as a gymnast when she was a toddler. Discovering horses at an early age, after PHOTO PROVIDED Vaulting is a family-oriented slice of the equestrian world. the death of her father, she saved up to buy her first horse at age 13, then began vaulting at 15. Her mother told her to choose between gymnastics or horses, and Steere was delighted to find a discipline that combined the two. She attended Asbury College in Lexington, Kentucky, attaining a degree in equine management and outdoor recreation adventure leadership. Several vaulting clubs that she helped estab- lish in Kentucky are still active. A summer internship at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch near Bend brought her to Central Oregon in 2013. Two years later she returned to visit the ranch and met another summer intern who would become her husband. Paul is now on the staff at Crystal Peaks while Ruthann is getting the vaulting club going. The couple live on site at Crystal Peaks. Classes are set to begin in a few weeks. More informa- tion can be found at www. hopemountainvaulters.com or by phoning Ruthann at 859-230-1710.