Gymnastics exercise in which the athlete leaps over a form that was originally intended to mimic a horse.
At one time, the pommel horse was used in the vaulting exercise, with the pommels (handles) removed. The sanctioning body for gymnastic sport, the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), decreed in 2001 that a vaulting table would be introduced to replace the horse. In men's vaulting the height of the table is 1.35 m (4.43 ft) from the floor; for women, the height is 1.20 m (3.94 ft). A Reuther board, a type of springboard, is placed in front of the near end of the apparatus. The gymnast runs, gathers momentum while nearing the apparatus, rebounds off the springboard, and, supporting the hands on the apparatus, vaults over it and performs an acrobatic maneuver.