VAULTING

Diagram of vaulting for women (left) and men (right) gymnastic exercise in which the athlete leaps over a cylindrical form similar to the side horse (q.v.) except that the pommels are removed (see illustration). In men's vaulting, also called long-horse vaulting, the horse is placed lengthwise. The height of the horse is raised to 1.35 metres (4 feet 5 inches). A Reuther board, a special type of springboard developed in Germany, is placed in front of the near end of the horse. The gymnast takes a run, gathers momentum as he nears the horse, rebounds off the Reuther board, and, supporting his hands on the horse, vaults over it. A variety of tricks may be performed, such as vaulting over with straddled legs, with legs together and bent into a squatting position, or with legs straight and the hips bent, as well as handsprings, cartwheels, and other more difficult movements. The hands may be placed on either the near or the far end of the horse, but the space for the support of the hands is limited, and touching beyond this space incurs a penalty on the scoring of the vault. Each vault is evaluated according to a table of standards of difficulty. The women's vaulting horse is the same as the men's except that it is 1.08 metres (3 feet 7 inches) high and is placed sideways instead of lengthwise. Women also use the Reuther board and perform vaults similar to those done by men, except that the vault is much shorter, since it is performed over the width of the horse rather than its length. Vaulting has been an Olympic event for men since the modern Games began in 1896; women have competed individually in the event since 1952.