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Eagle Mountain teen to compete in International Equestrial Championship September 12, 2017, 6:33 pmJace is your typical young man. He attends Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs, where he is involved in the FFA. Jace leads a very busy life outside of school. He has volunteered several years at Telos Discovery Space Center, The Christa McAuliffe Space Center and The Discovery Space Center, helps his family train and care for horses and vaults at least five days a week. Jace founded his own vaulting club in 2015 and is head coach of Wasatch Peak Vaulters, located at Cedar Valley Stables in Eagle Mountain. He enjoys sharing his love of vaulting with others. Jace has won many local, regional and national titles. In Ebreichdorf, Austria Jace Brooks, the small-town boy from Eagle Mountain, will do his best to show the world that he is a champion. Jace is vaulting at a Junior level as a single vaulter, and at Ebreichdorf, will be vaulting against 23 of the top junior men's equestrian vaulters in the world. Equestrian Vaulting is not a well-known sport in the United States. It is commonly described as gymnastics and dance performed on the back of a moving horse. Vaulting has origins that stretch back to at least two thousand years. It is even believed that vaulting could be traced to the ancient Roman Games, where acrobats displayed their skill on cantering horses. Others believe that it originated in ancient Crete, where tricks were preformed on that back of bulls. Renaissance and Middle Age history include many references to vaulting. Modern vaulting was developed in Germany as a means to introduce children to equestrian sports and remains a popular sport all over Europe. Competitive vaulting is relatively new in the United States, arriving in the 1950s. The first official competition for the U.S. was held in 1969. Since then, the sport of Equestrian Vaulting has grown and developed into the enjoyable sport it is today. Vaulting routines (team, pairs and individual) are performed on the back of a horse, traveling in a circle while being lunged on the end of a lunge line by a skilled lunger controlling the speed and movement of the horse. It is most often described as dance and gymnastics on the back of a moving horse. A longer, in the center of the vaulting circle controls the speed and movement of the horse. Meanwhile the vaulter performs gymnastics moves to demonstrate strength, agility, artistic expression and harmony with the horse. Beginning levels start at a walking gait, move to the trot gait while upper level vaulters are at a canter. Canter vaulters also have different levels depending on how advanced they are, there is Copper, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. At many events there are even competitions on a stationary barrel. Whether on the horse or barrel, competitors are judged on their ability to smoothly execute compulsory movements, demonstrating strength, flexibility, and balance, while facing all four directions and cover all parts of the horse/barrel from neck to croup, during their routines. They are also evaluated on the technical difficulty and artistic expression associated with freestyle routines. Additionally, a portion of every overall score is secured by considering the horse's quality and consistency of gait. Vaulting offers enthusiasts the opportunity to develop coordination, balance, strength and creativity while working harmoniously with both fellow teammates and the horse itself. You can watch Jace defend his U.S. national champion title since Utah is proud to host the AVA National Championships at the South Jordan Equestrian Center August 23 - 27. The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2024 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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