Horses Healing Hearts Vaulting Team  Rises Above Challenge

The sport of vaulting works to combine the joy of riding a horse and the freedom of flying with the satisfaction of athleticism and teamwork. Horses Healing Hearts (HHH), the nonprofit organization that uses horses to help children of alcoholics and addicts, is incorporating vaulting into its program to empower participants to work together as a team and learn to believe in their own abilities.

Vaulting is often described as gymnastics on horseback and has origins that can be traced back thousands of years. The discipline can be practiced as either competitive or therapeutic, and is open to men and women equally. A vaulting team usually includes seven individuals and one horse, although many teams use a wooden horse to learn fundamental skills.

Led by coach Maria Bernal, the HHH vaulting team meets once a week before the regular HHH program session to learn drills and put together routines. Bernal has been volunteering her coaching time at HHH for four years, and has seen the team grow and change as its members become more comfortable with their abilities.

“The first things I want to accomplish through vaulting are self-esteem, discipline and teamwork. If we can accomplish those three things, it’s not only teaching them vaulting and horseback riding, it is also teaching them skills for life,” she explained.

Many children who come to HHH are suffering due to a volatile family situation beyond their control. Because the clients of HHH are children of parents who struggle with alcoholism and addiction, they often arrive wary of adults. Many are uncomfortable communicating openly and are protective of their privacy.

Bernal is used to this behavior and uses it to her advantage. “When children come to HHH, they don’t trust us,” she said. “When I first start to teach them, they won’t say hello to me. They don’t want to have contact, because they do not trust that I will be a consistent presence in their lives. It is a relationship that we have to actively create at every step.”

The team currently consists of four members, all of whom have been together for at least a year. The personalities of the group vary; some participants are outspoken and assertive, while others are more introverted. Bernal treats each child equally and makes sure everyone is following her instruction attentively.

Bernal begins her lessons by leading the group in various stretching exercises to help loosen them up physically and to focus them. After stretching, the girls head out to the wooden barrel horse, which is outfitted with a pad and surcingle.

One of the girls brings over a trampoline, and Bernal leads the team in drills to mount the barrel, just as they would a real horse. One by one, each girl successfully mounts the barrel, while her teammates look on. It doesn’t take long for the girls to begin work through other movements while mounted, like making a complete clockwise rotation or coming up to a pose on their knees and eventually their feet.

“My favorite trick to do is a front flip,” said 9-year-old Victoria Campbell, who has been with HHH for four years. “It was scary when I first saw it, but it’s really fun once I learned to do it.”

Once all the team members have completed their movements, Bernal instructs them to start mounting the barrel one after the other. Laughter abounds as the girls work to find their footing and help one another assume their place on the barrel. In short order, the girls are all standing on the barrel and posed with arms outstretched and full smiles on their faces.

Bernal continues to instruct them — ever diligent that each pose is as correct as possible. Once she is satisfied, the girls are instructed to dismount one by one.

The team agrees that the next skill they’d like to conquer in their training is to add a real horse to their routine and start to find competitions to participate in.

Samantha Lee Wills, who has been with HHH for almost eight years, believes that a horse will make practices easier.

“On a real horse it’s simpler because their gait makes it easier to get into positions like flag and scissors, or dismounting,” she said.

For Bernal, giving the HHH kids the opportunity to compete is the No. 1 priority.

“Having a real horse to practice on is so important to the program. It brings the real purpose of competition,” she said. “It’s like having two hearts and one mind — they have to be very focused on what they are doing and to connect with the horse.”

Part of the challenge that faces the HHH team moving forward is the lack of popularity of the sport in the southeastern United States. They are one of the few teams that want to compete in vaulting in this region. Finding a horse is difficult, and raising the money to purchase the horse is a daunting task. However, Bernal feels certain that if the obstacles are approached in the correct way, there is a solution.

“Our goal now is to grow our team to a total of eight riders,” she said. “Once we accomplish that goal, we can compete in a few barrel competitions, and then work on finding the appropriate horse. But we can do it, and I have a lot of faith in our program.”

Alexis Manger, who has been with HHH for four years and on the vaulting team for two, described the program best.

“HHH makes our lives much better, because horses are brilliant and so fun to ride, and they really know what you are feeling, no matter what,” she said.

To learn more about Horse Healing Hearts and its programs for children and young adults, visit www.hhhusa.org. If you are interested in donating to the nonprofit organization or have information regarding a horse that may be appropriate for the program, call Lizabeth Olszewski at (561) 713-6133.