About Us

This is Valley View Vaulters 30th Anniversary!

We are the Valley View Vaulters, a non-profit organization founded in 1980, and located in two different areas of Southern California...north of Los Angeles in Lake View Terrace, and south of Los Angeles in Long Beach at Rancho Rio Verde with the purpose of theaching "VAULTING". . .The art and sport of Choreographed Gymnastics on Horseback.

Vaulting is a world class sport, international in scope, which combines Choreographed Gymnastics and the skill of horseback riding. It's fun, beneficial for everyone, and exciting to watch. At Valley View we take pride in teaching vaulting to everyone . . . any age, and any ability, including Special Needs. By vaulting together we build teamwork, physical strength, coordination, discipline and self confidence.

Classes teach specific compulsory exercises which lead to advanced free-style performances called freestyle kurs. All our vaulters have the opportunity to participate in competitions to compare their performances with the abilities of others of similar abilities. There are numerous opportunities to participate in local parades and demonstrations, each year.

Club History

Valley View Vaulters was started in 1980, with seven (7) vaulters, a practice barrel, one horse and a belief that everyone working and learning together can not only achieve success more quickly, but feel good about each other's accomplishments. Since then, our program has been expanding at a fast rate each year, with one-third of the vaulters having special needs. We now have eight (8) horses and two locations one in Lake View Terrace and one in Long Beach at Rancho Rio Verde.

We are unique in that we are among the few mainstream, competitive vaulting teams that have both handicapped and non-handicapped vaulters competing in non-handicapped classes. (The word "Handicapped" is used as in Horse Races, Bowling, Golf, etc., as a means to 'level the playing field'). We feel that this involvement, of all abilities working together in their level of classes, everyone will benefit. All our students work with each other, guided by the coach and assistants. Vaulting becomes fun and good exercise with no barriers of age, gender or abilities; therefore building strength, better health and self-esteem. Our vaulters range, in age, from two (2) years through adults, and from beginners of all abilities, to Gold Medalist (the highest national level attainable). At this time, Valley View is the largest vaulting group, of it's kind, in the nation.

Our program prides itself on being one of the first mainstreamed vaulting team to a have competed successfully at the American Vaulting Association's National Championships. Throughout the years our team has earned first through fifth places in the nation with vaulters of all abilities on our Trot or Canter Teams or 2-Phase Teams. Additionally, our Individual Vaulters have earned first through tenth places (Nationally), in their division at the Nationals and have won Individual National Championships in Trot, Copper, Bronze and Silver Divisions.

At Valley View Vaulters we make use of the horse, those "Gentle Giants", as a learning tool which helps develop the best in our students. With our concept of working together, we take pride in teaching vaulting to people of all ages and abilities, to walk, talk, think, make friends, feel good about themselves and lead more independent and productive lives.

Our horses are all very important members of the VALLEY VIEW VAULTERS. Some of our vaulting horses have come to us because they were very unhappy or mistreated horses. Some just couldn't continue in their sport for whatever reason. No matter the reason, all of our horses are very successful vaulting horses and have found a home and a sport that they love and they know they are loved by all.

At VALLEY VIEW “Success comes in CANS”....Not everyone is capable of becoming a blue ribbon winner, but everyone "CAN" be a success. Success...is feeling good about yourself, both physically and emotionally. With this in mind we would like to share with you some successes we have witnessed over the years.

Here are a just a few accomplishments of our vaulters.......

A Cerebral Palsy girl who is blind and wears leg braces, vaults and CAN support her non-handicapped team mates in double and triple exercises on a moving horse. It is a real joy to listen to all of them laughing and enjoying each other’s company, knowing that they have forgotten that one of them is handicapped.

A young teenager who held his head down, never willingly joined into activities and was having problems in school, CAN now stand with good posture and with his head held high. He improved greatly in school and made the basketball team.

A young girl with Hydrocephalus, began to vault, which in turn helped her balance and coordination. She came back to Valley View many years later to help. She now CAN take pride in saying that she was one of our VALLY VIEW volunteers.

A very young boy with Cerebral Palsy was told by Doctors that he would never walk. CAN, after a few years of vaulting, now walk. He took his first steps . . . at a vaulting competition, to the surprise of ALL. He can now keep up with his vaulting friends.

A young girl, very tall and uncoordinated for her age and who was laughed at whenever she tried to do anything, was so happy when she started vaulting, she went home and told her mother “... it really is fun and no one laughed at me.” She CAN now stand tall and be proud.

These are just a few of the vaulter successes we have seen. VALLEY VIEW VAULTERS is a program dedicated to vaulting. But it is truly, much more than that. There are lessons being taught daily that will last a lifetime.

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