The best way to describe the atmosphere as members of the Northern Lights vaulting squad practise their routine in the van der Sluijs dairy equestrian building is calming.
From the precise, yoga-like acrobatic moves of each vaulter as they pose atop Hugo, a Belgian cross horse, to the gentle counting members use to guide movements during the routine to the gentle clip-clop of Hugo's hooves as he canters on the dirt floor, one can't help but feel they are watching a serene horseback ballet.
Since each person making up the seven-member squad has taken part in equestrian vaulting for large stretches of their lives and most have trained with each other for years, they can anticipate each other's movements like clockwork and show no trepidation choreographing themselves on the back of a moving animal.
In a month, the squad, made up of Jeanine and Angelique van der Sluijs, Shianne Hofer, Brooke Boyd, Haigen Pavan, Todd Griffiths and Dallyn Shields, will have the chance to show off their chemistry and skills to an international crowd at the 2014 Alltech FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.
Not only will the squad compete in the team vaulting competition at the games, where all the members of the squad will participate in a routine, but four of its members will also take part in pairs, or pas de deux, competitions and Jeanine will compete as an individual.
Shianne, a 19-year-old Olds resident who has vaulted for 11 years, described the squad's entry to the games as “history changing” for Canada and Jeanine explained why.
“This is the first time that two pairs have qualified as well as a team,” she said. “So it's very exciting.”
The two pairs competing at the games are Angelique and Jeanine and Brooke and Todd, who is also the squad's head coach.
Each level of competition had differing qualification criteria for the games, Jeanine said.
To qualify as an individual, a competitor had to earn a final score of 7.0 or higher in at least one high-level, international event over a two-year period.
If a country has more than one individual competitor who earns qualifying scores, Jeanine said, the top three qualifiers in the country are selected.
Jeanine qualified at competitions in California last July and in California and Chilliwack, B.C. in May.
For pairs, competing duos had to earn a final score of 6.8 or higher at an international event.
Each country sets the qualifying criteria for teams, Jeanine said, and Vault Canada has set a requirement score of 6.5 in at least one competition.
The Northern Lights squad qualified for the games at a vaulting event in Springbank in April and another event in Chilliwack in May.
Dallyn, a 12-year-old Didsbury resident, offers up a simple explanation of her sport.
“To me, vaulting is basically gymnastics and dance put together on a moving horse,” she said.
Angelique, who is 25 and has vaulted for 19 years, said there's more to the sport than the connection between its human participants.
“The ultimate goal is that you're in harmony with the horse, no matter what you're doing. If you're telling a story, whatever your performance is, you always want to be one with the horse.”
The squad is made up of members of the Meadow Creek Vaulting Club that is based just east of Olds and Jeanine said the team heading to France is made up of individual vaulters who came together to see what they could accomplish as a single unit.
Everyone had a year to qualify for the event, she added, and so far everyone is gelling and performing in peak condition.
“We're very happy that we've reached all of our goals and we're now well on our way to the games.”
While the squad is training together three times a week on home soil—on top of daily individual strength and fitness conditioning routines—they will embark for Scotland on Aug. 10 to begin training there.
Since the competition is in Europe, the squad has to leave Hugo and the squad lunger Melanie O'Neill behind.
A lunger in vaulting remains on the ground and ensures the horse maintains a steady canter in a circle.
The extra time in Scotland ahead of the games will allow the team to get accustomed to a new horse and lunger and Jeanine said despite the challenge of the squad leaving its comfort zone, she is confident they will find great new partners in Scotland.
“You know that you've found a horse that is already trained for the same discipline and he's been trained to do team,” she said. “So we might be able to learn new things on this horse.
“We might be able to learn from the other members of that team as well because they might be at a similar level or a higher level than us.”
Angelique said it's a huge “accomplishment” for the squad to take part in the games since they are the only vaulters from Canada competing.
When asked what her hopes are for the games, she said to “show the world what Canada's capable of.”
Jeanine added that since Canada will host the games in 2018, all eyes will be on its competitors.
“We can all agree that we look at this as the first step for Canada, especially with the team, towards what's coming next after this,” she said.
The games, which were established in 1990 and take place every four years, start on Aug. 23 and run until Sept. 7.
