Pegasus soar to success
Club reap the rewards of hard work with British gold
High up in the Perthshire countryside sits a small vaulting club with big ambitions.
Pegasus Vaulting Club in Killiecrankie may have less than 20 members but hard work and dedication is breeding success on a national level.
Team golds were the order of the day at the recent British Vaulting Championships, held at the Morris Equestrian Centre in Ayrshire.
Pegasus participants Morna Liney, Connie Liney, Jack Taylor, Sheila Taylor, Seona Scott and Izzy Blair clinched top spot in the Pre Novice Squad category.
And that success was built on when the 1* Senior Squad title was lifted by Beth Hay, Hannah Walker, Emily Silverton, Louise Dow, Henrietta Pinchbeck and Madison Davis.
Head coach Kirsty McWilliam, who has competed at both Scottish and British level, was full of pride following her team’s performance.
“At the British it really is anyone’s game,” Kirsty said. “It comes down to hard work and dedication - and we were really excited to do so well.
“We had worked hard all year and put in a lot of extra effort. It was great the girls got the success they deserved, because they put so much effort in.
“It’s fantastic to be able to say I have bought the horses and trained them up.
“I’ve known a lot of these kids from a very early age and it is exciting to be able to see them grow and mature into the sport.
“There was also a lot of individual successes at the event.
“I have a little bit of a proud mum moment when they do well at competitions, even though they are not my children.”
Kirsty’s love for vaulting, most simplistically described as gymnastics on horseback, was apparent from a young age.
And now she holds a strong passion to give back to the next generation.
She said: “I used to be a vaulter myself and competed in the Scottish and British team when I was younger. I gave it up to be able to coach.
“This year, for the first time, we took our team horse Shamus to Saumur in France with two of our vaulters.
“I actually decided to bring the lycra back out and have a go because my own horse was competing. I had to seize the opportunity.
“That was a really fun experience for me but I’m now quite happy to hang them up again and get back to lunging in the centre of the circle.
“I would like to think I can be a role model for the girls. They all work hard and know what is expected. The team aspect is really important.
“Vaulting really is something for everyone and takes place in a very controlled environment.
“So you will actually get a lot less injuries in vaulting than you would in your normal riding club.
“We take kids who want to have fun and don’t want to compete. And then we have the girls who want to compete and perhaps go to the European or World Championships.
“My job as a coach is to know each individual child and how they work and learn. We want to get the best out of them individually but also as a team.”
Kirsty is witnessing the popularity of vaulting increase in Britain - and the door at Pegasus Vaulting Club is always open to new members.
She explained: “If you look at the Germans, they vault before they learn to ride. There are thousands and thousands of vaulting children in Germany. Emily Silverton in action for Pegasus Vaulting Club
“Over here there are maybe about 1000 in Britain. But it’s definitely on the rise in terms of kids performing.
“We don’t have the level of competition and training like they would in Germany.
“A lot of it is horse power and facilities. We do the best with the facilities we have and are lucky to have support.
“One day we would love our own vaulting complex so that we could really dedicate more of our time and effort to making it perfect for the girls.”
While the competition season has come to a conclusion, the hard work at Pegasus is a year-round task.
Kirsty said: “All of the major competitions are over for the year. But we always do a Christmas competition
Pre-novice and 1* senior winners from Pegasus Vaulting Club with horse Orion, who won best non-international horse where the girls get to have a lot of fun.
“Now is the time where we explore new options and build our teams for next year.
“In the next two months we will have full routines for team and individual for next season, because they need to be so polished to perform.
“The club is certainly one to watch out for in the future.”