Equestrian Vaulting Lessons | Creativity, Artistry, Dance and Gymnastics on Horseback
Our Mission
Shadow Hills Vaulting Club is a sports-based youth development program dedicated to creating a safe, fun environment for athletes of all experience levels to train, compete, perform, and share a love of horses through the sport of equestrian vaulting.
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Shadow Hills Vaulting Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, tax id# 84-2521565
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Meet Our Coach
Geoffrey Woolson, founder and head coach at Shadow Hills Vaulting Club, began vaulting when he was 8-years old. Since then he has competed and trained with some of the most skilled and experienced vaulters and coaches in the US and Europe. Geoffrey currently trains and competes as a 3* elite level vaulter with Pacific Coast Vaulters, and is a member of the US Equestrian Team.
Being an athlete and a coach in this sport has given Geoffrey a unique perspective into understanding the challenges his students face and how to best help them work through those challenges to achieve their goals.
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Geoffrey loves coaching and is excited to share his knowledge, skills and love of vaulting with his students.
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Our History
Shadow Hills Vaulting Club was established in July 2019, by a team of experienced coaches, staff, competitive athletes, and families with over a decade of full-time, practical experience in training, club operations, competition support, and fundraising for beginning vaulters through elite level equestrian athletes seeking to compete regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Professional Affiliations
Shadow Hills Vaulting Club is a proud member of the American Vaulting Association (AVA), United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), and Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). As members in good standing, we uphold the policies and principles of these governing organizations.
American Vaulting Association (AVA)
The American Vaulting Association began in 1968 with a mission to build and promote equestrian vaulting in the United States. Today, the sport has grown to more than 141 AVA vaulting clubs and affiliates and more than 1,200 members throughout the United States and Canada.
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United States Equestrian Federation (US Equestrian)
Equestrian competitors, leisure riders, coaches, fans and enthusiasts each share a personal bond with the horse. This commonality defines the membership of the United States Equestrian Federation which serves as the National Governing Body for Equestrian Sport. US Equestrian is dedicated to uniting the equestrian community, honoring achievement, and serving as guardians of equestrian sport. Since its inception in 1917, US Equestrian has been dedicated to pursuing excellence and promoting growth, all while providing and maintaining a safe and level playing field for both its equine and human athletes. US Equestrian trains, selects, and funds our United States Equestrian Team, which consistently wins medals at the highest level of international competition, including the Olympic Games. US Equestrian also licenses equestrian competitions of all levels across the United States each year. Fostering growth among newcomers as well as the coming generation is paramount to US Equestrian’s continued success. Our young equestrians continually raise the bar both at home and abroad, pushing themselves to be better and strive for excellence, all while fostering and strengthening the connection between themselves and their horses. US Equestrian contributes to the greater good of horses by assisting with their protection and welfare in crisis situations and natural disasters, as well as in daily competition. As part of this pledge to protect equine welfare, US Equestrian continues to help support federal and state governments and works closely with other national equine organizations.
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The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI)
is the international governing body of equestrian sports. The FEI headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. An FEI code of conduct protects the welfare of the horses from physical abuse or doping.
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U. S. Center for Safe Sport and Safe4Athletes
Shadow Hills Vaulting Club is committed to creating and maintaining an equestrian community free of all forms of emotional, physical and sexual misconduct by preventing, recognizing, and responding to situations that in any way compromise the safety of athletes in and out of the arena. We believe that nothing is more important than protecting our athletes and ensuring that they have a positive and safe experience. SHVC leadership is SafeSport trained and our organization has adopted the practices, policies, and procedures outlined in our SHVC Safe 4 Athletes Handbook.