British vaulters head to Paris to compete this weekend

Vaulters Joanne Eccles and Lucy Phillips will be flying the British flag in Paris this weekend.

The pair, from Scotland, will be taking part in the forthcoming Masters CVI Vaulting competition in Paris from 5 – 6 December.

The International Vaulting Masters forms part of the prestigious Salon de Cheval (4 — 13 December), the French equivalent of the London Olympia Horse Show, which is held annually in the capital. The competition operates on a strict invitation-only basis, and as such, features the best vaulters in the world.

“Vaulting is much more prominent on the continent,” Lucy Bell, chef d’ equipe of British Equestrian Vaulting told H&H.

“It has a huge following in Germany in particular. In fact, dressage riders often learn vaulting first in order to establish their balance.”

However, Joanne and Lucy have both proven themselves to be fierce competitors internationally. Joanne is the current European Champion, and will be competing at Salon de Cheval for the second consecutive year to defend her title.

Similarly, although riding at the competition for the first time, Lucy has had a string of impressive international results, including finishing 8th in the European Championships.

Lunged by her father, Joanne will compete with her European title mount WH Bentley. Lucy also plans to compete on the horse she used at the Europeans — her own Pitucelli, who was awarded the Best Horse Prize at the European Championships.

For more information on the show, and to follow results, visit www.salon-cheval.com

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