The equestrian vaulting stables lie at the back of Showground Stadium not far from our Show Radio offices, but it could nay be further removed from our glass plated studios.
We have been invited back to the stable to have a closer look at the horses involved in the VaultAire vaulting performance we see each day from our radio booth.
The unmistakeable smells of hay and horses greet me as I enter the world of gymnastics on horseback. In the shaded confines of the stable about twenty people are congregated. Some are tending to the horses which line either side of the narrow stable alley, whilst others chat amicably on camping chairs.
The general atmosphere is a big family camping trip, with horses. This observation makes more sense when I discover that the team members in this stable are not only working here for the duration of the show but also living here.
Above the pens are a bunch of raised lofts which serve as dormitories for the 16 odd young men and women of the VaultAire equestrian vaulting team. I spy the head of a blue air mattress peeking over the side of the loft.
In conversation with Lyn Lynch, owner of Legsy the horse and responsible for finding performers to ride him, Lyn tells me that the curfew is at 10:30 but everyone is far too excited for that, not that they can get much sleep anyway. At 2am the blowers come to get rid of the accumulated hay and at 4am about 500 bins are collected sending crashes echoing through the stable. A loft life indeed.
You can catch the VaultAire team, both horse and human performing in the Sydney Stadium as part of the The Greatest Easter Show Spectacular – A Million Dreams. Catch that each evening in the Showground Stadium from 7:45
Here’s some audio from Lyn.
