PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 101 If you happen to pass by the Woodside Vaulters’ gym, you might hear the steady clunkclunk-clunk of Hanna Parker warming up. Sitting astride a mechanical barrel called a “movie,” which mimics a horse’s gait, this lithe young athlete swings herself into planks before scissor-kicking into handstands. Observing with a practiced eye is Krista Mack, who oversees the Woodside Vaulters program and acts as its head horse trainer. Nearby, a few horses poke their long velvety noses out of their stalls to watch and whinny. Vaulting isn’t for the faint of heart. Think gymnastics on horseback. “A balance beam is the same every time,” notes Krista. Not so with a horse. A vaulter must adjust to each horse’s height, weight and gait. A horse’s mood can shift depending on its feeding schedule, the weather or even the full moon. Krista must be discerning in her role as lunger, guiding the horse in circles while the vaulter performs. Growing up in Woodside, Krista has always been around equine kind. “I remember when I was little, like probably nine years old, we would ride our horses to each other’s houses—and then the horses would hang out while we had playdates,” she recalls. For sleepovers, her pony would spend the night in a guest stall. Krista has worked with the Woodside Vaulters for more than two decades now—and watched Hanna grow from a wee thing clambering around on the barrel to a serious competitor at the international level.
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