At their recent Annual Convention, the American Vaulting Association (AVA) presented Lifetime Achievement Awards, the highest award of the AVA, to Jeffrey Ashton Moore and Jan F. Garrod, whose efforts over the past 40 years have been instrumental to the recognition, growth and continued high standards of the sport of equestrian vaulting.

At the same event, the Annual Trainer of the Year award was presented to Patti Skipton of Warm Beach Vaulters in Washington.

Moore, a highly regarded trainer and judge in both the vaulting and dressage communities, co-founded the American Vaulting Association in 1969 with colleague Elizabeth Searle. Since that time he has helped define the criteria for judging both horse and vaulter, and has written the judges’ training curriculum that now serves as the international standard for the sport.

Garrod was co-founder of the Mt. Eden Vaulting Club, the largest and oldest club in the AVA, and has served as AVA president, treasurer, grants committee chair and board member. In addition to being a lunger, coach and vaulting parent, he has also served on the vaulting and para-equestrian committees of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and as USA Chef d’Equipe at the Vaulting World Championships.

Skipton, founder and coach of the Warm Beach Vaulters in Stanwood, WA, introduced vaulting to central California 35 years ago. After relocating to Washington with her husband, she quickly built the largest and most successful club in the region, preparing vaulters and horses for competition at the international level. Her horses are known for their safety, fitness and confidence, and her vaulters consistently rise to a high level of performance and success.

The American Vaulting Association is the official representative and regulatory body for the discipline of equestrian vaulting in the United States. Information on the sport can be found on the AVA website at www.americanvaulting.org.