2024 Competition Rules, Policies and Resources

This page contains information about, and downloads for, National, Provincial, and FEI rules plus the Guidelines for both barrel competitions and other unrecognized classes that may be offered in Canadian competitions. Also included are links to the FEI Guidelines and Code of Points.

National Rules

The 2024 Canadian rules are now available on the Equestrian Canada Rules Page ... this includes the National Vaulting Rules as well as EC General Regulations. 

In 2023, the Canadian Vaulting Rules included a major revision to Canadian competition levels, to better align with the FEI. For your convenience, we are providing a Quick Reference Guide for the New Canadian Vaulting Levels.

 

COMPETITION POLICIES

2023 Competition Policies, referred to in the National Rules, offer direction to Coaches, Officials and Competition Management concerning topics such as competition levels, eligibility, special provisions for vaulters with a disability and video competition protocols.

2023 Competition Policy - Clean Copy

2023 Markup Version - showing changes since the 2022 policy

Note that the National Rules reference aspects of the FEI Guidelines for Judges and the FEI Code of Points, found below. Canadian specific Notices regarding the FEI Guidelines should also be reviewed.

Judging Codes - In case you are wondering about those mysterious abbreviations on your scoresheets, here's what they mean.

Provincial Rules

Provincial competitions include all levels form Walk D to Canter AA.

The 2023 EVABC / HCBC Provincial Rules are available for download here.

Note that the Provincial Rules reference aspects of the National Rules and the VaultCanada Competition Policies, found above, and also the FEI Guidelines for Judges and the FEI Code of Points, found below.

FEI Rules

The FEI Rules, Guidelines for Judges, Code of Points, and Qualification Criteria are available here on the FEI website.

Recommendations for Barrel Classes

Vaulting organizations in Canada fundamentally believe that vaulting is an equestrian sport, and that the competitors (i.e. the horse, lunger, and vaulter) work as a team during training and competition. In other words, the horse is not a simple “apparatus” such as a balance beam in gymnastics, but is as integral to the sport as the vaulter – the essence of vaulting is the harmony that exists between the horse and the vaulter. While barrel classes are not recognized in the rules, we believes that the barrel plays an important part in the conditioning and training of vaulters in support of work on the horse. Some provinces have established official recommendations for these non-recognized barrel classes and these can be downloaded here:

 

Guidelines for Unrecognized Classes

At the discretion of the competition manager, unrecognized classes may be offered to encourage participation by those who are not entering the recognized classes included in our Rule Books. These guidelines are intended to clarify the requirements for the unrecognized classes which may be offered in Canadian competitions.