The term Equestrian Gymnastics , has been used in three ways in South Africa: as the name for an activity or performance form, and as a collective name for a set of circus acts (sometimes referred to as an Equestrian Circus), and as the name of a specific circus company.

Equestrian Gymnastics, as a performance form

More commonly referred today as Equestrian Vaulting[1], is a (competitive or non-competitive) activity often described as "gymnastics and dance on horseback". As a competitive sport it is open to both men and women, and is one of ten equestrian disciplines recognized by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (Fédération Équestre Internationale).

However, vaulting also has a long history as an Equestrian Act used in circuses, hence as a descriptor for a set of such acts, and its origins stretch back at least two-thousand years, with its circus roots most probably lying in the ancient Roman games, where acrobats[2] usually displayed their skills on cantering horses.

According to The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979), the Equestrian Circus thus "constitutes the oldest form of circus art, in which most of the acts involve performing horses and displays of horsemanship. The equestrian circus originated in horse festivals, equestrian competitions, and riding schools and was the main type of circus in the 18th and 19th centuries. The traditional circus ring, 13-14 m in diameter, came from the equestrian circus."[3]

Some international examples include The Royal Australian Equestrian Circus (185), Hughes' Great Mammoth Equestrian Circus,

Equestrian Gymnastics, as the name of a circus troupe/company

In the South African context, Equestrian Gymnastics, first occurs, both as a descriptor for a set of performances and as the name of a French circus troupe which visited Cape Town in late 1850 (October-December) under the auspices of the governor Sir Harry Smith, and featured pantomime-performances and dramatised equestrian displays as part of its repertoire. In advertisements the presentations were referred to as "Equestrian Gymnastics". Hauptfleisch (1997, p. 28)[4] has pointed out that that some of these performances are clearly related to equestrian style models familiar at the time in England and the United States (e.g. the "military re-enactment" or the "Wild West Show").

Among the acts included in their performances were Admiral Lord Nelson, or The Life of a Sailor, The Ballad of the Villagers, The Jolly Miller, The Golden Dream, Fra Diovolo, or The Banditti of the Anrouzes, The Shipwrecked Sailor, Par a Par, a Gar a Nous, or Harlequin Protected by the Magician, The Miser, or Happiness found in Gold and The Kafir War, or The Burnt Farm.