Vaulting Compulsory Movements, Explained (Flag, Mill, Stand & More)

Compulsories are the backbone of vaulting scoring: a fixed sequence of required exercises, each judged on its own. Because every movement gets its own mark, compulsories are where you learn exactly what to train. Here's what each one is.

The core movements

• Vault On (Mount) — getting onto the moving horse cleanly and in rhythm. The entry sets the tone for the whole round.
• Basic Seat — sitting balanced and still on the horse's back, arms out, showing control at the gait.
• Flag — kneeling on one leg with the opposite leg and arm extended straight out, holding a clean line while the horse moves.
• Mill — a controlled sequence of leg passes over the horse's neck and back, rotating through positions with rhythm and precision.
• Scissors — a swinging movement that crosses the legs in the air and reverses seat direction, requiring height and timing.
• Stand — standing upright on the moving horse, the balance showpiece of the compulsories.
• Flank / Dismount — the swinging exit that ends the round; height, form, and a controlled landing all count.

How each movement is scored

Each movement is scored on the 0–10 scale for form, control, and correctness — height where height matters, stillness where stillness matters, rhythm throughout. Because the marks are separate, two vaulters with the same overall compulsory score can have completely different strengths: one carried by a beautiful stand, another by a rock-solid seat.

Why the per-movement detail matters

At a competition you usually see one combined compulsory number. But the movement-level marks exist — and tracked over time they answer the question every coach and parent actually has: which movement is improving, which is stuck, and where is the next tenth of a point?

AfterComp reconstructs those per-movement scores across every competition and puts each one next to the class median and the average of the top three finishers. So instead of "compulsories were a 5.5," you get "your flag is trending up and now top-15%, but your stand is 0.8 below the medalists" — an actual training plan.

Look up a vaulter's movement breakdown →