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eventeen-year-old Bella Napthali, who’s currently studying for her HSC, already has a string of equestrian vaulting successes behind her. Based in the NSW’s Southern Highlands, she’s the only equestrian in the family and arrived at the sport while taking gymnastics lessons from coach Lani Maher, a talented vaulter herself. Spotting potential, Lani offered Bella some vaulting training, and the then nine-year-old Bella, who has no problem with being upside down and delights in a challenge, fell in love with the sport and to this day is coached by Lani and Lani’s mother Kerri Wilson. And then there’s Andre. Owned by Bella’s vaulting club, Andre, an ex-police horse, is a 17.2hh Warmblood x Quarter Horse who’s built quite a bond with Bella. “He’s very gentle and kind. He does get a bit anxious at times,” she says, “but we work together really well.” To no small degree, Bella’s success is the result of sheer hard work. Although she vaults only three times a week, training is a daily occurrence. “I do endurance work so I’m fit enough to vault,” she tells me, “and I work on the barrel [a wooden horse] to improve my technique and strength.”
YO U N G R I D E R
Flying high When it comes to moves like the flag, mill and scissors, Bella Napthali has it down pat. Making a serious mark in the world of equestrian vaulting, she spoke to AMANDA MAC about her very promising career.
Because flatwork is essential for building the muscle and balance a horse needs to lunge on a circle while the vaulter performs, Bella and Andre also train in dressage up to five times a week. Interestingly, 50 per cent of competition scores are dressage based, and therefore directly related to the horse’s performance. “Every couple of weeks we have a lesson with dressage rider Janice Usherwood, who has been amazing in helping us improve,” she says. Bella’s most recent pre-COVID success was placing third at the 2019 Nationals, which, she says, was “pretty exciting.” But prior to that was a European sojourn, largely courtesy of Bella’s Austrian citizenship. “My mum’s family is Austrian and I was born there. So as a family we spent nine months in Europe in 2019, and I was lucky enough to compete and
