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Competitive vaulting was brought to the United States by Elizabeth Searle from Germany in the late 1960s. (With over 100,000 vaulters, vaulting is considered a prerequisite for riding in Germany, and over 50 percent of German riders holding competitive licenses were vaulters in their early years.) She attended a vaulting display at the Olympic Games of 1956 in Stockholm on a visit from America and realized immediately that the United States Pony Club would benefit by the inclusion of vaulting in its program in terms of safety, opportunity, preparation for riding, and fun. When she took over the running of a riding school with a high accident rate, she insisted on all pupils gaining a proficiency certificate in vaulting before being allowed to join a riding class. The accident rate dropped dramatically.