Amazing gymnastic stunts... on horseback!

Image source, AFP

Image caption, This - Newsround readers - is gymnastics on top of horse.

Welcome to a world in which gymnastics is simply not challenging enough unless you're doing it on top of a moving animal, more than a metre from the ground.

This is a sport called equestrian vaulting - it involves performing complicated moves on top of a horse as the horse walks quickly in a circle around an arena.

It might sound like we're making it up, but the pictures should hopefully prove that it's real!

Video caption, Have you ever heard of horse vaulting?

It is thought the sport of vaulting - or performing acrobatics - on top of horses has been around for thousands of years.

Take a look at some of the amazing photographs from this year's FEI Vaulting World Cup Final in France.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, A competitor warms up ahead of the competition. Horses are fitted with handles on their bridles to allow the rider to perform moves more easily.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, If you thought a handstand was hard on the ground - how hard do you think it would be on the back of a horse?

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Vaulting is a more popular sport in countries such as Germany and Switzerland than it is in the UK.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, All the pressure of the competition is not on the gymnast alone - the horse also gets marked on how well they walk around the circle!

Image source, AFP

Image caption, This sport requires a strong relationship between the gymnast and the horse.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, An equestrian vaulter warms-up before the FEI Vaulting World Cup final competition.