Amazing gymnastic stunts... on horseback!

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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!

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

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