| Jousting as a sport takes it’s roots from warfare. Tournaments, which included many forms of armed combat, were devised to keep highly trained fighters fit and ready for any threat that might arise. By testing the knights and horses regularly, they stayed battle ready and had a goal to work toward. As time passed, the tournament became a sport in it’s own right and was practiced in times of peace as well as those of war. |
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Rumours of War, the company presenting live jousting and swordplay at this years Breyerfest, agreed to give us a look inside the training of these specialized horses.
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Pictured left to right are: Sir Ivanhoe, The Sherriff of Nottingham (seated) Sir John and the honorable Robin of Loxley.
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The Sherriff awaits Sir Ivanhoe on his Percheron charger. Rumours of War demonstrated another tournament contest: sword fighting on horseback. It is quite difficult to keep the horses in correct position for a good strike! Notice no helms are worn for this event. They restrict the vision too much for the rider to be effective.
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| Selection of horses:
First, they have to be big. Bigger horses are better able to carry the knight, tack and the approximately 100 pounds of armor that make the joust possible. Drafts and draft crosses are preferable. Percherons, Shires and sometimes Clydesdales are used. In the Breyerfest show, they used a Percheron and a Shire-Arab cross. The Percheron was magnificent, but a bit slower. The cross bred was somewhat lighter and faster, but was still at least in the 1600-1700 pound range (my guess) and was well able to hold his own.
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Above, Sir Ivanhoe is seen exercising his Shire/Arab cross (right) and on the left one of the milk maids exercises Sir John's mount. The horse in front is an average horse standing about 15 hands. The draft cross is taller and heavier.
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Another valuable characteristic these horses need is an easy going temperament. They must not get rattled about things like lances, rattling armor and the inevitable crowd distractions. Of course they will be traveling with other horses and around the public so a docile attitude is even more important.
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| Surprisingly, something that is not needed is great intelligence. A really smart horse will easily get bored with running in straight lines and will often be too smart to want to gallop headlong toward another horse. Also, it is sometimes a problem if the horse is strongly bonded to the rider. A smart horse realizes he is taking his rider into danger and will often start swerving out of the ‘lists’ or alleyway designed to guide the horses in a straight line for the lance strike. While this is a noble idea, it makes it hard to strike the opponent accurately. |
| Once a suitable horse is found, training can begin. As with any project involving horses, the Rumours of War team must practice good horsemanship skills to train these highly specialized horses. Horses are familiarized with all the sights they are likely to see at an event. They are shown the armor and ridden in it much like getting a horse ready for any show or parade. They are then ridden with a lance and have to get used to something sticking forward over their heads which can make some horses come completely unglued. They get must be trained to run straight in the lists (the alleyway that guides them during the joust) this allows the knight to aim the lance accurately. They must also go from a standing start to a canter as easily as possible. Because the knight has limited mobility and will be holding a heavy lance in one hand, the horses are trained to respond to seat and leg cues as well as to neck rein easily. Another sound the horses have to become accustomed to is the breaking of the lance on the knight’s chest. |
| Jousts are carried out using real lances. These are painted poles about twice the length of the horse and about 2 ½ inches in diameter. They splinter and make quite a bit of noise when they break. Again, careful training assures that the horse knows he is safe and that this is something that happens every day. Care is taken to ensure that the horse is not struck or frightened by the lance or it’s pieces. After several months of training, the horses usually learn on their own to expect the rider to be pushed backwards in the saddle (in the direction of the right hip) and most will kindly compensate and shift their weight to help the rider stay seated. Sometimes, a horse will not be so considerate and will drop the right hip and let the rider go flying. |
| Lastly, the horses need to know that it is ok for the rider to fall off. Riders take many tumbles off and then reassure the horse to show them that it really is ok. Still, there will be the occasional horse that decides these humans are crazy to put themselves in harm’s way and may not be cut out for this line of work. Many enjoy it and like any discipline, these are usually the best in the business. |
Sir John educates the audience on the finer points of jousting.
Many thanks to Alan Dudley and the Rumours of War team for the information they provided for this article. Their hardworking squires and milk maids should be acknowledged here too!! Be sure to visit them at Renaissance Fairs across the country or see their web site.
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