The Armour Archive

"Knight School" is a monthly training session devoted to the schooling of horse, rider and support staff to participate in historical jousting and skill at arms activities, as practiced in the International Jousting Association. We'll work with at all levels of experience, from rank novices to skilled jousters. Although we are not equipped to provide riding lessons at this time, participants are welcome to bring their own mount. Please phone Jeff to discuss accomodations for your horse. All participants will be required to sign a “Hold harmlessâ€Â

Just a friendly reminder that Knight School is this weekend coming up. It's looking as though we'll have a few folks out, and we ask that anyone planning to attend please contact us in advance so we can be properly prepared.

Phone us at work- 760-789-2299
email- jousting@historicenterprises.com

Los en Croissant!

Gwen

This sounds almost too good to be true! If you continue to offer these sessions on a regular basis, I will have to fly down and attend at least once to try it out after Zil and I have moved to the San Jose area (this late spring some time). It sounds like a good excuse to reactivate my old dusty equestrian skills.

Klaus

The intention is to hold Knight School the first weekend of the month, every month but August, and all are welcome.

We've had folks fly in from as far away as Alaska for Knight School, and anticipate a gal from PA attending this weekend. We're only 40 minutes from San Diego airport, so airport pickup and dropoff are not a problem.

Gwen

Nice. What level of skill in the saddle are you looking for before you'll consider someone advanced enough to start the mounted work, and is that instruction predicated on bringing one's own mount?

Klaus the Red wrote:Nice. What level of skill in the saddle are you looking for before you'll consider someone advanced enough to start the mounted work, and is that instruction predicated on bringing one's own mount?

I am not qualified to teach someone to ride, nor do I have the time for it. Intermediate to advanced riders are welcome, but specific jousting experience is not necessary. I'm happy to introduce a somewhat experienced rider to jousting, but prefer not to try to get a beginning rider up to speed so they can joust. Better for them to take a year or two of riding lessons first.

We can accommodate boarding people's mounts (max of probably 3), but it's not required that you bring one. I have one trained jousting horse and one 4 year old in training. There's a lot we can do still even without two fully trained horses. And of course, I won't let just "anyone" ride my boys.

I'm not doing this to quickly get people into jousting. Jousting is a sport which takes committment and dedication, and to do justice to it, it really needs to be one's primary if not sole hobby. Doing it well leaves time and energy for little else. It's my preference to start with a good foundation in technique and build slowly from that solid foundation, rather than just put somebody into armour and on a horse as early as possible just to get them jousting asap. Rushing things is a recipe for disaster and horse abuse.

That being said, looks like Rachael from PA is coming out along with a couple of locals, so I'll let everyone know how it goes next week.

No arguments here. Until such time as I get my riding skills back up to where they ought to be, I'd be equally happy learning to be ground crew and watching the experienced hands take their lumps.

Klaus

There's probably a lot more involved with a proper tournament than most folks imagine. A full on tournament involves unseen people behind the scene prepping (building and/or setting up the tilt, prepping lances, building and/or setting up a gallery and/or a host of other set items), folks on the field but not riding to carry banners, handle the quintain, reload lances, set cabbages and rings if there is to be skill at arms competitions, hand up lances, etc., as well as mounted people who act as banner bearers, squires, judges and ladies (especially if they ride sidesaddle!). There's a place for musicians and acrobats as well.

We figure the "perfect world ratio" to be at least 3 people on the ground for every jouster, so there's always room for folks who like to do stuff, make stuff, be around horses, be involved in a way cool thing, and like to wear way cool clothes.

Gwen

Too far fer me to drive

Maybe next year.

Jeff, Gwen,

Totally agreed on the time consuming nature of horses and a horse hobby in general. One of the main reasons I have not pursued an interest in horses has been that I've been distracted in other directions and not had the interest to make the time required. My experience has been that horses require a sizable commitment of time to do the relationship justice.

But it's a direction I have been wanting to take for a couple of years, and it may come to pass in the next couple of years, depending on fortune. The key is to inspire my wife to be interested, because for me any successful hobby in my marriage must be a partnership.

I have been collecting the gear and developing the unterbau for the equestrian aspect of my interest in 14th century martial culture, understanding that when the horses enter the scene, the capacity for supporting other developments will drop accordingly. The idea is, that I'll have all the trappings, and then *insert horse* and then it's relatively complete, with training and increased skill improving the overall presentation.

I'm really jealous of my friends in Las Vegas who I hope will take advantage of their geographical good fortune (really one of the only strokes of good luck that Las Vegas has), and come visit with you. I think you'd find Raymond and William a hoot.

John
Jehan de Pelham, esquire and servant of Sir Vitus
www.mron.org

Hi John-

Your approach is very sensible, with only one addition I can add- if you decide to get a horse, you really should love working with them.

They're not an accessory that one can add to one's kit like a new purse. To be an effective and convincing rider, one has to really commit to it with all one's heart and soul, want to learn to communicate with the horse, to make the horse a partner in the undertaking, not just a conveyance.

Certainly I've seen and even know people who ride simply because they want to joust, or simply because it's what's required of their desire to do living history; the horse is a means to an end rather than a partner, and their efforts are never as solid and rewarding as those who really learn how to work *with* their horse. These guys fight with their horses, and the horses fight back- sometimes sullenly by not moving where they need to, and others dangerously by running out of control, kicking and carrying on. It's never easy to watch.

Unlike a car or motorcycle, horses have their own personality, and one must be prepared to patiently learn how to communicate with them. You can't just jump on, turn the engine on and be off. Horses have good days, and horses have bad days. I'm not saying any of this to dissuade you from horse ownership, not at all. Even though I don't ride, my "boys" bring a tremendous amount of joy to my life with their funny personalities and quirks. Most days my boys do me proud, and some days they are cows, only slightly less useful. You learn to take the good with the bad, just like with kids. Just don't ever expect these kids to learn to muck their own stalls or fix fences!

That having been said, when you're ready to own a horse, there are few things that can be as rewarding. Good luck, and maybe we'll see you at a tournament someday. In the interval, please know your friends are always welcome.

Gwen