Jousting

[Sir Rodney]

I'm sure we could arrange either a one day event or a weekend of camping at our place and do some jousty talks and demos. And for anyone interested, we do have a horse or two that I've given lessons on. I would just require that anyone who wanted to ride wears hard toed boots and a riding helmet.

Any chance you guys will be hitting the Minnesota renaissance festival soon?   

I'm the Knight the Order sent to guard our northern border.  So far the Canadians seem very friendly...

[Sir Dimitry]

I am a Theatrical Jouster and while I do not go to the extremes of trying to knock my opponent into the dirt, the connection and the dedication to that "bond" is the same. My Boy, Oz, is a true brat, but he's my brat and we make a damned good team... 

Also, at 47, when I do hit the ground, I don't bounce anymore, I break... LOL!

[Jon Blair]

I'm sure we could arrange either a one day event or a weekend of camping at our place and do some jousty talks and demos. And for anyone interested, we do have a horse or two that I've given lessons on. I would just require that anyone who wanted to ride wears hard toed boots and a riding helmet.

Any chance you guys will be hitting the Minnesota renaissance festival soon?   

I'm the Knight the Order sent to guard our northern border.  So far the Canadians seem very friendly...

That's just what those Canadians want you to think. If Alan Alda ever becomes president, you'll see their true colors.

[Lady Jouster]

Sir Rodney, jousting is our second job. Since we both have "real" full-time jobs here in MD, we can't travel that far

Sir Dimitry, we aren't trying to knock each other into the dirt either, though we have had the occasional jouster hit the dirt anyway. We use 3' balsa tips, but they still hit pretty hard and sometimes the tip blows apart and we take a hit from the socket. I agree, from the horse's point of view, it's no different, that trust has to be there. After all, it's a bit hard to explain the difference between solid historical lances, 3' balsa, SCA style "popcorn" lances, etc to a horse, lol! Who do you joust with? We love meeting other jousters

[Sir Brian]

B: You're right.  My wife grew up on horses and she fondly recalls the personal connection.  She also speaks about the stubborn streaks and naughty nature of some her horses.   

LOL! Yes, some can be *quite* naughty. But then there are those, like my Loki, who will quite literally go out of their way to save you from a fall. On several occasions, I have taken a mighty hit in the lanes and been tilted to the right beyond my ability to recover. And that horse, at a full gallop, has stepped to the side and *pushed* me back onto his back. At one point I was borderline heat stroking at VARF and several folks told me I was a fool to ride, let alone joust. I got in Loki's saddle, took a deep breath, and immediately felt centered and calm. We did the entire joust with him fully aware of my compromised state. My riding instructor happened to be there that day watching. At the end of the joust she came up to me, "You know you only made it through that because he was going side to side to keep you on his back, right?" Yep, I do!

My dad thinks horses are crazy beasts and I'm a nutcase for riding them. But to be on a horse that you have developed a connection with, a horse that you have trained from a youngster and you know each other like you know yourselves... There is a freedom there that I just can't find anywhere else. I think and he acts. I climb on the back of an 1,800 pound prey animal that is wired to run from danger. And he trusts me to keep him safe while another (usually dominant) horse is charging at him carrying another human with a weapon. All while he keeps me safe as well. There's nothing like it.

I'm loving this thread more and more and both you and Mike really deliver the goods sharing your experiences!

[Sir Dimitry]

Sir Rodney, jousting is our second job. Since we both have "real" full-time jobs here in MD, we can't travel that far

We're in lower NYS (Orange County) and all have full time jobs so I know that story. :-)

Sir Dimitry, we aren't trying to knock each other into the dirt either, though we have had the occasional jouster hit the dirt anyway. We use 3' balsa tips, but they still hit pretty hard and sometimes the tip blows apart and we take a hit from the socket. I agree, from the horse's point of view, it's no different, that trust has to be there. After all, it's a bit hard to explain the difference between solid historical lances, 3' balsa, SCA style "popcorn" lances, etc to a horse, lol! Who do you joust with? We love meeting other jousters

We are depicting an earlier form of jousting, (late 1200s, early 1300s) using minimal armour (Arms, legs, gorget, helm) and we are striking for the outer most corner of the shield that's held out at a 90degree. Our solids are 11' x 1.75" poles and our breakaway's last 3' are socketed balsa, scored to make a huge "explosion". Several of our horses are rescued polo ponies (already used to all the craziness). And we are a very prop heavy group, especially with our Skill at Arms portion of the shows.

I am with "Spur of the Moment Jousting" which was up until a recent reorganization, The Silver Knights.

We redeisned the website, but we still haven't changed out the url... LOL One thing at a time

www.silverknightsjoust.com

[Lady Jouster]

Looks like you're about 4 1/2 hours from us.  That's "not far" in jouster distance, lol.

[Bayard_Davis-Munro]

Bringing this topic back from the ashes as I was going to ask who all had horses, or did any kind of jousting?

I don't think I could talk dads horse into doing this, but maybe a future acquisition ?  I would think it would take some time to train them to get used to the whole idea of jousting.

So any tips on training would be a great help.

[Sir Rodney]

Welcome! 

One method I would suggest is to contact your local SCA group.  They recently (in the last few years) began jousting with balsa tips.  Look, or ask, for an equestrian contact to get further information.

I'm not positive, but they might make you start with the basics until the local Equestrian Marshall (person in charge) is comfortable with your riding skills.  Even though you might be "born in the saddle" they want to make sure everything checks out (for our insurance carrier).  I'm assuming this is the route of progression because it's the same thing we do with our heavy (rattan) fighters.

Once you've got the balsa jousting thing down, you can always move on to the pine jousting folks or the insane solid lance with metal coronel folks!   

[Bayard_Davis-Munro]

Thank you Sir Rodney! I shall look into it. Idk about born in a saddle ( that would be dad) but I am pretty comfortable there.

I have seen the videos of balsa tipped lances and the like. Getting to be up there in age and I don't like hitting the ground hard anymore, but that sure looks fun!

Even if my wife ( my stalwart nurse that says no a lot) says no to full contact jousting, I figure at least I can show up with horse and lance at least for show.

[Sir Rodney]

This might make your wife feel better.  I was wrong, the SCA uses a three part lance with the tip being foam, the middle being cardboard tube and the base being wood.  That's about as safe as you can get in jousting! 

2. Lances, spears and javelins.
(a) Foam Jousting Lances.
(1) Shall be 8-10ft as measured from the top (forward edge) of the rider’s hand
to the tip of the foam.
(2) The lance shall be constructed in three sections including the tip, middle, and
base. The tip and the base will socket into the middle section.
(3) Lances must use a foam tip, 2-4 ft in length, extending at least 22-inches
beyond the middle section. Approved foams are expanded polystyrene foam
(Styrofoam) or Extruded Insulation Foam, of 2-inch diameter and
approximately 2-lb./ftÂł density.
(4) The middle section consists of a cardboard tube with a 2-inch interior
diameter and a maximum of a 1/8-inch side wall, and a minimum length of 4
ft.
(5) The base section may be made of any non-brittle material with a maximum
of 2.5 ft forward of the hand (as measured from the top of the hand to the
forward end that is inside the cardboard tube). It is recommended the base
section be carved from wood, and that at least 6 inches extends into the
middle section.
(6) A recommended lance construction would be a base with 1.5 ft in front of the
hand, of which 6 inches is the 2”diameter extension into the tube, a 5ft or 6ft
tube, and 24” foam.
(b) Spears and javelins
(1) Spears and javelins may be equipped with metal tips.

Source: Equestrian Marshal’s Handbook

[Bayard_Davis-Munro]

Well it may keep her from throwing out her spine rolling her eyes at me that is a heck of a combo, sure would cut down on injuries for sure.