How to Get Involved with the International Jousting League

written by Frederic Piraux, head of the International Jousting League
edited by Zhi Zhu

How Do I Get to Play?

You probably wore out your old VHS tape fast forwarding to the jousting scene in Ivanhoe.... You know A Knight’s Tale better than the script girl who worked on it.... And ever since you saw that tournament at the renaissance faire a few summers back and actually got to chat with a guy sweating in armour by the paddocks, you knew that the sport of jousting was for you! Your childhood dream could be fulfilled.

After buying the ‘made in China’ Henry XVth suit of armour from the discount website because it perfectly matched the crusader helm you so proudly and victoriously won from the auction on e-bay. And after spending a ton of time training your mighty jousting horse -- the one you originally bought for your daughter’s future international jumping career when she turned 13 -- over the past three weeks. Well... except for the one week when the arena was flooded by rain.

Even though you had to practice on your own after the first day because your sparring partner -- who didn't win his e-bay auction -- got maimed by the broom stick you had extended with PVC tube(for obvious safety reasons), you persevered.

And now...YOU’RE READY TO JOUST!

And the world better acknowledge it, since you scored 75% on that Facebook quiz.

It is understandable that personal enthusiasm can easily overwhelm sound judgement, and you can easily feel frustrated when you find out that most of what you figured out on your own needs serious revision.

"Why don't those pricks invite me to their tournaments? Are they scared of me?"

Yes! They are!

Just because you’re ready to risk life and limb in a sport that you are NOT adequately prepared for, does not mean that I’m willing to be the one to rip your head off in front of a live audience(and all their cameras). It also does not mean that I am willing to let your lance come any closer to my horse than the rack in the far corner of the arena! It does mean that, as a tournament organizer, the professionalism I expect from the other competitors, I also want to be able to expect from you.

You might be tempted to re-invent the wheel(and probably make it sturdier using duct tape), BUT… I can only encourage you to first find out what others have already figured out. Seriously, this sport/re-enactment is a very dangerous activity when your preparation is that "approximate". Our ancestors found that out the hard way and committed all the basic mistakes they could so that you would not have to do the same.

Don't be afraid to ask for help from those who have already done their research, both historical and practical, and are now respected, experienced jousters. If you approach politely, they will not snub you. Most jousters within the International Jousting League are cool guys(and girls) who will answer all your questions for free!

Frederic Piraux (in red) watches Stacy Wasson joust against her opponent at 
Brooks Medieval Faire Jousting Tournament 2014 (photo by Grant Zelych)

Their concern is that you don’t get injured and give our game a bad name.
Their concern is that you don’t hurt a horse and give our game a horrible name.
Their concern is to bring you into the sport safely, so that you can continue to play with us. The more the merrier!

I promise you no one will expect you to prove five years of experience prior to the job (we are not your first employer after college) or noble ascendance through four generations before you are allowed in. But you will be expected to have shown commitment and consistent sound judgement before being considered for invitation to any jousting event.

NOW, you should be ready... to get started!

It's easy and free to join the International Jousting League. Just fill out the application form and send it in.

Each IJL event is independently run by its own organizer.
He’s the one to contact and he makes the management calls.
He’s free to choose :
- number of participants
- historical period or style of the joust
- jousting rules
- riding level expectations
- soft kit style
- camping or hotel ?
- solid lances, hard wood tips, balsa tips, pool noodle…
-…

Do you want to participate in an IJL tournament?
Look for the year and then event links on the IJL Tournaments page.
Do you fit the event requirements?
Send the organizer an e-mail!

It is quite standard for tournament organizers to contact the IJL Secretary with questions like: "I'm looking for one European (from preferred country or countries) with 15thC armour, willing to joust with hard tips – Would you please send list of recommendations?"
The answer is always based on the knowledge we have of the affiliate.

Frederic Piraux, head of the International Jousting League 
(photo by Andrzej Wiktor)

International Jousting League website
IJL Individual Affiliation Form (downloadable pdf)
IJL Tournament Affiliation Form (downloadable pdf)
Email the IJL

Related articles:
International and National Jousting Organizations
Modern Medievalist Interviews International Jouster Frederic Piraux
A New Kind of Frangible Lance Tip: Spiral Cut Pine Tips

An Interview with Arne Koets, Jouster and Organizer of the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen

The Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen was a grueling ten day tournament display held in conjunction with an exhibition of knightly arms and armour at the Museum zu Allerheiligen in northern Switzerland. Arne Koets, who organized The Grand Tournament of Sankt Wendel in 2012, was also the tournament organizer for the joust in Schaffhausen.

Arne Koets during the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen (photo by Andreas Petitjean)

A total of eight jousters participated in the tournament including: Bertus Brokamp, Toby Capwell, Petter Ellingsen, Arne Koets, Wouter Nicolai, Dominic Sewell, Joram van Essen and Alix van Zijl. The jousters did not ride the same horses throughout the tournament because that would have been too hard on the horses. However, the horses that were ridden were: Bertus' Andalusian stallion Talento, Toby's Friesian stallion Duke, Petter's Andalusian gelding Sigismund, Arne's Andalusian gelding Maximillian and his Lusitano stallion Sultan, Wouter's Andalusian stallion Flamenco, Dominic's Andalusian gelding Coralito(in his first jousting season) and his Belgian Warmblood stallion Marduc, Joram's Murgese stallion Zogo, and Alix's Andalusian stallion Torero. Interestingly, Talento and Torero are half-brothers.

The Lady of Honour was Christine Krischke and she rode her Berber stallion Raisulih. The Tournament Master was Wolfgang Krischke, Court Riding Master of the Fürstlichen Hofreitschule Bückeburg, who rode his magnificent Knabstrubber stallion Olymp.

Left: Arne Koets' Andalusian jousting horse Maximillian,
Right: Wolfgang Krischke's Knabstrubber stallion Olymp (photos by Andreas Petitjean)

There were two sessions of jousting/mounted melee each day, and many of those sessions sold out. In fact, during the course of the whole ten day event, approximately 80% of the jousting tickets, which cost 30 - 45 francs and also allowed entry to the museum exhibition, were sold.

Despite somewhat uncooperative weather, none of the sessions were cancelled, and only one was delayed. Before each session of jousting/mounted melee, an explanation of the history and rules of the tournament was given to the audience. Other information, such as details on the art of riding, was also provided.

Each session of jousting actually involved five separate parts, all based on an extant description of an actual tournament that was held in that very square in Schaffhausen in 1436.

First, there were two matches of jousting, with two different jousters in each match. Each match consisted of three passes with lances down the length of the tilt. The lances used for the jousting were shaped solid wood with sharp steel coronels. A winner for each pass was declared based on a set of historical rules involving riding, lance handling, where the opponent was hit and whether the lance broke. The jouster with the best two passes out of three won the match.

Toby Capwell waits at the end of the tilt as a member of the ground crew carries
away his broken lance, and a line judge signals the score for that pass.
(photo by Ingrid Isabella von Altdorf)

Second was a Mounted Duel using steel swords on horseback. The duels were judged by the Tournament Master and the Ladies Court, and the winner was determined based on both riding ability/horse positioning and the number of strikes landed against the opponent. According to Arne Koets, in every case, the competitor who rode the best also landed the most strikes, so determining the winner was easy.

Wolfgang Krischke takes a break from judging to participate in a mounted duel
with Arne Koets. You can see members of the Court in the stands behind them.
(photo by Ingrid Isabella von Altdorf)

Third was a Team Turnier(mounted melee), which consisted of two teams of three riders each charging at each other and attempting to strike the members of the opposing team with wooden clubs. Acceptable target areas included any part of the body covered by armour above the waist. For each session, the charge was repeated three times. When a rider broke a club, he could collect a new one from the squires. As many as 12 clubs were broken PER SESSION.

Joram van Essen breaks his melee club over Toby Capwell's helm
(photo by Isis Sturtewagen)

Fourth was a living history display of the 'punishments' that were described in the historical record of the tournament. These historical re-enactments were based on the museum's interpretation of the documents describing them.

Fifth, and finally, there was a Nachturnier or 'after-tournament'. This was an individual Crest Melee where competitors used steel swords to try and knock the crests off of everyone else's helms. The last competitor with his crest still attached to his helm was the winner.

Arne Koets and Alix van Zijl during the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen
(photo by Andreas Petitjean)

Even though this type of mounted combat can be dangerous, especially when doing it twice a day for ten days, only two injuries occurred – both caused by impacts with the crossguards of the steel swords used in the Nachturnier.

Not long after the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen, Arne Koets graciously answered several questions about the event. [Due to various circumstances, it took quite a while to publish this interview. My apologies to both Arne and to the readers of The Jousting Life.]

How did the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen come into being?

I was recommended to organize the tournament for the museum, whose director had organized an event in Berne some years ago. He wanted to enhance his knightly arms and armour exhibition, and we were meant to give a slice of history, doing it for real. Hence the combat was competitive, but in a medieval, not in a modern sense. We were to capture the image of the original historical tournament.

The jousting/mounted melee sessions were a museum ‘interpretation’ and the texts were straight out of the original sources (edited by the director himself). We re-created the whole four day tournament in the space of one hour. Twice a day. For ten days running. The only thing we didn't have was 195 riders on the field like there were in 1436.

Six of the eight jousters who participated in Schaffhausen. From bottom left to top right: Arne Koets, Wouter Nicolai, Toby Capwell, Petter Ellingsen, Bertus Brokamp and Dominic Sewell
(photo by Stefan Kiss)

What were the biggest challenges in organizing the tournament?

The amount of shows. Twenty shows is a lot, but 20 shows with up to 5 melees in each is even more insane! The level of what we wanted to do was really high in terms of riding, saddlery, armour, fighting technique and weapons accuracy, but also we made a marathon of it. Due to the long duration, the team size was very limited, and we were a bit understaffed due to the cap on overall team numbers.

A HUGE challenge was to manage the workload on the horses. The weather was really hot, as well, and we rotated the horses and riders, as planned from the start. The horse transport was also very complicated due to customs, and that cost a great deal of money.

Also the site is very strongly sloped and small due to the requirements of the grandstands and the surrounding shops. In medieval times, the square's outside track would have been the audience area. Now, it needed to be kept free, reducing the field to tiny proportions.

There were very many challenges to get such a complex event to run. Too many to mention.

Explain how the tournament related to the exhibition at the Museum zu Allerheiligen?

We really did a museum display, where we showed a slice of history, and the actual combat was there to supply one of the aspects of authenticity. The arms and armour exhibition was showing in great detail many of the aspects of German tournament culture, and we wanted to incorporate as many of these in the display as possible. We rejected the set notions of how shows are normally run, and instead, first formulated what would have actually been seen in the historical tournament, and only then reduced it to a watchable show for a modern audience.

Petter Ellingsen waits at the end of the tilt while two other jousters compete
in front of a sold out audience (photo by Ingrid Isabella von Altdorf)

How do you think tournaments such as this one can benefit those who study history? 

Due to using a great deal of rare pieces of equipment (like saddles and special helmets), we were able to experiment in new directions, but also the completeness of the ‘experiment’ made it worthwhile to get new insights. There were several visitors from America – academics who flew over for the occasion. We had a lot of museum curators and directors there to see it, and they were able to confirm our interpretation, as well as see things in a different light – understanding much more of the culture and the mechanics of what they study as static objects and written accounts.

Describe any specific training you and/or the other jousters did in preparation for this tournament?

The process started really in 2010, when we replaced almost all the horses in the team and started riding in a more historical way, and being helped a great deal to develop the collected exercises. The team of horses, the time to prepare and the equipment was made and extended. Especially in Holland, several test training's were run, but also clinics in England and Germany were run, so that we could develop the lances, the clubs, the tactics, the riding, the saddles....

Most of the riders worked daily on this development over the last 4 years, ordering armour, riding, learning, reading up on riding theory, etc....

There was also a significant push for mounted martial arts.

Bertus Brokamp, Alix van Zijl, Petter Ellingsen and Joram van Essen during a mounted melee, Schaffhausen 2014 (photo by Isis Sturtewagen)

What can you tell us about the two injuries that were sustained during the mounted melees?

Two horses running at one another have a lot of force, so the dynamics of the swordwork in the Turnier(mounted melee) are quite impressive, and sometimes things go wrong. Bertus' hand punched into a crossguard. The thing was that Bertus' injury was an unfortunate accident. He was hit on the inside of his hand where the leather glove is inside the gauntlet.

Joram was struck in the face with Toby's crossguard. During the melee both men were riding like furies and came upon one another frontally. Whilst they were targeting each others' crests, they noticed they were about to crash and made a last minute swerve to make sure the horses did not collide. However, that could not be said of the riders themselves. Not only did the armoured men hit each other, the hilt of Toby's sword punched onto the visor of Joram's helm with the force of the two colliding horses.

Despite needing stitches, in true warrior fashion Joram came back to the tournament almost instantly and kept rocking the event with his skill and presence...

Alix van Zijl and Joram van Essen. Through Joram's visor you can see the bandages
from being injured during a previous Turnier (photo by Andreas Petitjean)

Please describe the type of lances used during the tournament and why that style of lance was chosen.

Fir tree-trunks. The lances were grown, naturally-tapered fir lances with steel coronels, vamplates and grappers. They are representative of 15th century lances as depicted, described and extant.

Please tell us about your armour.

We use field armour with sport specific exchange pieces, as was the norm in 1460s. My personal armour is based on effigies of Ulrich Busch and Ulrich von Hohenrechbrech (both +1458) with exchange elements from Michael Pacher and Talhoffer. The armour is clearly German in design. Across Europe, the hinged cuirass was used in England, Iberia, France, lowlands, the empire, Italy… mostly everywhere. The silhouette and design of the armour is otherwise distinctly German and specific to the distinctly German style of this period.

Arne Koets in his 15th century German field armour
(photo by Michael Kennedy)

My armour was made by Luke Binks, Craig Sitch and Jeffrey Hedgecock. I have horse armour by Joram van Essen and Roman Tereschenko. What I like about my armour is the shape, fitting, maneuverability, the design I insisted on, the frogmouth helm and kolbenturnierhelm, the sallet for general use, the finger gauntlets,... It is a little thin in places but has stood up fairly well.

If I need to mention bad things: The buckles are really weak and the leather quality is rather bad. There are some design features I ordered which were not implemented in the core set of armour, and that made a difference. Steel thickness was reduced relative to specific order, some sliding rivets were not implemented, bevor's height… stuff like that.

But all in all, this armour is a really workable rig. It keeps soldiering on, and it is comfortable and has good lines.

Please tell us about the horses that you rode during the tournament.

I rode Maximilian, an eight year old Andalusian gelding, and Sultan, a fourteen year old Lusitano stallion.

Max is my old friend, veteran of Sankt Wendel and many other events. He was dependable and did some really nice collected work. He also has opinions, and he needs convincing sometimes. He has done a lot of historical dressage and garrocha work, as well as desensitization in terms of guns, fire, all sorts of things. Stamina was an important part of the preparation for this event, and I built that up over the last year or so. Including riding out, etc...

Arne Koets and his Andalusian gelding Maximillian (photo by Andreas Petitjean)

Sultan is my new horse, a former rejoneo horse. He is very quick on his feet, but he needed to be taught to be less defensive. Bullfighting horses might be quick, but they are taught to dodge at the last moment. Doing this on command is great, but they want to do it as a matter of course. Sultan clicked with me at the event, and I was able to ride him much more offensively, and he did a great job.

I am indebted to Wolfgang Krischke for retraining Sultan. The horse as he came from Spain was ridden very much with the bit and very little on the seat, so he needed a lot of training to be able to work as he does now.

What were some of your favorite moments of the tournament?

The first Sunday was the highlight. Everything fell into place, the Turniers(mounted melees) were hard and well ridden, everybody seemed to give their all on the eve of the rest day. It all just looked great and worked well. The whole team seemed proud of what they achieved

Then again on a personal note, I really liked the fight I had with Wouter at the end of the Nachturnier on one particular occasion. I could still pirouette my horse after all that and could just keep him exactly where I wanted, turning inside him for a while before closing in for the kill. That was nice.

What would you like to say about/to the other participants in the tournament?

Everybody worked soooo hard!
The grooms, the squires, the rest of the crew making 120 crests to be destroyed, prepping the lances, making new clubs (because we broke so many), repairing armour, dodging running horses to remove broken timber from the Turnier,… Wolfgang and Christine riding, doing falconry, speaking, acting… every day. Everybody worked to exhaustion in that heat.

We had a new commentator that no one had met before who was a genius!

The typical working day started at 7:00 am – repairing, preparing, mucking, feeding, free-running horses, etc... And we all worked without a break until dinner at 22:00. We still had meetings after that to coordinate stuff. There were no exceptions. We all worked until we dropped.

The crew and jousters for the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen
(photo from the Museum Zu Allerheiligen)

What are your plans/hopes for the future?

There is talk of a repeat of this event, and I was officially invited to another really exciting one. However, we will not do this workload again on the horses. Hopefully by subtle means, we can take it down a peg. This was too much, for too long.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and best of luck with your future endeavors.


A few more pictures from the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen:

Joram van Essen(left) breaks his lance against Dominic Sewell(right). In the background,
you can see the Ladies Court watching the joust. (photo by Andreas Petitjean)

Toby Capwell breaks his lance against Wouter Nicolai (photo by Stefan Kiss)

Left: Arne Koets and his Andalusian gelding Maximillian (photo by Ingrid Isabella von Altdorf)
Right: Dominic Sewell riding his Andalusian gelding Coralito (photo by Isis Sturtewagen)

Joram van Essen breaks his lance against his opponent(photo by Andreas Petitjean)

Joram van Essen holds the remains of his broken lance (photo by Andreas Petitjean)

Left: Groundcrew member Max Knegjens holds aloft Arne Koets' broken crest (photo by Isis Sturtewagen) Right: Jouster Wouter Nicolai stands armoured as part of a demonstration (photo by Ingrid Isabella von Altdorf)

Toby Capwell's jousting helm reflects the ground crew (photo by Andreas Petitjean)

After the final jousting session, the jousters decided to dismount and engage in foot combat. 
L-R: Alix van Zijl, Dominic Sewell, Capri the dog, Bertus Brokamp and Joram van Essen.
(photo by Isis Sturtewagen)

Related articles:
Video Report on the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen

The Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen in the News

Jousting in Schaffhausen a Success!

Arne Koets Comments on the Tournament So Far, Plus More TV News Coverage of the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen

An Interview with Arne Koets: Chosen by the Ladies Jury as the Bravest Competitor at The Grand Tournament in Sankt Wendel

Random Pic: Practicing for St Hallvard's

Ivar Mauritz-Hansen will be one of the competitors in the St. Hallvard's Tournament which starts today in Oslo, Norway. Here is a picture of him practicing in his brand new armour on a borrowed horse just days before the tournament.

Ivar Mauritz-Hansen on the Andalusian gelding Sigismund(photo by Renate Skeie)

The horse's name is Sigismund, he's an Andalusian gelding that originally belonged to jouster Arne Koets and currently belongs to jouster Petter Ellingsen(the organizer of St. Hallvard's). He was ridden by Andreas Wenzel in the Grand Tournament of Sankt Wendel. According to Ivar, when it comes to jousting, "He knows more about it than I do."

The upright post that he is breaking his lance against is a form of shock quintain.  Shock quintains come in a variety of forms, but no matter what they look like they serve much the same function.  Unlike the regular quintain whose target spins quite easily, the shock quintain's target is very difficult to move, making it good training not only for hitting a rather small target, but also for withstanding the shock of hitting a heavy object with your lance. 

When asked about St Hallvard's Tournament, Ivar had this to say:

"I'm very excited for this tournament as it will be the biggest in Norway in a long time, and I am deeply honored to be a part of it. It will be my first solid lance tournament, and it has been a tough time to get the equipment and horse ready in time, but thanks to a number of great friends that have helped me with my troubles, I'm now confident that St. Hallvard's Tournament is for me going to be totally awesome!" -- Ivar Mauritz-Hansen

Related articles:
The Jousters of St Hallvard's Tournament

Promotional Video for St Hallvard's Jousting Tournament

A Dictionary of Jousting Terms

Random Pic: A Burning Ring of Fire

The Swedish historical riding group Infensus, which means 'ready for battle', practices tilting at rings a little differently.

Asa Cidh on her Knabstrupper gelding Helge(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

This image makes me think of a variation to the chorus of that old Johnny Cash song...

~She thrust in to a burning ring of fire...~

When I asked Asa Cidh -- who is actually a member of the jousting group Celeres Nordica, but was practicing with Infensus that day -- how the riders kept the fiery ring from burning themselves or their horses, she answered:

"Some riders have a "stop" on the spear, a small screw. Most of us, as you see in the photos, pick the ring 'at an angle', we push the horse a little bit away from the tilt." -- Asa Cidh

The above picture and the ones below are from a training session the group did in April.

Tanja Carlson on her horse Bella(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Tanja Carlson on her horse Bella(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Bjornar Hugdal Kalberg on Hercules(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Kristina Nystrom carries off a burning ring(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Asa's Knabstrupper horse, Helge, glances at the fiery thing on the ground, but does not seem bothered by it(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

You can find out more about the group and what they do on the Infensus website.

Training for the Joust with Destrier

A great deal of work goes on before a jousting demonstration or tournament is seen by an audience. If you have ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes, this article written by Andreas Wenzel will give you a glimpse of how the members of the jousting troupe Destrier train.

Written by Andreas Wenzel:
(with pictures by Dr. Richard Pearn)

Destrier’s year is split into a “training season” and a “show season”, with the former starting at the group’s AGM(Annual General Meeting) in October, and lasting to the first show in May. During this period, Destrier’s riders are working on expanding their skills with their own horses, or are taking private lessons to advance their riding skill. Once per month these personal efforts are complemented by a Destrier training weekend. Then many of the almost 40 Destrier members gather at one of Destrier’s horse suppliers – usually at Nicky Willis’s Tournament Stud near Silverstone, and occasionally at Dom Sewell’s Historic Equitation near Peterborough.

Destrier training is traditionally organised by the society’s Vice-Chairman (currently Mark Caple), but many of the group’s experienced riders help out by running one of the training sessions, or by giving advice from the ground and in separate in-session work-outs. This was also true at Destrier’s February training weekend at Tournament Stud, Destrier’s main base. This impressive location includes bedrooms for riders, spare stables for guest horses, an indoor riding school purpose-built to house a full-length tilt rail, and extensive grounds permitting long hacks and outdoor cavalry manoeuvres. Tournament Stud’s own horses were joined by three of Historic Equitation’s mounts and several personally owned horses for the weekend.

Members of Destrier practice at Tournament Stud(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

With numerous members of various skill levels present, Mark separated both days into three one-hour training sessions, each preceded by a warm-up element consisting of flatwork dressage.

Saturday’s first session, run by Stacy Evans, focused on basic skill-at-arms skills, with disciplines including the lance at the rings, the sword at the cabbage and javelins at archery targets. During the session, individual riders were called into a separate area for 20-minute one-to-one workouts with Kyle van Dolah, a Destrier member and qualified riding instructor.

Stacy Evans practicing tilting at rings(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

The objective for Saturday’s second session, run by Mark Caple, was to train in harness on the tilt. Consequently several of Destrier’s jousters and jousters-in-training suited up, while other members converted the indoor school into a jousting arena for a range of lance control, timing and accuracy exercises. Kyle was kind enough to continue the one-to-one workouts, providing opportunity to work on one's riding position while wearing armour.

Andreas Wenzel canters the tilt in armour(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

Saturday’s final session, run by Andreas Wenzel, began with an extensive drill lesson where riders practiced moving as a mounted combat unit in a variety of formations in the three basic gaits. This was followed by some skill-at-arms in formation, for example using the lance at the rings while maintaining a line abreast. The session was then concluded by a three-round practice melee.

Left to right: Silvana Burnes, Kyle Van Dolah and Tina Steiner practice tilting at rings while in three abreast formation(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

After an excellent dinner at the local pub, accompanied of course by strictly non-alcoholic beverages,

Destrier members quaff a drink at the Kings Head pub(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

...and a good night’s sleep in Tournament Stud’s bedrooms, some of Destrier’s lady members got up early and saddled a few horses with side saddles for some out-of-schedule jumping practice. This is strictly speaking not part of Destrier’s programme, but was actually training for English Heritage’s Victorian Gymkhana show in which Destrier members Kyle van Dolah and Emma Pearn are performing.

Kyle Van Dolah jumps her horse while riding side saddle(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

Having slept through the side-saddle affair, Andreas armed himself with a bracing cup of tea and took over the Sunday morning session. After another drill element riders practiced with a variety of skill-at-arms exercises, including taking the cabbage with the sword while jumping a low fence. This was concluded by a rather nail-biting five-round melee.

Silvana Burnes slices a cabbage in half while jumping her horse(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

Sunday’s second session, again with riders in harness, was headed by Jason Kingsley and dedicated to an advanced exploration of sword cuts and parries from horse-back, featuring a variety of related exercises.

Jason Kingsley(left) works with Amy Wallace(center) and Mark Caple(right) on mounted sword fighting(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

The final session of the weekend was a repetition of Saturday’s first, with Stacy Evans and Kyle van Dolah once more honing riders’ basic riding and weapon skills.

Valentin Timur tilts against the quintain(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

The content of Destrier’s training weekends across a training season follows an ultimate multifaceted plan. While each rider’s individual skills are given opportunity and focus to improve, the training schedule also aims to enhance the group’s ability to work together as a unit. New ideas and concepts are thrown into the training sessions for experimentation and testing before being introduced to Destrier’s displays. Because of this each Destrier training weekend is different and involves a wide range of riders and trainers in addition to those who are mentioned here.

Destrier members practicing at Tournament Stud(photo by Dr. Richard Pearn)

To learn more about this jousting troupe, check out the Destrier website and Destrier Facebook page.

Announcing the "Rossfechten Symposium 2014"

The following announcement was written by Jack Gassmann, one of the organizers of the Rossfechten Symposium:

As most riders know, baroque Dressage is martial riding as descended from the teachings of riding masters such as Pluvinel, Cavendish and Xenophon, who taught fighters the riding skills crucial to success. HEMA has in the last 20 years made huge steps both in practice and research towards recreating and understanding Europe’s martial arts. The jousting community has led the charge in recreating armour, ceremony and martial skill. The next step seemed to us naturally to be, to combine what all of these three fields (classical dressage, HEMA and jousting) bring to the table, and so the idea of a symposium took form. A way to bring the expertise of each of these groups together, for each to benefit from the other. We chose the name “Rossfechten Symposium”. In the German fencing manuals, mounted combat is referred to as Rossfechten, not just “mounted combat” but mount rider fighting as one against their opponent.

Rossfechten Symposium 2014(image from "Rossfechten Symposium" website)

We have been amazed by the response we have had from all over. Horsey Hema people from Canada to Russia to Iran and all over the US and Europe have contacted us wanting to attend workshops or teach them. We have such prominent HEMA names as Scott Brown and Alex Kiermayer doing workshops on fencing. Researchers such as Matt Galas and Daniel Jaquet have contacted us about holding lectures. Riders, oldstyle Californios, Dressage experts, professional stunt riders (Suzanne Struben and Jolly Sera who have more than 40 years of film experience) and polo players will be giving riding workshops. Riders of note – such as Douglas Wagner – hope to make it from the US to teach.

Douglas Wagner(photo by AzulOx photography)

Many other riders, teachers and researchers will be present besides. Our goal is not just to provide an event for high-level practitioners, but also as an instrument for people entering the discipline from any direction to get their feet wet and get the support to continue, and for current practitioners to take their game to the next level.

The Symposium will be taking place next year in the picturesque and historic Saarland region of Germany, a four-day event with workshops, lectures, tournaments and presentations from July 24th to 27th. You can be sure to expect good beer, good talks and good times besides. All participants are welcome!

For more information, check out the Rossfechten Symposium website.

Accommodations and location information

Workshop information

We’ve got great things planned, but with your help we could do even more. If you or your company are interested in sponsoring the Rossfechten Symposium, please contact us.

combat training(image from "Rossfechten Symposium" website)

Jousting Clinic Sponsored by the Northwest Jousting Association to be Held in Washington USA

On the weekend of June 29 - 30, 2013, there will be a jousting clinic and tournament sponsored by the Northwest Jousting Association featuring Charlie Andrews of the Knights of Mayhem as the main instructor. The event will take place at Stewart's Arena, 11127 Vail Rd. SE, Yelm, Washington 98957 USA. The clinic is open to ALL ages and horses, and auditors are encouraged. You can find out more about the clinic and tournament on "IJA Ranking and Clinic and Mt. St. Helens Blow Out Tournament-NW Champs 2013" Facebook page.

Promotional poster (provided by the Northwest Jousting Association)

Jousting Clinic With Charlie Andrews in Salem, Connecticut

As part of the "Tilt Against Cystic Fibrosis" benefit, there will be a jousting clinic taught by Charlie Andrews of the Knights of Mayhem. The clinic will take place on May 4, and on May 5 there will be a jousting demonstration. The event is to benefit Athena Christine Grey, who is ten years old and lives with Cystic Fibrosis.

Promotional poster (provided by "Tilt Against Cystic Fibrosis")

You can find out more about the jousting clinic on this Facebook page, and more about Athena Grey and the benefit on the "Tilt Against Cystic Fibrosis" webpage.

Charlie Andrews Helps Train the Next Generation of Jousters

Charlie Andrews (of the Knights of Mayhem), the Knights of Iron and members of Combatant's Keep all came together on Saturday, March 9, at Windy Knolls Farm in Sullivan, Ohio to give a clinic on contemporary competitive jousting. It was called the Equine Excellence Jousting Clinic 2013.

Charlie Andrews teaches lance handling at the Equine Excellence Jousting Clinic 2013(photo by Suzanne DeMink)

The ten participant slots were filled almost as soon as the clinic was announced, and on the day of the clinic, the stands were filled with spectators cheering the participants on. The participants were all female, ranging in age from teenage to grandma. It looks like the future of jousting is going to the girls.

The jousting clinic participants listen to Charlie Andrews. (photo by Suzanne DeMink)

According to Suzanne DeMink who was at the clinic taking photographs:

“Baron, Charlie's mount, decided early on in the clinic to set the girls at ease, so he dumped Charlie. The girls relaxed when they realized that everyone falls. None of the clinic participants fell, and they all had incredible control of their mounts!” – Suzanne DeMink

The participants were first taught a couple of the basic mounted skill at arms (MSA) exercises – cut and thrust, spear throw, tilting at rings and tilting against the quintain. Then, they actually got to tilt against jouster Kellyn Burtka of the Knights of Iron using a cardboard lance with a foam tip. The young lady who rode the horse named Gretchen was declared the “Cup Winner” of the clinic by Charlie Andrews.

The Cup Winner of the clinic as determined by Charlie Andrews. (photo by Suzanne DeMink)

The horse, Gretchen, was so cute that Charlie nicknamed her Ted E. Bear.

Charlie had this to say about the clinic:

“Cortney Lang, Mickaela Ellen, Liz Goldsmith, Mandi Combs, I am so proud of all of you and the other ladies who participated in the clinic!!!! You four were unbelievable though and could easily transition into jousting if you wanted to. I am honored that you will be coming to EA [Equine Affair] in Columbus and would love your help on the field and with the horses!!!! I'm still blown away we had close to 400 people in the stands to watch the clinic for 6 hours and had them till the very end to watch us joust. Ohio kicks A**!!!! Thank you Lynn Brenner for a great event and a first class facility.” – Charlie Andrews

At the end of the clinic, Charlie Andrews and several of the other experienced jousters put on a demonstration of jousting for the clinic participants and spectators.

Thomas Nader on his horse Bohdrum (photo by Suzanne DeMink)

Thomas Nader of Combatant's Keep had this to say about Charlie Andrews:

“It was an absolute pleasure to meet Charlie Andrews in the Lyst. Even as a mere exhibition, in borrowed kit, on a borrowed horse, he was spot on. An absolute professional.” – Thomas Nader

Video of a few highlights from the clinic:

You can see more pictures from the clinic in the Equine Excellence 2013 photo album.

You can learn more about Charlie Andrews and the Knights of Mayhem, the Knights of Iron and Combatant's Keep by clicking on their names/links.