08-04-2010, 07:14 AM
Thank you for the kind comments, and especially to Brian for making the excellent chamfrons. Mark ties his on around his horse’s lower jaw using the rings provided, but it moves too much for my taste. I made a halter, which the bridle fits over, and the chamfron is tied to the halter. So far this is a very secure system. We have others and I may get a chance to fit them during August.
Our horses and riders vary from weekend to weekend. Each rider has their own challenges and battles to fight during the 30 minute display. The show starts slowly, has a couple of clever bits and then moves to a fairly rapid routine desensitising the horses to targets and infantry before a big finish of some sort. The stunt legionaries have to work with the horses, clear the arena, manage the sound system and not get damaged. It is a big team effort.
In the photo above, left to right we have:
Nobby is riding Star, around 14.1, a mare who is brave, but still learning. She can do it all in the sand school, but needs public shows now. Mobile horse archery is still away off.
Stuart is riding Rocco a lovely 14.1 four year old gelding. This horse is one for the future. Currently he is getting used the shield and using some missile weapons. Stuart is only beginning to carry stuff on him, doing some sort of Moorish cavalry impression.
Amy is riding my old warhorse Murphy, a gelded Irish cob. Lazy and grumpy, I was worried about the horse but Amy has really got him moving and he is feeling proud once again. I suspect she will be riding him for a while and the combination can do all the show very well.
Catherine is on a mentally challenged ex race horse called Sweet Ears. A gelding, he occasionally bucks for now reason. She has to keep him calm and focused. At over 15 hands for us he represents a tall narrow Hunnic horse disliked by Roman writers. Good at doing everything in the show.
Mark carrying the draco is riding his own Argentinean polo pony called Picador. After three years Picador is now the perfect display horse, but still needs to be balanced before each run and Mark spends much of his life polishing horse armour. This season Mark has occasionally had a go at archery on the move. Scary!
Since last October I have been training Hal, a 14 hand stallion. He looks great, can jump and is really fast, but is very very nervous. I suspected he would take three years to come good, now I think he will do it sooner. He can do mobile horse archery, but also has to cope with me commentating. It is hard to multi task but good that the public are brought into the show, understand what we are doing, and that the show can be made to fit each audience.
We also have reserve horses, and a nice little four year old who should be good for next season. But you can never tell with horses.
At Maryport I was pleased that each rider and horse could take something positive from the weekend. Everybody improved and the shows were the best so far this season. The riders need to concentrate on their riding, the overall show and what is coming next, and their weapon skills. It is a very intense 30 minutes.
Our horses and riders vary from weekend to weekend. Each rider has their own challenges and battles to fight during the 30 minute display. The show starts slowly, has a couple of clever bits and then moves to a fairly rapid routine desensitising the horses to targets and infantry before a big finish of some sort. The stunt legionaries have to work with the horses, clear the arena, manage the sound system and not get damaged. It is a big team effort.
In the photo above, left to right we have:
Nobby is riding Star, around 14.1, a mare who is brave, but still learning. She can do it all in the sand school, but needs public shows now. Mobile horse archery is still away off.
Stuart is riding Rocco a lovely 14.1 four year old gelding. This horse is one for the future. Currently he is getting used the shield and using some missile weapons. Stuart is only beginning to carry stuff on him, doing some sort of Moorish cavalry impression.
Amy is riding my old warhorse Murphy, a gelded Irish cob. Lazy and grumpy, I was worried about the horse but Amy has really got him moving and he is feeling proud once again. I suspect she will be riding him for a while and the combination can do all the show very well.
Catherine is on a mentally challenged ex race horse called Sweet Ears. A gelding, he occasionally bucks for now reason. She has to keep him calm and focused. At over 15 hands for us he represents a tall narrow Hunnic horse disliked by Roman writers. Good at doing everything in the show.
Mark carrying the draco is riding his own Argentinean polo pony called Picador. After three years Picador is now the perfect display horse, but still needs to be balanced before each run and Mark spends much of his life polishing horse armour. This season Mark has occasionally had a go at archery on the move. Scary!
Since last October I have been training Hal, a 14 hand stallion. He looks great, can jump and is really fast, but is very very nervous. I suspected he would take three years to come good, now I think he will do it sooner. He can do mobile horse archery, but also has to cope with me commentating. It is hard to multi task but good that the public are brought into the show, understand what we are doing, and that the show can be made to fit each audience.
We also have reserve horses, and a nice little four year old who should be good for next season. But you can never tell with horses.
At Maryport I was pleased that each rider and horse could take something positive from the weekend. Everybody improved and the shows were the best so far this season. The riders need to concentrate on their riding, the overall show and what is coming next, and their weapon skills. It is a very intense 30 minutes.
John Conyard
York
A member of Comitatus Late Roman
Reconstruction Group
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.comitatus.net">http://www.comitatus.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.historicalinterpretations.net">http://www.historicalinterpretations.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com">http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com
York
A member of Comitatus Late Roman
Reconstruction Group
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.comitatus.net">http://www.comitatus.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.historicalinterpretations.net">http://www.historicalinterpretations.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com">http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com