Jousting Experience

Status

 
Leave a comment

The Lysts at Castleton” 2010 (1st in Melee)

Lysts on the Lake” 2011

Lysts on the Lake” 2012 (2nd place in the joust, 2nd overall)

The Tournament at Verneuil-sur-Avre 2012, France

The Tournament at Neauphle-le-Château 2012, France

The Grand Tournament of St. Charles” 2013

The Lysts on the Lake” 2013

Combatants Keep Three Counties Fair Joust. NorthHampton Ma 2013

The Lysts on the Lake” 2014

Combatants Keep, Days of Knights, Kentucky 2014

The Society for Creative Anachronism’s Gulf War Joust” 2015″

The Lysts on the Lake” 2015

The Grand Tournament for SIRE” 2015″

The Society for Creative Anachronism’s Gulf War Joust” 2016″

The Lysts on the Lake” 2016″

The Society for Creative Anachronism’s 50th Anniversary Championship Joust” 2016″

The Society for Creative Anachronism’s Gulf War Joust” 2017″

Lysts on the Lake 2017, Austin, Texas USA

The Society for Creative Anachronism’s Gulf War Joust” 2018″

Lysts on the Lake 2018, Austin, Texas USA

The Society for Creative Anachronism’s Gulf War Joust” 2019″

Combatants Keep Midway Universty Joust, Midway Kentucky 2019

Lysts on the Lake 2019, Austin, Texas USA

Worke for cutlers

Status

 
Leave a comment 
WORKE FOR 
CVTLERS. 

OR, 

A MERRY DIA- 
LOGVE BETWEENE 

Sword, 
Rapier, 

and 
Dagger. 

Acted in a Shew in the famous 
Vniuerjitie of Cambridge. 




LONDON 

Printed by Thomas Creede, for Richard 

Meighen and Thomas lones; and are to 

be sold at S. Clements Church without 

Temple-barre. 1615. 



WORKE FOR 

CVTLERS : or, a merry Dialogue 
betweene 



Swordy \ 
Rapier, f 
and C 
<■ Dagger. / 




Enter Sword, 

Sword. 

Ay Rapier, come foorth, 
come forth I say, He giue 
thee a crowne, though its 
be but a crackt one : what 
wilt not? art fo hard to 
be drawne forth Rapier? 
Enter 



38 Worke for Cutlers 

Enter Rapier. 

10 Rapier. S'foot thou fhalt know that Rapier 
dares enter : nay Backe-Sword. 

Enter Dagger, he holds Rapiers 
hands hehinde him. 

Rapier. Whofe this behinde me? 

Dagger. Tis Dagger fir; what will you 
neuer leaue your quarrelling? 

Rapier. Well Sword, Dagger hath defen- 
ded you a good many times ; but tis no mat- 
ter, another time fhall seme : fhall I get 
20 you out Sword alone, that I may haue you 
Single-fword. 

Sword. Yes if youle be fingle Rapier too. 

Dag. Nay Sword, put the Cafe of Rapiers 
afide, that there were two of them, I hope 
you were able to buckle with them. 

Sword. He tell you what, if I goe into the 
Field with him, hang Sword vp if I doe not 
cut Rapiers poynts, and lafh him when I haue 
done : nay, you fhall finde Sword mettle to 
30 the very backe : 's foot, my teeth be an edge 
at him. 

Dag. If you ofFer but to thruft towards 

him 



Worke for Cutlers 39 

him Rapier, He ftrike you downe. 

Sword. Hang him, I defie him bafe Spa- 
niard. 

Rap. Defie me ? firrha Sword, Rapier fpits 
i' thy face : dar'ft meete mee i' the fields, cra- 
uenly Capon ? 

Sword. Capon ? 

Rapier. I Capon, fo I fay fir. 40 

Dagg. Why any man may fee that thou 
art well caru'd Sword; and yet mee thinks 
that Rapier fhould not fpeake of that, for it's 
an hundred to one if he be not gilt too. 

Sword. Well Rapier, if thou goeft into 
the fields with me, He make a Capon of you 
before I haue done with you, you fhall nere 
come home vncut He warrant you. 

Dagger. Nay, you fhall finde Sword a 
notable Cutter. 50 

Rapier. He a Cutter ? alas he nere went 
into the fields yet,' but he was foundly hackt 
before he came out. 

Sword. Nere talke you of hacking, for 
it's a hundred to one if you haue not the 
Foyle-Rapier. 

Rapier. 'S foot if you be fo Short-Sword, 
Rapier nere feares you : come a long. 

Dagger. Nay nere goe, for if you doe, 

He 



40 Worke for Cutlers 

60 He fende one after you, which fhall fcowre 
you both. The Cutler can doe it. I haue feene 
him handle you both brauely. 

Sword. The Cutler^ Alas wee are the beft 
Friends hee has, and if it were not for vs, 
the Cutler might foone fhut vp his fhoppe. 

Dagger. Alas Sword, you need not talke 
of his fhutting vp of Shoppe, and if it had 
not beene for him, you had broken by this 
time Sword, Nay, nere talke : For you know 
70 hee can holde your nofe to the Grind-ftone, 
when hee lift. 

And as for you Rapier, you knowe hee 
brought you vp firft, and if you had ftayed 
with him ftill, it might haue bene better for 
you. 

Rapier. Better for mee ? Alas hee knewe 
not how to vfe mee. 

Dagger. Hee vfde you too well indeede : 
for when you were with him he furnifht you 
80 with Siler and euery thing, but now you are 
worne out of all fafhion. You are euen like 
a Lapwing, you are no fooner Hatcht Ra- 
pier, but you runne abroade prefently from 
him. 

Rapier. Yet I fcorne to runne away from 
him. 

Sword. 



Worke for Cutlers 4 1 

Sword. But it were more wifedome then 
to ftand : For the Cutler is a man as well Ar- 
med as any man I knowe, and has as good 
skill ins weapons. 90 

Rapier. Ha Sworde, is the winde in that 
Doore ? Faith nowe I fee which waye you 
ftand bent Sworde, you had rather fleepe 
in a whole skinne, then goe into the Fields 
to trye your felfe. 

Sword. Syr, Sword has been proou'd be- 
fore now, and yet heele prooue himfelfe a- 
gaine with you, if you dare follow him. 

Dagger. Doe you heare Sworde ? If you 
goe, looke for Dagger at your backs prefent- 100 
lie ; For I am a luftice of Peace, and am 
fworne to keepe and defend the Peace. 

Rapier. Syr, wee will fight, and doe you 
take it in Dudgeon Dagger if you pleafe : if 
you once offer to hinder vs. He fo Pummell 
you Dagger, that you were neuer better 
Pummeld in your life ; And howfoeuer, 
I hope theres Lawe againft you as well as o- 
thers, and Rapier can put vp a Cafe againft 
you. no 

Dagger. Alas I care not if you were both 
Plaintifes againft mee, you fhall finde Dag- 
ger your Defendant He warrant you: 

I, and 



42 Worke for Cutlers 

I, and if neede bee, I could put vp an Action 
of Batterie againft you. 

Sword. What talke you of Law? Sword 
fcornes to haue any other Law then MartiaU 
law, and that vpon you Rapier. 

Dagger. Away Sworde, the Time was in- 
120 deed when thou waft a notable Swafh-buck- 
ler, but now thou art growne olde Sword. 

Rapier. I, you doe well, to excufe his 
Cowardife. 

Sword. Why Sir, tis well knowne that 
Sword has ilourifht in his dayes. 

Dagger. Flourifht ? yfaith Syr I, I haue 
feene Sword hang with nothing but ScarfFes 
ere now. 

Rapier. With ScarfFes ? with a Halter, if 
130 he had beene well feru'de. For hees a nota- 
ble Theefe. Dagger. A Theefe ? 

Rapier. I, a Thiefe. 

Did you nere heare of Cutting-Dicie, this is 
the very fame man. 

Dagger. Nay Rapier, nere hit Sword ith 
teeth with that : for you know you were both 
Indited for treafon before now, and were in 
danger to be hangd, and drawn too, and had 
efcapt well if you had not bene quarterd. 
140 Sword. I hope knows how to keep his quarters. 

Dagger. You are a craftie Foxe Sword: It 

were 



Worke for Cutlers 43 

were well if you knewe howe to keepe your 
friendfhip too, for Gentlemen and Friendes 
fhould not fall out. 

Sword. Rapier a Gentleman ? 

Rap. A Gentleman ? and has Armes. 

Dag. But mee thinkes Sworde by the very 
founding of his Name fhould bee the better 
Gentleman, and has the better Armes too : 
for if the truth were well known e, Rapier hath 150 
but one arme. 

Rapier. Sword beare Armes ? Hees a bafe 
companion. Alas I haue knowne you beare a 
Basket Sword. 

Dag. If you looke ith booke of Armorie., He 
warrant you, you fhall finde Sworde of more 
antiquitie then you Rapier: Hee deriues his 
Pedigree from Morglay^ Beuis of South-hamp- 
tons fword ; and that from S. George his fword, 
that killd the Draggon. 160 

Rapier. I, the draggon in Sussex, the other 
day : But He warrant you Rapiers of as good 
a blood as hee for his hart. 

Dag. Byth maffe, I thinke indeed, you are 
both we'll fanguind. Your both of one blood, 
only thers this difference, that fword coms of 
the elder brother, & you Rapier of the yoger. 

Rapier. And oftentimes the younger bro- 
ther prooues the better Souldier. 

Dag. 



44 Worke for Cutlers 

170 Dagger. Nay, Dagger will defende you 
both for good Souldiers. 

Sworde. Rapier a Souldier? When did 
you ere knowe Rapier fight a Battell ? 

Dagger. Yes Rapier is a Souldier, and a 
Man as well Armed at all poyntes as anie 
one. 

Sword. No, no, its Sworde that's the no- 
table Souldier; Why, theres none of all you 
Captaines could doe anie thing in Warre 
180 without him. 

Rapier. I hope Rapier hath not beene at 
Fencing-Schoole all this while for nothing. 

Dagger. Alas there's none Maifter of De- 
fence but Dagger: But yet if you fpeake of 
Souldiers, the'rs Bow, Bill, and Gunne, worth 
twenty fuch as wee are. 

Rapier. Indeed they fay that Bow has bin 
an olde Souldier. 

Sword, Yet hees not fit for a Souldier, 
190 any man may bende him as hee lift. 

Rapier, And as for Bow-ftring, I dare vn- 
dertake to whip him my felfe. 

Sword. Then let mee alone to tickle Bowes 
ownes nocke yfaith. 

Dagger. But what fay you to BillP hees a 
notable fturdy villai'ne. 

Sword. 



Worke for Cutlers 45 

Sword. Bill, He pay him foundly, if ere 
I reach him. 

Dagger. Its more then you can doe, Ime 
afFraide ; For Bill's a Tall-fellow ons hands, 200 
and will quickly be Wood : and then theres 
Gunne, fuch another Bouncing-fellow too. 

Rapier. Gunne, Alas hees No-body : any 
little Boy will make him roare. 

I haue made him goe off 'oth Fieldes, a 
good many times my felfe. 

Dagger. Well, is Gunne No-bodie ? Ime 
fure heel giue fome blowes fometimes. 

Sword. Its' nere but when Powder ouer- 
charges him, then indeed heel be fomewhat 210 
hote oth matter. 

Rapier. I think that Powder is a vile brag- 
ger, he doth nothing but cracke. 

Dagger. Faith I knowe not what Souldi- 
er hee is, but they fay, Hees an excellent pol- 
litician. 

Rapier, Hee a PoUitician ? 

Dagger. Why, hee has an excellent wit? 

Sword. Pifh, Its nothing but a flafh. 

Dagger. Ime fure I can remember fince 220 
he was a Parlement-man. 

Rapier. Hee a Parlement-man : For what 
Shyre ? 

Dag. 



46 Worke for Cutlers 

Dag. Nay ber-lady, it was for the whole 
Countrey. 

Sword. I wonder they fhould chufe him : 
Why he does euery thing on the fudden. 

Dag. Oh he plottes fhrevvdly. If they had 
not look't too it, Hee had vndermined the 
230 whole parlement-houfe. 

Sword. I but hees No-body now-»dayes, 
Hees blovvne vp long agoe. 

Dagger. Well, if eyther you, or any body 
elfe fhuld meete with Powder, yet its a hun- 
dred to one, if he meete not with his match. 

Rapier. Nay, you fhould let him alone 
Dagger, and you fhould fee that Swords' as 
notable a bragger as Powder. He thinks hee 
fhall nere be matcht too : but hee fhall, and 
240 ouer-matcht too, by Rapier ; I warrant him. 
Come Sworde, after your long Parley, Dare 
you goe into the Fieldes ? 

Sword. Dare I ? You fhall foone fee that : 
Goe, and He follow you. 

Dag. Well faide, defperate Dicke, Sword, 
You may be afham'd to offer it. You knowe 
you are t\vo-Ya.nisA-Sworde, and Rapier has 
but one hand (vnleffe I helpe him) to do any 
good withall, and yet youde haue him go in- 
250 to the Fieldes with you. Come, theres ney- 
ther of you fhall goe. Doe not you knowe 

that 



Worke for Cutlers 47 

that Duells are put downe ? 

Youle bee bound to'th Peace euer heere- 
after, if you ftrike but one ftroke. Therefore 
you had beft let me decide your controuerfie 
for you. 

Sword. Why, you are a backe-Friend to 
vs both Dagger. 

Dagger. Nay, you knowe Ime equally al- 
lyed to you both, and therefore fhall proue 260 
an impartiall ludge : How fay you, will you 
be rulde by me ? 

Rapier. Nay let him choofe. Rapiers at a 
good poynt, whether he will or no. 

Dagger. Why are you fo long Sword 
before you fpeake ? 

Sworde. Are duells put downe ? Then 1 
am forc'de to be Friends : Speake then. 

Dagger. Then in briefe it fhall bee thus. 
Sworde, you fhall beare Chiefe force ith 270 
Campe, and be made Generall of the Field, 
to beare fway euery where. As for you Ra- 
pier , fince Duells are put downe, you fhall 
liue quietly and peacablie heere 'ith Court, 
and goe euery day in Veluet : You fhall be 
Frendes with euerie one, and bee on euery 
ones fide, that if occafion ferue, and Sworde 
be absent, fo that matters are driuS to a pufh. 

Rapier 



48 Worke for Cutlers 

Rapier fhall be the onely man to performe a 
280 Combate : And I my felfe will backe you 
both, as occafion fhall feme. 

How fay yee, are yee content ? 

Rapier. Wee are. 

Dagger. Then goe before to my Houfe, 
to the Dagger in Cheape: and there weele 
conclude all. 

Rapier. A Long-Sword. 

Exeunt^ Sworde and Rapier. 

Dagger. 

290 Our weapons drawne., and yet no hurt yee finde. 
Did Dagger then defend vnto your minde? 
Hee that defended others not long fence. 
At laft hee dares not ftand ins owne defence ; 
But this hee hopes, with you it will fuffize. 
To craue a pardon for a Schollers Prize. 



FINIS

I fenced the devil

Quote

 
Comments Off on I fenced the devil

I fenced the devil and he fenced well.

I fenced better and thus he fell

And for this I inherited hell

So I fence like the devil and I fence well

Many came and many fell

Come fence me and inherit my hell

He fenced like the devil and he fenced well.

He showed his nobility as he almost fell

I spared his life and I spared him my hell

I stood down, and I wished him well.

Stallions, discipline and Living Traditions

Status

  ,
1 Comment

I started this article after a trip to Chicago with Leo Lastre. We were organizing a joust to be held at the end of the summer and I was fortunate enough to visit several of Leo’s friends that he had made in the horse community. This where I had my first extended exposure to stallions. Leo introduced me to Laura Amandis and arranged for me to take a lesson from her on her Andalusian stallion Acierto. I was also allowed to ride Valentino, another Andalusian Stallion. I was also privileged to take a lesson with Jill McCrae. I was given a lesson on her Lusitano stallion and was able to ride with her at the long reins and experience a piaffe and passage. I was then able to watch some of Mario Contrerrez, trainers teaching the Piaffe and training an Arab stallion. I was again able to see the traditional long reins being used and 2 person training.

Coming from an art with few surviving traditions  (none of them the ones I was most interested in), it was amazing to see and experience living traditions in the equestrian arts. My only disappointment in this trip was that Leo was not currently in touch with any instructors in the German/Austrian tradition. As it were, it was a very good trip to introduce me to three living traditions.

laura amandis

Laura’s background was with the circus. As I understand, it she is Roma, she learned to ride from her family and was cantering around with a horse under each foot by the time she was 12. The circus tradition is one of long hours of practice and stepping up your skills as fast as possible because there is a show you have to do. There is no coddling in the circus. Laura’s personal style is reflective of that. Once you grasp the concept, it is off to another thing. Practice occurs after she has finished instruction. You are guaranteed to come away with your cup full.

My lesson with Jill was very different. Jill is a very patient and exacting person with a love for elegance. It infuses her life, and you see it throughout the space that she has created to teach. She teaches French Baroque dressage. And this tradition has encouraged her to create an elegant place to train and a calm enjoyable environment. She was very precise, and patiently encourages precision in her lessons. She looks for you to have a very good grasp of the lesson before moving on, making sure you understand exactly where/how/why of anything she has taught before moving on. Her very precise instructions, and confident encouragement have helped to make her barn a gathering place on Saturdays just to enjoy life.

On the more working end of things, Mario Contrerrez’ group, (he is the lead trainer for medieval times) work from the Spanish/Mexican tradition of Doma Vaquero. This tradition is known for being fast and effective. One young man trained by Mario was able to perform every dressage technique I have ever seen both from the ground as well as mounted. Oh, yeah, and he got this good in three years (with some time out for a serious injury).

One of the most obvious things for me as I was shuttled place to place by Leo, was the preponderance of Stallions. Growing up seeing only the Cowboy traditions, I was unused to stallions. Most are not normally ridden, but kept as breeding stock. I have often wondered at the difference between riding stallion vs geldings. I now understand that the difference can be much like the difference between horses. Some Stallions are great, some can be quite a handful. The biggest difference I have found was on the ground. A stallion has much more to distract him from paying attention to you. I found (particularly the Andalusians) to be quick to bite and to require much more focus. Under saddle it seemed to be easier to maintain the dominance required to ride well than while having them in hand.  Certainly since stallions are rarely kept in the company of other horses, they often have issues. More issues if there are mares in season. It takes a strong hand and practice to deal with a grumpy stallion.

It was a great trip and lead to a fantastic joust. I wish I had finished this article then, but better late than never.

Sasquatches and Apologies.

Status

 
Comments Off on Sasquatches and Apologies.

First apologies, to anyone who has been reading my blog. I just sort of stopped. But another bit of writing to hopefully add to your day.

Now sasquatches…. I don’t know how you feel about the whole sasquatch thing. I find it hard to ignore the number of sightings of an humanoid/animal of similar size and form, being tall and covered in hair. They can move quickly when they want to. People have even seen them up close, and still they describe much the same thing. One recent show had a description of a Sasquatch that caught my attention. The two musicians talked about a very close view they had of one who hurried across the road in front of their car less than 10 feet away. They described him as a very tall 6’8″ hominid with long body hair and in particular, very thin. They said that

Big-Foot-2

they could see his ribs and bones indicating that he was malnurished.

It kinda struck me as odd that a hunter capable of running as fast as they supposedly can, of the size they said he was, would not be well fed in most any season. especially if he was as smart as a human is.

So assume for a second that there really are sasquatches and they are physically as described. If this one was thin, it might have been sick, or there could be another reason. What if a Sasquatch could hibernate not for a few months like bears, but for years. Yogis have successfully entered a state of suspended animation for as much as 6 weeks according to some credible sources. What if they could simply hibernate for several years? This skinny  sasquatch might have just come out of a hibernative state and was getting ready to forage and replenish his body.

And then consider they are long lived, particularly because they don’t age during the hibernation much like the Yoigi’s hair didn’t grow, as in this story. So consequently there would be fewer numbers, and slower reproduction. It would probably account for them being spread out and some kind of internal clock that tells them when it is time to mate.

They come out, eat and get fat, then shut down their body and prepare for a long sleep.  I am relatively sure that if there are sasquatches that they have some kind of family unit. but I suspect that the vast majority of the adult population could be single actors.

It certainly explains the infrequency but consistency of the sightings. I even consider this from an evolutionary standpoint:  If food were in short supply, wouldn’t a being that could hibernate until food was available again, have a large evolutionary advantage?

Riding high on Daddy’s shoulders

Quote

 
Comments Off on Riding high on Daddy’s shoulders

The interface between rider and horse can be explained by this:

 

Imagine having a 5 year old on your back that is set to control your every move entirely by pulling on your nose and ears and kicking you in the sides. You have no choice, and must do what they ask… without actually knowing it is right, just experimenting to see if this is it.  Imagine how easy it would be to do this with a well trained five year old. he learns to lean and only pulls on your ears and nose  a little bit and off you go. Feeling for every subtle nuance of their position, soon you are able to be guided through the most complex of actions. As your 5 year old ages a bit and really comes into his own you are able to jump around sling yourself around corners without him falling off. He shiftys his weight and you are able to easily turn and spin, a quick indication and off you go hell bent for leather until a quick shift of his hips and you know to stop quickly and he won’t go ass over teakettle off the top.

Now swap the brains, 5 year old on bottom, you on top and you might get the idea (though I’d argue that no brain swap is really necessary, new riders ride like 5 year olds). A horse is smart, some smarter than others. They will get frustrated (imagine yourself after five minutes of this, dumping the 5 year old in the trash—-yes I see the smile) Notice how this relationship gets better as the 5 year old gets better trained. Lets face it, an adult should be able to figure out where and how a 5 year old wants to go if we think hard.

This is how it is for a horse. He is far smarter and capable to doing exactly what to ask after a small amount of training, IF you are great rider and know how to ask properly. The less a rider you are, the harder it is to communicate. That horse is smart, you start off un-educated. Your job is to educate yourself on horse communication. then you can really ride.

Horse Trailers

Status

 
Comments Off on Horse Trailers

I have been researching horse trailers as it is getting close to the time I need more than an old stock trailer to move my horses around. I’ve been balancing weight, cost, features, safety, resale value…… it is a tough decision. And one that will set you back thousands no matter what you choose.

I have come to a couple of conclusions. Aluminum is way more expensive than steel and only saves you a few hundred pounds. Aluminum retains it’s value FAR better than steel, even if steel is well kept. Fiberglass reinforced plywood can be great, until the fiberglass is penetrated/damaged, then it goes down quick.

European trailers seem great weight and construction -wise, but price is way out there. Seems better to buy a well constructed US made trailer and save some cost.

I figure I will let you know how I decide………

Update:

And I have decided to buy an aluminum trailer. One of the things that convinced me of this was that aluminum trailers were selling used for only a thousand dollars less than new even as much as 10 years old. There are very few used aluminum trailers on the market. So I decided to bite the bullet and buy. I fund the most reasonable price for a good quality trailer out there. I will be happy to share their site, True Love Trading Company . I can say that the folks are very informative, helpful, and can tell you a great deal about horse trailers. I would even recommend calling them and asking them if a used trailer is a good deal for the price. They won’t go overboard trying to sell you one of theirs, but you might just change your mind when they offer up lots of things to consider.