For those who are curious as to what it takes to train a horse for the medieval equestrian games (and not content with a lot of patience as an answer!) I have started to document her training on Horses…Naturally! as patience and trust bear relevance to all disciplines of horsemanship.

Please follow along at your leisure!

Sliante!

Mark

A mighty steed made weak by chance
And foul unlucky happenstance
Siege of Glengary will miss her thunder
Until the next year’s tales of wonder

Mark

Yep, unless an especially kind Lord creates miracles of hoof growth, my mighty warhorse Dolly will miss Siege of Glengary.

She is, of course, receiving the absolute best of care, but there is no reasonable expectation that shell be anything resembling sound in 10 days… and it would probably be unwise to try even if she does make radical moves towards four-leggedness.

As far as my riding goes, I will be continuing to work with Ally to prepare for the Equestrian Games at Siege of Glengary 2009.

I suppose there are a lot worse fates in this world than having a big, beautiful Clydesdale with lots of feather to ride as an alternate mount. They are about the same size heightwise, and its possible that Dollys barding will fit. And shes a Scot breed, so its even appropriate!

Of course, the only less period name I can think of than Dolly Madison happens to be Metallica, Allys proper name! LOL I hope everyone has a sense of humour!

Well, that all for now. Assuming no major training/weapons issues, Ill be changing mounts for Glengary.

Sliante Mhath!

Mark

We do not know who to thank for this footage, but Thank You!

The two young horses I brought had never played the games before.  Gideon was a little leery–especially of the heavy machinery next door! Lucy, my Thoroughbred racetrack rescue, took it all in stride:

Our novice horses faced new places, new horses, and new challenges…even new outfits!  The natural horsemanship foundation laid at home gave them a solid grounding for acceptance and quick mastery of new experiences. Clicker training accelerated the horses’ comfort level with flailing swords, bobbing lances and billowing costumes.

Everyone rode well and had a blast!  Lady Brandwyn Alston again marshalled.  Our thanks to the ground crew who kept everything running quickly and smoothly. My hands were too full with 2 horses to take photos. Next time I promise to get more!

Atlantia’s Deputy Earl Marshal of the Horse, Lady Brandwyn Alston of the Rift, marshaled a day of medieval horsemanship.

Several of the riders are also musicians.  Impromptu concerts sprang up during breaks.

Gorgeous day in the pouring sunshine, doing the things I love most in the world, while ethereal voices sang period ballads under the pavilion. Yup, great times had by all!

Click here to see the full gallery of images.