Jousting Then and Now

Jousting is a often thought of as a medieval sport. But its roots go back to ancient classical civilizations that features military games as a way of training legions. As time went on, the military games of ancient times were resurrected by lords and fiefdoms of the Middle Ages. Jousting was one such sport that was both sport and military training during tournaments and games. Today, this ancient fighting style and other sports of tournament games continue in modern arenas, venues, events, and spectacles.

Perhaps the most visible modern day horse related competitions are during the Olympics. With televised games, more and more people are aware of horsemanship, even without knowing the official terms of the various competitions. Dressage is the term used to describe a high level of training that essentially renders instinctive maneuvers into a choreographed and coordinated movements set to music.

Combined training is a much more athletic focus for horse and rider, combining jumping over various obstacles with cross-country racing distances. Show jumping focuses on horse and rider clearing several obstacles on a course with the goal of finishing as quickly as possible without knocking over and clearing all obstacles. For both combined training and show jumping, obstacles may include hurdles, logs, water, ditches, walls, and more.

Although not featured in the Olympics, lancing upon horseback is another horsemanship competition. Two riders on separate horses run towards each other with long blunted tip poles called lances. The lances are aimed at the opposite rider or their shield with the intention of knocking the competitor off his horse.

The earliest known tournament featuring jousting was in medieval Europe in the ninth century. During this tournament, the cavalries of Charles and Louis embarked on military training maneuvers that ultimately ended in all participants embroiled in a general upheaval. As time went on, the benefits of military practice in the form of a friendly competition became evident and adopted across much of Europe. Today, it is evident to see the medieval roots of modern equine competitions and exhibitions, such as racing to dressage to hunting to polo.

Of course, competitions of yore or today are not possible without training. Training both the horse and rider are key elements of the joust. When the horse and rider seem to function as one cohesive unit, this is often due to a great deal of training of both the physical feats, but also the verbal and other commands for running, staying the course and of course for the rider not falling off the horse.

Luckily for those who may not ever have the opportunity to attempt see jousting, there are modern day arenas for this sport and skill. There are dinner theater shows that feature jousting and its associated skills. Not only is there the chance to watch the horse and show, but also for dinner, socializing and wonderful memories.