|
|
Destrier
Late 15th Century mounted soldiery
Tournaments, Battles, Displays, Living history, Education and Research
The Hunting Games Display
The Knights and ladies enter the field to the call of the
hunting horn. A circuit of the arena is made to give the audience an opportunity
to see all the contestants before they present themselves to the compere who
outlines the format of the show, introduces the concept of the hunt and each of
the games in turn. The games are distributed throughout the arena to ensure the
public get a good view of the proceedings no matter where they are standing.
Whilst the games are presented in a lighthearted approach they are in fact
devised to replicate the skills and techniques needed to perform feats dictated
in manuscripts of the time such as “Master of game” written by the Duke of York
early in the fifteenth century and Gaston Phoebus’ late 14th century work “The
Hunting Book”.
The performance can consist of a selection of the
following games: -
|
Running the Ring
The purpose of this game is to take a ring at the point
of a seven-foot spear demonstrating skill and style. For added sport, the rings
are stepped in three sizes – small, medium and large. Points are scored
according to the number and size of rings taken – three points for a small, two
for a medium and one for a large. |
 |
The Target |
This game introduces the javelin dart being thrown in a
downward manner away from the horse onto an archery style target placed on the
ground. Points are scored according to the colour banding – three points for a
red ‘bulls eye’, two for a hit to the white and one point for an outside
blue.
|
 |
The Deer |
The dart game continues with the introduction of the
'quarry' foam reproduction targets as used in field archery. In the course of
this demonstration the contestants aim to plant their javelins in vital spots of
the deer or boar’s bodies resulting in much opportunity for the compere to bring
humour to the proceedings; indeed our ground squires incorporate several ‘gags’
into this set, as the deer is given mouth-to-mouth and resuscitation. This
lighter entertainment ordinarily brings many laughs from the public.
|
 |
The Piglets |
A dozen foam
piglets are distributed around the arena ready to be speared up by the
contestants. All the riders are unleashed with the sole purpose of spearing as
many piglets for their own team as possible. This game also lends itself to
humorous asides and some innovative ‘cheating’ by the ground squires. Once a
piglet has been speared it is deposited at the riders team end of the arena.
When all piglets have been collected, the game is over and the piglets are
tallied for each team. |
 |
The Sow |
All piglets have mothers, and this one isn’t pleased!
A
brave squire leads the female boar onto the field (this target comprises a
stuffed boar skin dragged on the end of a rope). The squire makes light of the
compere’s warnings of the danger of this ‘animal’ minutes before it savages him!
The boar then ‘chases’ the squire around the arena, which is the cue for the
riders to pursue en masse. When the boar has been ‘pinned to the floor’ the hunt
is over and ten points are awarded to the team whose rider has achieved such a
brave feat. The points are totalled and the riders look to the compere for the
conclusion and announcement of the winners. The victors lead a lap of honour
around the arena and present themselves to the public who can then approach the
horses and riders behind the safety ropes to chat about the show. |
 |
Copyright Destrier 1996-2008
|
|