Tent pegging is alive and well

[admin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm2p60w2-sY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTzckahggxM

[Dithyrambus]

Very cool!

[Joolz]

Nice bit of horseflesh and undoubted skill. However, I have yet to see anyone do it better than the Indians....

Joolz

[Phil C]

Royal Horse Artillery are pretty sharp at it, tho' I may be biased as an uncle of mine was Captain of the Officers' Team in the mid-80s when he was their Vetinary Officer.

There's a school in Sussex, at the appropriately named town of Lancing

[Magnus Hagelberg]

one of our members expressed a wish to go see this cavalry use in action.

where should one look for exhibitions and such? where are the good shows?

[Phil C]

Depends what you want. There's modern tent-pegging done as "medieval hunting" all over the place at historical(-ly inpired) events in the UK (Leeds Royal Armouries for one). The very best demo I've seen done is by Skinner's Horse who recreate C19th Indian Gymkhana and are simply superb.

Jeff Burn does C16th mounted skills (lance, bow, gun) at his own events-
http://www.theborderers.info/

For the genuine article start with looking for competitons here-
http://www.britishtentpegging.com

Not all are to the public though, but are fairly common at major horse shows

[Magnus Hagelberg]

thank you =)

[admin]

Sort of related - a representation of singlesticking on horseback, from Harper's Weekly 1828:

[admin]

And another:
http://www.old-print.com/mas_assets/ful ... 878231.jpg

[admin]

Check out this cavalry training contraption from the Illustrated London Ness of 1901! -

[Thearos]

What's going on ? There seems to be a hobby horse, but also a target in front of it.

French, by the uniforms ?

[Oli Barker]

What's going on ? There seems to be a hobby horse, but also a target in front of it.

French, by the uniforms ?

The target appears to be mobile - it rotates around the horse, controlled by the chap standing to the rear.

The exercise would likely train a number of things - how to deliver a good cut to an oncoming target, how to cut at a moving target without losing your sword, how to cut without hitting your horse…

[Magnus Hagelberg]

It also appears that they are working in formation to kill it. The two cirkling horsemen apear to be stabbing it.
Makes me want to make such a contraption...

[Thearos]

I suppose there's nothing strange about the dragon (assuming it is a French dragon or cuirassier) slashing rather than stabbing at the target.

And there seems to be a man to the rear right with a crank device coupled with the wooden horse, in order to shake it, like a mechanical bull in a bar.

[admin]

These are British heavy dragoons, I believe.

I'd say it's pretty obvious how the contraption works - exactly as Oli said.

At least two of the chaps in the background are practicing mounted lance versus sword on foot.

[Thearos]

Oh I see. It's sort of difficult to see what's where in relation to the target-- I wondered if the guy on foot in the right background (with the helmet) wasn't pulling a rope attached to the target; or whether the horseman in the background wasn't attacking the target.

[Thearos]

Oh I see. It's sort of difficult to see what's where in relation to the target-- I wondered if the guy on foot in the right background (with the helmet) wasn't pulling a rope attached to the target; or whether the horseman in the background wasn't attacking the target.

[Sean M]

The ceremonial mounted troop of Lord Strathcona's Horse (a regular armoured regiment in the CF) sometimes does tentpegging and mounted saber displays in Alberta. I may have missed one at a recent event due to an unclear schedule.

They claim ancestry to a unit raised for the Boer War, which I suppose is a Victorian connection.

[Phil C]

Tentpegging in the news today-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bi ... m-14053996

[admin]

Check out this film from 1931 - note the revolver shooting from horseback and swords left in targets:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=4514