Posts Tagged With: Dame Elizabeth

Return to Sherwood Forest

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Elizabeth

As most of you know, I had my first jousting experience at Sherwood Forest Faire 2 years ago, and then last year I spent a month there training with the New Riders before joining their team. Needless to say, this faire is important to me, and hands down one of my absolute favorites. Not only in terms of the performance we get to put out, but the people there are all wonderful, and the fans are also great. We’ve been here since the beginning of February (yes, I know, shame on me for not updating this sooner….) and I have nothing but good things to report!

First and foremost, this year the whole team got to come down to Texas and instead of the usual 4 horses, we were able to bring 8. Indigo got to come along too, and me and that big dumpling have been having a great time together. I really enjoyed riding him in Minnesota, but then he had a ton of foot problems and I then I had my problems, so it’s been nice to get back in sync with him. I definitely forot how huge he is! At 18.2 hands, it completely reinforces his nickname of “Horsezilla”. I’ve only been riding in the gaming show thus far as I work on getting back into the swing of things, and Indy and I seem to be doing well together.

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We’ve put the gaming show together in such a way that it pits the guys vs the girls. Shelby and I represent the women and Mark and Harry are the men’s team. We then all take turns at slicing the cabbage, spearing the apples, and running the rings on the quintain. So far, I believe the women have won 3 of the 4 shows, so I feel safe in saying that we make a pretty fantastic team. I always like the gaming show, because not only can we make it fun, but it’s also a good time to check in with your horse in front of a crowd. Indy’s gotten into a bad habit of wanting to rush of the line coming from the audience side, so it’s been good to reinforce quietly standing and having a relaxed and easy departure.

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In between shows Shelby and I have been doing horse rides (yey…) and then have been helping to squire for the guys during the joust. As of now, our shows consist of all 3 guys doing round robin matches and then a ground fight at the end. Dave, Mark, and Harry have all been killing it on the field though, and so far, we’ve had some amazing shows with lots of hard hits and unhorsings. I’m actually really enjoying squiring, although it always makes me increasingly eager to get back into my armor and start hitting guys with sticks again!

Speaking of armor, last week I suited up and we had a look at how things could of possibly happened to of caused my break to happen. And oddly enough, there’s nothing blaringly obvious that would give reason or rhyme as to why the leg broke. However, it was nice to put some of my gear on and work with Indy. I plan to keep wearing it as much as I can and get back in the lyst as soon as I get the go ahead to. Shelby and I even plan to ride in our armor like we did in Minnesota for the gaming show to get even more practice that way.

I’m really enjoying the time we have here in Texas, and really hope that things continue to move in a positive direction. Having the whole team here is just wonderful, and I’m quite glad we didn’t have to split up. Like I said earlier, there’s some really great people here in Texas, and I’ve been given a great opportunity to do some work with a great organization out here. The foundation is called Horse Boy and they work with autistic kids through horses and different learning methods. I’ll be sure to update you all on how that goes with them, because it really is a fantastic organization!

Sorry this post isn’t the most riveting or exciting, but things have been pretty vanilla with me coming back from my injury. I’m just taking things slow and easing myself back into my routine. I think I’ll focus my next post on more horse oriented stuff, and try to get some pictures from practice.

If you’re in the Texas area, do try and stop by the Sherwood Forest Faire. It truly is a fun experience, and you’ll get to see an amazing joust!

Much love to you all!

Love from Indy and I

Love from Indy and I

Categories: Adventure Time!, Horses | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Goodbye, Another Good Time

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Elizabeth

Once again I find myself forlorn with the fact that yet another faire has come to a close. Minnesota was more fun than I could of ever imagined, and I am so thankful for the opportunities that were presented to me here, as well as the memories that I made and the friends that I met. It has been quite the memorable experience here, but as sad as I may be to leave, I am also excited for the adventures that Louisiana holds in wait for me.

Our last weekend here ended up being a three day weekend, as the festival was open on Friday as well as the usual Saturday and Sunday. Two day weekends typically tire us out pretty effectively, so having to make it through a three day weekend was something none of us were really looking forward to. Thankfully, Friday ended up being a slower day, so Shelby and I actually got a chance to walk around the faire a bit and get some shopping done. Minnesota’s fair is a lot larger than Sterling, so there was quite a bit to see, and the shops are quite more numerous and varied. After working there 7 weeks, it was nice to be able to peruse the grounds and enjoy a nice break.

Daisy and I

Daisy and I

However, the best part about the weekend was the fact that I got to ride Daisy the Destroyer for my passes! Daisy is pretty much once of the best jousting horses the company owns, she knows her job and will take care of you in the lyst. Plus she’s an adorable teddy bear, as well as the fiercest war horse who will paw the ground in anticipation of the run. Everyone loves Daisy, and I was absolutely thrilled that I got the privilege to ride her. After my tough last weekend with Abe, it was decided that I should ride Daisy to boost back my confidence, as she would give me nice clean runs so I could focus on my lance control and seat.

Sir William and I preparing to enter the field

Sir William and I preparing to enter the field

Daisy did not disappoint! She ran like a champ, and gave me some wonderful runs. Friday Dave took me out the last pass when we both collided, Saturday I made it through all the passes without meeting the dirt, and Sunday I was once again blasted into the ground. Even though I was unhorsed a few times, I still had an amazing weekend, and felt like I was in such better control of my universe during passes. Having a reliable horse under you makes it so much easier to get the job done, and I am so thankful for Daisy. I felt like my aim was better, and I was able to deliver some solid blows and even break a few lances! I know the things I need to improve on, mostly riding through the hit and driving me and my horse forward, but I feel like I’m making strides in the right direction.

As we head into the next faire, I am excited for what the future hold for me. I will be more integrated into the show in Louisiana, participating in both the Baston Course as well as the ground fight. I’m very excited, but know that it will be a lot of work and leave me aching and sore. But the best part is that I love what I do, so the aches aren’t too bad and the pain ebbs away. After Saturday’s show, I dismounted Daisy and skipped to the center to meet Dave, a grin from ear to ear. And even after Friday and Sunday’s falls, I was back on my feet talking with my audience with a smile on my face telling them I was okay and that I loved it.

 

Anatomy of a Blowout

Anatomy of a Blowout

Anatomy of a Blowout

Anatomy of a Blowout

Anatomy of a Blowout

Anatomy of a Blowout

Anatomy of a Blowout

Anatomy of a Blowout

Having a supportive crowd makes what I do so much more amazing as well. I love talking with my audience afterwards, and getting to meet the people who were cheering me on during my passes. Some of my favorite interactions this faire were a grandma who wanted to take a picture with me and a family with 3 boys. The grandma took a picture and told me she was going to send it to her granddaughter and tell her she could be anything she wanted to, and told me she was proud of my accomplishments. The family was adorable when the mom told me all the boys were so worried when I came off and wanted to make sure I was ok. I had to reassure them that I was alright, and they were all amazed and in awe of my armor and my riding. There were so many people who came up and told me how awesome it was to see a woman on the field, and I love that I am able to inspire others and leave people pleased with the performance they saw.

No caption needed. Thank you Daisy!

No caption needed. Thank you Daisy!

This job is not easy. There is little financial gain in it, and I find myself in a constant state of discomfort in one small way or another. We work hard. We play hard. There’s constant struggles to overcome, and I will always have to be striving to do better than my best. But it’s worth it. It’s worth living in a tent and making very little. To wake up every day and get to work with amazing people and amazing horses, it’s worth it. To go to bed every night with a smile on my face and laughter in my heart, it’s worth it. A lot of people questioned my decision to do this, and to this day I still face criticism for my decision, but I am so very glad that I did. The memories I’m making and the experiences that I’m gaining are worth all the heartache and pain I have to overcome for this job.

Tomorrow the wheels hit the road and I will be headed down south for more adventures, and I am more than ready to face what’s in store for me.  Since the faire doesn’t actually start until November, I will be sure to take some time to introduce more of the crew and horses here and spend time talking about our technique rides with the horses. Stay tuned my faithful followers, and wish me luck on my travels!

Much love to you all!

 

XoXo

Categories: Horses, Jousting | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dustin’ Off Your Britches and Gettin’ Back On

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Elizabeth

Happy Monday my eager readers! After a long and harrowing weekend, I am happy to announce that I survived another weekend here in Minnesota, although it was a struggle. I definitely have had better weekend in the past, but still was able to walk away from my shows with improvements for the future and new lessons learned from my mistakes.

Saturday was by far one of the hardest days I’ve had to get through working here at the company. I was set to joust Harry in the gaming show, and we were both eager to finally meet on the track. I was trying hard to focus myself and not get stressed or anxious, as I knew Abe would immediately pick up on my emotions if I let them get the better of me. I felt like I was doing alright, but started to lose my composure after the first pass. Slowly, everything started slipping downhill, and instead of being able to stay in control of my world, I let myself slip too. It’s my biggest downfall at this point; that instance where one thing goes amiss and I am unable to refocus myself. Long story short, I was only able to get two rushed and sloppy passes in before I somehow lost my balance for no real reason and simply fell off Abe at the end of lyst.

Embarrassed and frustrated does not even begin to describe how I felt lying in the dirt after my mess of a joust. I was so upset that I couldn’t tune in with my horse and frustrated at the fact that even though I realized I was panicking and could feel myself doing completely the wrong things, I was unable to correct them. I had to quickly head back to the tent to get out of my gear and take a couple minutes to myself before I was ready to see anyone, let alone go over how the show had gone. I was able to get my composure back and tell myself that things would be better. Dave talked with me for a bit afterwards and I tried to just move on and focus on the rest of the shows for the day. Tara and I would be working together as Lady Riders and I had high hopes that she would help turn around my misfortune.

I was wrong. Right out of the gate I had my day turn from bad to worse within minutes of the show starting. We set up for the Baston course and prepare to make our salute passes, where we all charge and pass each other in the center. Tara gets a bee in her bonnet, sees Christine crowding towards us, panics, slams on the breaks and spins in front of Christine and Mark, throwing me into the dirt as Christine’s feet thud right next to my head. I was so upset that I’d come off two shows in a row, I jump up, avoid the horses running towards me for the second pass and march right back to Tara. Brushing off concerned squires, I mount up and quickly try to resettle her and bring her attention back before we run in to hit Harry with our beating stick. We made it through the rest of the show ok, but boy oh boy was I even more frustrated by the end of that show.

I was trying so hard just to move on and let my mistakes be in the past, but at the same time, it’s very hard to get back up and dust yourself off when you come off twice during two shows on two different horses. I was questioning my riding ability and beating myself up over the mistakes I’d made. Riding horses can be a cruel and unforgiving passion, but can also offer the greatest rewards and accomplishments as well, you just have to stick with it through the hard times. Our last show came around and I was ready to grit my teeth and have a kick ass show. Of course, as we’re setting up, Dave has to get a few quick jabs in, asking if I want a seatbelt or maybe some super glue for my saddle. I’m able to joke back, telling him some Velcro would be nice!

I’m so glad I was able to refocus myself for the last show, because Tara and I did fantastic together, and I think it was the most successful ride I’ve ever had on that little mare. I just worked on the things I knew I had messed up on with Abe during the first show; getting her to respond to my leg and seat while giving her a loose and relaxed rein. We really connected, and I felt like I chipped away a little more at the ideas that Dave is trying to teach me. I know I won’t be able to perfect my riding overnight, but the fact that I had a mini break through with Tara made my day immensely better. Plus I stayed on the entire show, Tara and I effectively hit Harry with our beating stick, and I knocked him out with a good stunt shield hit at the end. As always, my mom was a great support too, asking me at the end of the day what I had taken away from this all. I replied I needed to trust my horse more, because Abe and Tara will take care of me if I let them, and I need to ride with my leg and body, not by panicking and pulling on their face. Overall, it was shitty, I was upset, but it happens to all of us, and we all make idiots of ourselves. Tomorrow would just be another opportunity to prove I can do better.

Yey! We knocked off Sir Henry!

Yey! We knocked off Sir Henry!

Lo and behold, the next day was better! I decided just to take the gaming show as an opportunity to school with Abe, and tune back in with him without having to worry about making passes with anyone. I really focused on working him with my leg, using my seat to stop him, and not letting him get worked up and rushed. At the end of the show, Shelby and I did dry passes in the lyst with Dave coaching me, and it was exactly what I needed. By our final pass, I had Abe running nicely off the “scary” end without getting upset with Penny running by us, and stopping nicely at the end. Abe and I worked together for the rest of the day, and both our shows as Lady Riders went beautifully. Now all that’s left is to figure out how to transfer all that into my jousting, and not let my helmet and guard hinder me when I’m in the lyst. It’s definitely going to be something I’m going to have to put a lot of work into, but I know that it will pay off immensely in the end!

I’m so happy that the weekend turned out for the better, and I was able to turn around my terrible Saturday. Next weekend is our last weekend here in Minnesota, so I’m hoping to be able to end the faire on a good note. I’ll be diligently practicing with Abe all this week!

And as a bonus for you all, here’s some awesome pictures from the lovely Amanda Rolls, one of our most senior squires here and a wonderful help!

 

Preparing to vanquish my foes ;)

Preparing to enter the Lyst

Abe and I on our ride in. Ignore my constipated face, at least Abe looks bad ass here...

Abe and I on our ride in

Much love to you all!

Categories: Horses, Jousting | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Jousting, jousting, and MORE jousting!!

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Elizabeth

Once again, I find myself terribly behind in my blog entries. Therefore I will begin with an apology. However the last week was incredibly difficult, as I unfortunately I started the week with a visit to the emergency room and ended it with a crippling loss. It was a tough week to get through, and I was very distracted physically and mentally to put much effort into the blog, but thankfully things are starting to settle down and I have some spare time to sit down and write some things down. I know I have 2 weekends to catch you up on, so this post might be lengthy, or it might be broken into two separate posts. I haven’t quite decided yet, but I will promise you that I will get you caught up!

I believe that I last left off with my entry about my first official passes with the company, so I will try and pick up starting the week after that. Nothing much else to say there, except Indigo has been working through some foot issues, so I’ve been playing musical horses with Abe and Tara. Had some good rides with Tara, but boy oh boy does that little engine have some go in her! I wasn’t planning to joust the next weekend, because Indy was out, but last minute decided to do the gaming show with Abraham. It was a quick decision we made the morning of, but we managed to get everything together and have a nice show. Dave’s moved up from the nice passes, and has been delivering spot on, crushing blows that have kept me on my toes. Abe and I were riding together smoothly and managing to keep steady until out last pass when my saddle rigging on the left side completely busted apart and sent me crashing to the ground. Upon falling, both straps on the left side of my breastplate completely busted as well, leaving me and Abe a tattered, falling apart mess. Overall, it was a good show and I was just happy to be in the lyst again!

Since I have been working with getting into the lyst and jousting, Maggie has been spending most of the weekends up top since there isn’t a need for her on the field at this time. However, last weekend we decided to bring her down and have her start getting used to the atmosphere, including the elephants and camels and bouncy trampoline. Shelby and I were working Millie and her and she was doing pretty alright for me considering all the new things she was encountering. However, something set her off and she decided it was imperative to run home as fast as she could. My luck with saddles had apparently run out for the day, because my left stirrup completely broke mid run, and I was sent rolling though the ground, eventually being stopped by a solid concrete wall. After laying there for a while, I was able to get up, where I was then checked up and made sure nothing was terribly broken. I had a rather large knot on my head, a tremendous scrape on my arm, some nice road rash and bruising on my hip, a painful big toe, and I managed to re-injure my bad knee. My whole left side hurt, and it was painful to breath in deep breaths, but nothing was seriously hurt, and I hadn’t lost conscious. Mostly I was upset that I came off and had hurt myself in a non-jousting related incident, and irritated that this might sideline my jousting.

I refused a trip to the urgent care that night, opting instead to cover myself in ice-packs and rest up for the night. However, the next morning, I was incredibly dizzy and unfocused, so one of the first aid people who had seen me the day before strongly suggested that I take a visit to the urgent care to make sure there wasn’t anything seriously wrong with my head. Thankfully Christine was free to take me in, so I got to spend the day in the emergency room making sure nothing was seriously wrong. After some poking and prodding, along with a CT scan, it was diagnosed that I had nothing more than a concussion and come minor chest contusions. Thankfully, I just had to deal with some lingering headaches and a abundance of bruising the following week; nothing that was going to keep me out too long!

Tuesday I was back up on Abe training, and although we took it nice and easy, it was still great to be out on Abe again. He is such a gifted horse, and I really enjoy working with him. Dave has done an incredible job training him to this point, and I always walk away from our rides impressed with his abilities. Riding Abe also helps me to really quiet down my hands and my body; Abraham is so fine tuned, I get to work with how little it takes to get him to do something. Most of the time it’s just the barest touch or encouragement and he is right there ad responsive. It makes me work on putting more trust into him, as I have to relax and work off much lighter commands. Dave was telling me how I want everything I do to have meaning, and not just to hang on him or give him mixed signals. I want to ask for something, and then let him go. It can be frustrating at first, because most people’s reaction is to tense up and grab at the reins when you don’t get what you want right away, but once you find each other, it’s quite rewarding.

Charge on!!!

Charge on!!!

The next weekend saw Abe and I armoring up in the lyst together again, once again taking passes with Dave and Tara. I was having a stressful morning already, having to completely fix my broken saddle and was in a panic trying to find stirrups that were long enough for me to use. It was just one of those off mornings, and I couldn’t shake my jitters and anxiety. Abe obviously picked up on it, and was an energized rocket on the field. My lance control was terrible, I couldn’t make any hits, and was fighting hard to keep my horse under control. However, I did manage to stay on through all of Dave’s hits, but definitely walked away with a long lists of improvements I wanted to work on for the next day.

A series of surprise events led us into having to do some last minute show rearranging Sunday morning, and after brainstorming how to fix our problem, it was decided that Dave would sit out the joust in the morning in order to marshal and I would get to meet Mark in the lyst for passes. I was ecstatic, as I had been nagging on the other guys to joust with me for the last week or so. We hustled to get ourselves and the horses ready, and I was thankful Mark was able to make jokes and help lighten the mood, as I was worried I’d panic again like I had the day before. Abe and I entered the lyst and I could already feel that his demeanor was calmer and more in tune with me. We come forward, and I was able to completely brake my lance the first pass out. I was thrilled, shouting and whooping at the end of the lyst. Second pass saw us both deliver good hits, and at this point I was ahead in points. We came about for our last pass and we met with a tremendous impact. I felt myself being rocked backwards, and tried to bring myself forwards… accidentally over compensating and taking myself right off the side of Abe. Drat! I quickly bounced to my feet and walked to the middle to meet Mark, where we embraced and laughed and high fived each other. It was heartening to know that I rocked him back pretty good with that last hit, and I probably would have had the lead had I not come tumbling off. Oh well. It was still a great show and I was very happy with my passes and Abraham.

This week I plan to work incredibly hard to start building up my stamina and getting used to the rigors of doing a full show, which includes not only lance passes, but the baston course and a ground fight as well. I also get to learn how to stunt fall in armor, which is something I’m less than thrilled about, but it’ll give me a good reason to practice getting up in my armor too, because right now I look like a floundering turtle trying to stand up. Lots of work ahead of me, but I’m ready to buckle down and get it done!!

Oh, and here’s an amazing shot of me spearing an apple right in half! The part I like best about this picture is that you can see the reflection of everything in front of me in my breatplate! Pretty nice to have stainless steel armor with a mirror finish!

Precision!

Death to the apple!!

Much love to you all! Wish me luck as my training continues!

Categories: Horses, Jousting | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beginnings

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Elizabeth

Good morning excited and eager new readers! Thank you for taking the time to read my first (of hopefully many!) blog posts. For those of you not familiar with me and my journey thus far, let me introduce myself! I am the Dame Elizabeth and have been infatuated and completely overtaken for my love of horses and jousting. About a year and a half ago, I unknowingly stumbled upon the sport of jousting, and since then have been enthusiastically pursuing it. Focusing on the full contact style, I have on and off been pursuing this style for the last year or so, and have most recently been invited to join up with Warhorse Productions and their team, the New Riders of the Golden Age. They are the oldest full contact troupe in the United States and focus as much on horsemanship as they do on jousting. I was picked up by them after jousting at Sherwood Forest Faire in Texas the past few years and so far, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to ride with them! I’ve quit my job working at a small animal clinic and am ready to dedicate myself to my passion.

Now that the introductions are out of the way, let me begin to tell you the tales of my adventures thus far in the distant land of… Sterling, New York.

state signs

State Signs!

Rather than spending pages recounting my travels and tales thus far, let me summarize; I traveled from Colorado to New York over the course of 3 days, spanning a total of 9 states, 1,822 miles, and over 26 hours in the car. It. Was. Not. Fun. Especially when you’re driving alone. But thankfully I had amazing friends whom I was able to stay with on my travels, and had good snacks to eat, and jammin’ music to listen to, so it was manageable, to say the least. Even though I’ve only been here a week now, I’ve already made some wonderful friends, and enjoy the crew that I’ll be working with (more on them later). I’m staying in a tent, complete with futon, lighting, fan, etc. so the situation isn’t as bad as you might think. There has been some talk of raccoons forming raiding parties and attacking at night, so I’ve been sleeping with one eye open thus far (UPDATE: the stories were right, there are definitely nosy coons in the night that cause you to lose sleep and go to drastic measures to deter them). The bugs are of course atrocious, and I’m trying exceptionally hard not to scratch my numerous mosquito bites as I try to write this. But it’s all worth it because the horses and people here are just fueling my passion even further, and every night I go to bed with a smile on my face because I’m so content.

When I first decided to actually pursue this opportunity to come out here and work with the troupe, I had a lot of people question my choices because they couldn’t understand the logic behind it. Truth be told, there is no logic, but instead there is passion. I’ve come to realize just how much of an impact horses have on my life, and while this transition does not make any sense logically, it makes sense in my heart. Today I woke up sore and bug bitten after an unfulfilling night of sleep, but as soon as I got out to the horses and started morning chores, everything seemed to fade away. For me, being around horses is therapy, and there really is nothing better for my soul. The past few days I’ve faced challenges with the horses I’ve rode, but there is nothing quite as fulfilling as that moment when it clicks between you and the horse and you both flow together harmoniously. Time doesn’t matter. Personal problems go away. Stress and doubt dissolve. It’s just you and a two thousand pound animal working together. I’ll definitely spend some more time in my future posts going over the riding techniques we focus on here and everything I’ve been learning, but I cone wholeheartedly say that this is some of the most rewarding riding I’ve done. I’ve left every ride happy with the accomplishments I’ve made, and am proud of how my riding skills are slowly improving. My mentors here are both wonderful riders and teachers, and I’m so grateful to have the resources I do through them.

Besides the jousting crew being stellar, I’m very fortunate to be able to be a part of the faire as a whole. The cast here is wonderful, and Sterling Renaissance Faire is the only faire to hire professional actors as their cast. Aside from being skilled and top notch at their job, they are all friendly and welcoming, and I’ve already started to get to know them all. Friday evening, they practiced their “pub sing”, which is basically an event at the end of the day where the entire cast gathers and sings song together. The sun was setting behind them, and as we sat there and watched them practice, it made me realize how fortunate I am to have this opportunity with these amazing people. The entire cast is all about love and happiness, and I’ve heard countless tales of people who have done as I have, and left their 9-5 jobs to live this lifestyle. Everyone is always all smiles, and it makes me more confident that I made the right decision.

Fair opens this weekend, so soon we will begin blocking out the show and figuring out our positions. I think I will do a mid-week blog post that focuses more on the riding aspect, and then spend next Monday after opening weekend focusing on how first weekend went. If there’s ever anything that you as a reader would like for me to focus on, please don’t hesitate to let me know and I will gladly focus an entry on that! And any questions you may have, please forward them on to me.

Thanks again for reading and I look forward to your feedback on my first post!

 

Categories: Adventure Time! | Tags: , , | 7 Comments

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