From Dressage to Jousting: Fifteen Years on Horseback in Armour

I have been jousting professionally since 2010 with Dominic Sewell's Historic Equitation team. Getting there took two years of learning to ride, learning to ride in armour, learning to carry a lance while riding in armour, and learning to hit a moving target while carrying a lance while riding in armour at speed.

How it started

I got into reenactment in 2008. English Civil War first, then Regia Anglorum for Saxon and Viking period. Group politics pushed me toward something different. Dominic Sewell's Historic Equitation offered riding lessons with a historical focus. Classical dressage first. Once you could ride properly, you could start thinking about mounted combat.

The progression

Classical dressage teaches you to communicate with the horse through your seat and legs, not just your hands. That matters when your hands are occupied with a lance, a sword, or a shield. From dressage, I moved to mounted fencing, then to lance work on the quintain, then to jousting against other riders.

Performances

Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, English Heritage events, the Lord Mayor's Show in London. Battle of Hastings reenactment at Battle Abbey, where I perform as Taillefer. Headless Horseman performances at Wimpole Estate. Netflix credit in Consecration.

What jousting actually is

Two riders in armour ride toward each other at speed. Each carries a lance. The goal is to hit the other rider's shield cleanly and break the lance. The armour is real. The lances are real. The horses are real and very much have their own opinions about the whole arrangement.