There have been mini-horses, falcons and sheep, but for the third annual Sun Valley Renaissance Faire little animals just won't do it. This year, the jousting will be done in proper style, on horseback during the weekend of medieval pageantry, music, theater and dance in the Festival Meadow on Sun Valley Road.
Members of the Wood River Valley horse community have contributed to the Faire by sponsoring the Seattle Knights to do jousting exhibitions during the Faire, which runs 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20 and noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 21. Three jousting exhibitions are scheduled on Saturday, and another two on Sunday.
A popular competition in the 14th to 16th centuries, jousting was between two knights on horseback. Each knight tries to knock the other off his mount. Each was often equipped with three weapons: a lance, a one-handed sword, and a dagger. When one knight knocked the other off of his mount, he was declared the winner of the round. If there was a tie, a sword fight on foot was initiated. Royalty just loved this "au Plaisance" competition.
The Seattle Knights are a troupe of trained professionals, whose medieval jousting tournaments combine equestrian skills, high-energy acting and choreographed stage combat using real steel weapons. Many of the members of the Seattle Knights, who started out with an interest in armor and swords, were horse lovers who wanted to learn more about jousting or were actors looking for a new venue. Quite a few were members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th century Europe.
"Most of the Seattle Knights own their own horses," Seattle Knights director Dameon Willich said. "But not all of their mounts are used for the same thing. Some horses are best at jousting, and some are better at the light horse games. A few horses are great at both, and those are the ones used most in the shows. Not all horses can handle this type of game. It is rather stressful for nine out of 10 horses, and goes against their basic 'fight or flight' instinct. But many adapt to it very well, and a few actually seem to thrive on it. They are our fellow cast members and our friends. For the most part, they are why people come to the shows."
A variety of breeds are used in the jousting shows: Andalusians, Appaloosas, Arabians, Friesians, Quarterhorses, Morgans, Mustangs and Percherons.
The training of the Seattle Knights mounts is usually handled by each of the individual knights under the tutelage of either Willich or Lauri LaSabre, both accomplished horse trainers.
For more information about the Sun Valley Renaissance Faire, how to become a sponsor, a volunteer to be one of the costumed performers, or to attend one of the free Renaissance workshops at the nexStage Theatre, call Prue Hemmings at 726-9124.
Members of The Seattle Knights demonstrate the fine art of jousting.
