It is so exciting to see the beginnings of practical experiments with a HohenzeugGestech saddle (High seat jousting saddle). I have been intrigued by this saddle type ever since I saw the magnificent example in the collections of The Royal Armouries as a boy more than 60 years ago. I have written articles about it (though I can’t find them now). It has always fascinated me.To say that someone jousted is akin to saying that they played a ball game – which one? …football, snooker, tennis, golf, ping pong, polo??? I exaggerate to make a point. Jousts have in common that they are between two people, mounted on horseback and using a lance as a weapon. However beyond that there are myriad variations according to time period and region. Jousts with and without a tilt (central barrier) many different armours, different styles of lance/lance head and …saddles.This extraordinary contraption appears a great deal in fifteenth and sixteenth century jousting art, especially in the jousts of Maximillian. There are several key characteristics. The seat is raised considerably over the horse’s back, there are massive wood and rawhide panels at the front giving full protection to the legs and lower torso (obviating the need for armour in these areas) and the skeletal bars to support a near-standing seat.A few elite modern practitioners have long since been using elevated saddles and found that horse with the right musculature and conformation can adapt to the very well. The panels speak for themselves and the example in the Royal Armouries (Leeds) has evidence of lance strikes, proving the defensive worth of this construction. Why though the seating bars. My theory has been that, when struck, the rider is unimpeded in rocking back (if necessary to an extreme degree) and that the front panels give and leverage hold for the thighs, enabling his recovery to an upright position – a sort of equestrian sit-up machine.Jousting is a martial contest without defensive moves. The idea is that as well as delivering an almighty thump on your opponent, you are sturdy enough to also take one. Something has to give and one or both lances break on impact. That is how jousting is scored. However one can see that there would be considerable theatrical advantage if one (or both) of the riders were visibly knocked backward. Less injurious than a fall but highly visual and spectacular. Also repeatable. I’ll be really interested to hear what those who have now sat in it on a horse think about this.Another aspect may be that , given there is now no cantle of the saddle to hold the rider in place, he must resist the shock of impact with muscles alone, so there may be some kudos (understood by contemporary crowds) in taking a hard hit and being knocked back only a slight amount. You need a really good horse though because if the horse goes down, you are in a lot of trouble.This is really interesting stuff for jousting buffs – something genuinely new to discover. Plaudits to all concerned – especially Marcin Ruda who built the saddle. ... See MoreSee Less
More Dogs!A podcast interview that I did with the wonderful Prof Suzannah Lipscomb is now available on History Hit’s ‘Not Just The Tudors’ , which, in turn, is available on various podcast platforms - Acast, Apple, Spotify etc. The episode is called ‘Tudors and their Dogs’.It is free and available for everyone to listen - History Hit subscribers get it 'ad' free but there are only a few brief advertisements interrupting it.Of course it draws on my recent film for History Hit ‘Dogs of the Tudors’ , which remains available to view on the History Hit streaming channel. However the Podcast also explores several other aspects of Tudor dog life that were not in the film. If you are not already a subscriber do take advantage if History Hit's 14-day free trial and dip into this marvelous channel this weekend. I have 9 films on there and there are hundreds of other great history documentaries.shows.acast.com/not-just-the-tudors/episodes/tudors-their-dogs... See MoreSee Less
