What is Fancypants doing lying in the field? And who are those mysterious characters in black? To find out you'll have to wait till the next episode of the Vancouver B Movie Factory airs on Shaw TV. There will be swords, arrows, horses, and Fiore himself in 'The Flower of Battle'.
In the meantime ...
Congratulations
Kudos to all the students who took part in assessments on Sunday. Letitia Madden, Dan Jackson and Melek Daglar all did a fine job, passing their Horsemanship Level 1 tests. Congratulations as well to Chris Richardson and Karissa King who passed their Riding Level 3 tests, bringing them one step closer to their Blue Spurs!
Upcoming Clinics and Classes
Dressage Clinic
Dressage is the basis of all riding, and Mounted Combat is no exception. In this one and a half hour session coach Stephanie Laversin will help you hone your half-halts, achieve better bend, and sharpen your lateral work with an eye to the movements most useful for combat.
Friday 24 July, 6:00 – 7:30pm
Instructors: Veli & Sherry Leväaho
Prerequisite: Riding Level 1 or equivalent
cost: $45 (own horse) $60 (school horse)
Sign up for any four Friday Clinics for only $180 (4 for the price of 3)!
Horseback Archery – Beginner
In this three hour workshop for beginners you will spend an hour and a half on the ground learning the fundamentals and body mechanics of Hungarian style horse archery.
You will then have an opportunity to shoot from both the falsemount (wooden horse) and real horses led by experienced handlers.
This workshop is appropriate for beginner archers and riders, experienced archers who would like to learn to shoot from horseback, and experienced riders who would like to add archery to their repertoire of mounted skills.
Sunday 26 July, 10am – 1pm
Instructor: Robert Borsos
Prerequisite: none
cost: $149
Horseback Archery – Intermediate
This workshop is intended for those who have already taken Beginner Horseback Archery. We will spend about an hour on the ground refreshing our shooting skills, then move to horseback for the remainder of the workshop.
Sunday 26 July, 2pm – 5pm
Instructor: Robert Borsos
Prerequisites: Beginner Horseback Archery + Riding Level 1 or equivalent
cost: $75
Mounted Sparring
Engage in drills to improve your technique and accuracy, then take those skills to slow work and full speed mounted longsword sparring under the guidance of our Maestro d’Armi, Devon Boorman. Up your game for Carosella 2015!
Prerequisite: Green Spur or permission from instructor
cost: $45 (own horse) $60 (school horse) Sign up for any four Friday Clinics for only $180 (4 for the price of 3)!
Beginner Riding & Horsemanship
This six-class course is designed to help the beginning rider achieve Horsemanship and Riding Level 1. The cost of the course includes one free riding or horsemanship assessment. Students can expect to be ready to assess Horsemanship Level 1 at the end of the six classes. Readiness for Riding Level 1 typically takes two iterations of the course.
Sundays 2 Aug – 6 Sep, 10am – noon
Prerequisites: none. Intro to Mounted Combat recommended.
cost: $300 (6 classes); individual classes (space permitting): $60 each
Riding & Horsemanship Level 2
This six-class course is designed to help the riders achieve Horsemanship and Riding Level 2. The cost of the course includes one free riding or horsemanship assessment. Students can expect to be ready to assess Horsemanship Level 2 at the end of the six classes. Readiness for Riding Level 2 typically takes two iterations of the course.
Sundays 2 Aug – 6 Sep, 10am – noon
Prerequisites: Horsemanship Level 1
cost: $300 (6 classes); individual classes (space permitting): $60 each
Horsemanship Level 3 or 4
Taught in separate groups, this 6 week course will cover everything you need to know for Horsemanship levels 3 or 4.
Sundays 2 Aug – 6 Sep, 10:30 – 11:30am
cost: $130 + gst; single classes: $25 space permitting
Riding Level 3+
A six-class series for riders working on Level 3 and up. Group lessons consist of up to four riders. Additional time slots are added as needed, and riders are grouped by level as much as possible. Riders are expected to arrive at least half an hour before class and have their horses groomed, tacked up, and partially warmed up before the lesson starts.
Sundays 2 Aug – 6 Sep, 10:30 – 11:30am
Prerequisite: Riding Level 2 or permission from the instructor
cost: $200 for six classes; single classes: $45 space permitting.
Mounted Combat Playday
Our playdays are a lot of fun, and are an opportunity to use your skills in a mini-tournament. Plus, the winner gets free entry into the next one! We do mounted games, horseback archery and mounted sparring. This is the last playday before Carosella, so make sure you take the opportunity to up your game before the big event!
Sunday 2 Aug, 1-4pm
Prerequisites: Riding Level 1; Beginner Horseback Archery (for archery); Green Spur (for mounted sparring)
cost: $15 with own horse; $30 with school horse
Prix Fiore Clinic
Prix Fiore is a riding test that includes jumps and sword work. In this one and a half hour clinic riders will practise pas-de-deux and quadrille dressage movements along with tandem jumps and choreographed sword work.
Friday 7 August, 6:00 – 7:30pm
Instructor: Jennifer Landels
Prerequisite: Riding Level 1 or equivalent
cost: $45 (own horse); $60 (school horse)
Sign up for any four Friday Clinics for only $180 (4 for the price of 3)!
Horse Day at the PNE
Join us at the PNE for Horse Day! We will be doing a mounted combat demonstration, and have a booth and stalls in the Agrodome stables. Volunteers needed to talk to the public and share your love of horses and swordplay!
Saturday 29 Aug, 11am till evening
Carosella 2015
Our three day symposium and tournament of mounted combat, mounted archery, and mounted games. Join us for workshops and lectures on Friday and Saturday, and stay to compete on Sunday!
Friday – Sunday, 11-13 September 2015
Jennifer Landels heads up Academie Duello's Cavaliere Program. She has been swordfighting since 2008, and riding since before she could walk. She started the program as an excuse to combine those passions. Read more from Jennifer Landels.