Good news! For those of you who want more swordplay practice and who can't make it downtown, there are now swordplay classes almost every Sunday at Cornwall Ridge. Mounted Combat Mastery continues to run twice a month, and now Mounted Combat Fundamentals has a twice monthly section open to apprentice level (green cord or green spur) and up. These classes are available on a drop-in basis and are covered by monthly tuition, or can be purchased separately.
Mounted Combat Fundamentals & Apprentice Class
This course consists of three 2.5-hour classes over five weeks (alternate Sundays), and covers the basic Mounted Combat skills needed for your Green Spur. Students who have achieved these skills along with Riding and Horsemanship Level 1 will be eligible to participate in Mounted Combat classes on horseback.
New for 2020, the curriculum has been expanded to include more advanced drills and practice for students who have already taken a Fundamentals course (Mounted Combat, Longsword, or Rapier) and have a green cord or spur. Higher ranked students wishing to polish and practise their skills are welcome to attend as well.
Mounted Combat Fundamentals & Apprentice Class
Sundays 19 Jan, 2 Feb, 16 Feb, 15 Mar, 29 Mar, 5 Apr
1:00 – 3:30pm
Instructor: Dave Wayne
Fundamentals: $165 + gst for 3 classes, drop-in $70 per class
Apprentice Class: 2 tuition credits or $50 per class
Mounted Combat Mastery
This class is open to any Apprentice level (green cord or green spur) student and up. Students who have passed a Riding Level 1 assessment may participate from horseback, while students with a green cord may participate from the ground and falsemount.
noon - 1pm: swordplay from the ground
1:00 - 1:30: tack-up / swordplay drills
1:30 - 2:30: mounted combat
2:30 - 3:00: untack / clinic
Mounted Combat Mastery
Sundays 12 Jan, 26 Jan, 9 Feb, 23 Feb, 1 Mar, 22 Mar
noon - 3pm
Instructor: Jennifer Landels
Mounted Combat, Ground only: 2 tuition credits or $50 per class
Mounted Combat, Horseback: 3 tuition credits of $75 per class
Riding & Horsemanship Classes
The next series of six-week Riding & Horsemanship courses start Sunday February 23rd.
Beginner Riding & Horsemanship
This six-class course is designed to help the beginning rider achieve Horsemanship and Riding Level 1. The Horsemanship portion includes haltering, leading & securing your horse; points of the horse; parts of the saddle & bridle; grooming & tacking up; untacking and care of tack; basic feeding and needs of the horse. The Riding curriculum covers turn out and checking tack, mounting & dismounting, warm up exercises, – basic seat position, aids for walk, trot and halt, circles & turns, rising trot, ground rails, introduction to canter if ready, single hand reining, stirrupless work, and introduction to games skills. 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.
Beginner Riding & Horsemanship
Sundays 23 Feb - 29 Mar
11am – 1pm
cost: $375 + gst for 6 classes
drop-in, if space available: $75 + gst
Instructor: Eleanor Landels
Riding & Horsemanship Level 2
This six class course is for Riders who have achieved Horsemanship level 1 and are working towards Horsemanship level 2, Riding level 1, or Riding level 2. The Horsemanship portion includes identification, routines of the horse, care & cleaning of saddlery, riding etiquette, and safe handling. Riding curriculum covers basic seat position, single-hand reining, games skills, canter work, introduction to drill work, introduction to jumping, and longeline work.
Riding & Horsemanship Level 2
Sundays 23 Feb - 29 Mar
10 am – noon
Instructor: Isabel Landels
cost: $375 + gst for 6 classes
drop-in, if space available: $75 + gst
Riding Level 3+, Flat
This six-class series is for intermediate and advanced riders who have graduated from Level 2 and are looking to improve their dressage work. The classes will focus on the correct position and aids of the rider to increase the horse’s suppleness both laterally and through the top-line, as well as on prompt and balanced transitions. Some cavaletti and ground poles may be incorporated.
Riding Level 3+, Flat
Sundays 23 Feb - 29 Mar
10am – 11am
Instructor: Isabel Landels
cost: $275 + gst for 6 classes
drop-in, if space available: $55 + gst
Two Plays from Goliath
At the end of January the marvelous Jess Finley came to visit and we spent a day working through some of the plates from the Goliath manuscript. I've written about two of them in detail on my blog, which you can find here:
The Importance of Gloss: Interpreting Historical Manuals.
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.