Horsemanship Level 1: The Quick Release Knot The quick release knot is item #4 on your Horsemanship Level 1 checklist. There are several methods of tying a quick release knot, and your instructor will teach you the most simple way. For your assessment we don’t mind which one you use as long as it tightens…
Horsemanship Level 1: Leading a Horse Having caught and haltered your horse, the next step is: Lead horse out of stall or paddock, lead at the walk There is a surprising lack of good videos on this very simple topic. The best I found was this: The handler in this video is careful to walk…
The second in the Horsemanship Level 1 series covers the dos and don'ts of catching a horse.
It's been about seven years since the first Horsemanship Level 1 blogs, so its time for an update. Even if you already have your Horsemanship 1 it is worthwhile reviewing this material, as subsequent levels are all built upon this foundation. The first item on the Level 1 checklist is: identify colour, near and off side, and twenty simple parts of the horse.
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I love having the opportunity to step into the classes of other HEMA instructors as well as classes offered by my own students. It can be a tremendous opportunity to be opened to new skills and new teaching approaches. However it can sometimes be a tricky thing, especially if you're a more senior practitioner. Here…
Whether you dream of being an Amazon warrior, a knight in shining armour, or swift horse archer of the Steppes, we have a program to help you scratch that itch through Academie Duello's Mounted Combat program at Cornwall Ridge Farm.
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I had the pleasure of attending an event last week called Stickmata put on by Immersion Labs in San Jose, California. The goal of this event (and similar past and upcoming events put on by Immersion Labs) is to bring together martial artists from diverse cultures and traditions. In this case everything was unified by…
Read More... from Making Martial Distinctions: Stickmata Event Report
Looking for more than just a riding camp this Spring Break? Check out our Cavalier Camp for kids!
We were all newbies once. We were all the person who worried that our lack of skill was holding others back in their practice. And in some cases maybe we did. It is difficult to manage levels of challenge within a mixed level group. The needs of the experienced practitioner and those of the newcomer are quite…
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The idea of pursuing personal excellence is great, but functionally how do you do it? I've written about beating the boredom of repetitive drilling, and promoting an excellence mindset. Yet when you get the opportunity to really up the quality of what you're doing, where do you focus? Below is a piece of guidance material I…
Fans of horses and swords rejoice! We are running another Mounted Combat Intensive from April 8th through 12th, 2019. This 50-hour program offers you the chance to immerse yourself in a full week of mounted combat arts both in and out of the saddle. Throughout the week you will learn the foundation of our approach to…
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Three members of the Academie Duello crew and I visited the February 8-10 Capitol Clash in Washington, DC. This is a well run HEMA tournament event that runs alongside a huge modern fencing tournament all hosted by the Virginia Academy of Fencing (VAF). I had the pleasure of being part of the reffing staff, a…
I have long heard that ballet has its origins in historical fencing. It's a romantic idea and as someone who both teaches martial arts and dance (though not ballet) I certainly find tons of parallels in how they are both taught and practiced. The positions of modern ballet certainly bare some resemblance to classical and…
Read More... from Is There a Link Between Ballet and Fencing?