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Introduction

Ancient Saddles

Transitional Saddles

Medieval Saddles

Medieval / Renaissance saddles

Pack Saddles

Peytrals and Cruppers

Bridles

Complete panoplies

Clothing and Armour

Accessories, Diverse

Footwear

Examples of Riding

Markets and Events

Publications

Contact and Ordering

Examples of riding

Arranged from the most recent at the top to the beginning at the bottom. Some additional recent examples of riding may be seen on the clothing page. For a more extensive account of my riding history go to Levantia.

roman girl

My earliest Roman saddle in use. Go to the Ribchester Roman Festival 2017 page for more pictures.

Norman knights

On the field in the Battle of Hastings re-enactment, 2016. Here I field-test the new scratch-built Norman saddle shown on the medieval saddles page.


medieval knight

On the 800th anniversary of the Battle of Lincoln Fair in May 2017, Nigel Amos kindly invited me to assist the Conroi’ riding his sweet-natured Haflinger, Magyar.

medieval knight

The distance from Lincoln Castle to the cathedral is very short, but riding it as part of the Battle of Lincoln Fair pageant was never-the-less a great experience.


a Norman knight

Waiting for the start of the Battle of Hastings re-enactment, 2015. This was the last time I used the UP conversion Norman saddle shown on the introduction page.

mounted combat

On the field in the Battle of Hastings re-enactment, 2015.


Medieval knights at war

The Battle of Evesham re-enactment of 2015 was the largest medieval cavalry event since the great Hastings of 2006, and a fine event all round.

mounted combat

I was not able to use my own saddlery at the Battle of Evesham re-enactment, but I am quite proud of how accurate and funcional my own panoply is for riding in this period.


Roman cavalry, Roman horse archer

In 2014 I (centre) was drawn into the party doing cavalry at English Heritage’s “Battle of Legend” at Old Sarum. The event and preparations were filmed for the “Weekend Warriors” programme of the same name. This picture (and the one in the page background) was taken by John Doran, whose excellent spread for the event may be found on Flikr.

Napoleonic era cavalry, Brunswick battalion

As the Waterloo Bicentenary Bandwagon got into gear in 2013, I (centre) briefly flirted with becoming a hussar with the Brunswick Battalion, but I could not get enthused about the period.


mounted combat

In 2008 I (centre) was fortunate to be one of the party taken to Valencia by Grffin Historical to comemmorate the triumph of King Jaime I.

a Norman knight in action

Waiting for the start of battle with the Conroi. (The blue shield is me.) Festival of History, 2006.


No, there was not a twenty year gap in my riding, just in the good photographs to hand!

medieval cavalry

Introducing the Rowany Festival display, 1987. From left: Sean McBride on Sojo, me on Beau, Steve Nicol on Helena.

medieval mounted combat

Mellée! At the SCA Rowany Festival display, 1987.


a Norman knight in action

From a show staged by “Living History” (my professional display company) in 1985. Riding in my second scratch-built Norman saddle on Sojo, whose polocrosse training made him the ultimate warhorse.

a Norman knight in action

Riding my second scratch-built Norman saddle on Beau at the display presented at the Society for Creative Anachronism’s “Rowany Festival” (Wilton, New South Wales, Australia), Easter 1987.