Equestrian:Activity guidelines - Mounted combat

Activity - Mounted combat

General

Mounted combat and mêlée represent armored mounted combat, using tourney batons or padded rattan swords in one-on-one tournaments, teams, or battles. The history of mounted combat can be traced at least as far back as the ancient Assyrians in 750 BC. It continued through the Eastern horse cultures of the Scythians, Sarmatians, Magyars, and Avars.

While light cavalry was used in warfare for many centuries, the medieval era saw the rise of heavy cavalry, particularly the European knight. Tournaments and hastiludes began in the 11th century as both a sport and to provide training for battle. This included the mêlée, where participants used the horses, armor and weapons of war.

Combat may take the form of:

• Tournament single combat
• Tournament mêlée combat
• Battles

Requirements

• Mounted combat - authorization
• Mounted combat - weapons
• Mounted combat - rider armor
• Mounted combat - horse armor

Conventions

General

1. Horses are not a valid target.
2. Deliberately striking your opponent's horse is forbidden. Occasional incidental contact is possible and acceptable.
   1. If a strike carries through to the horse, a hold will be called. Riders should discuss the situation before resuming the bout, so as to prevent striking the horse in the future.
   2. Repeated incidental blows to your opponent's horse may result in your removal from the field and/or loss of authorization
   3. Deliberate blows to your opponent's horse will not be tolerated and will result in immediate removal from the field and loss of authorization.
3. Unless otherwise specified, the conventions listed below are the considered the standard. Scenario or tournaments rules can alter these standards of engagement, as long as they are clearly explained to all participants before combat begins.

Rules of engagement

1. Combatants/riders must enter the arena/combat area at a walk.
2. You are engaged with your opponents upon the call to lay on, and are engaged at all times.
3. Combat is a 360-degree engagement. This means you may be struck from behind.
4. If an opponent is disarmed of all weapons, their opponent may allow them to regain their weapon, or require them to yield. (This is to encourage people to release/discard their weapons when encountering horse issues, rather than hold on to them.)

Target areas

1. Head, arms, and torso are legal targets
2. Hands are not legal targets.
3. Blows below the waist are not allowed, due to the high risk of hitting the horse.

Acknowledgement of blows

Effective blows (also known as calibration)

1. An effective blow (also known as "a good blow") is defined as a blow or strike which was delivered with effective technique for the particular type of weapon used, with proper orientation of the striking surface (e.g. the marked edge of a bladed weapon), and with sufficient force.
2. Sufficient force is an intentional strike with low to moderate force. Harder than a touch, but less than ground based armored combat.
3. Blows intended to deliver force more than is necessary for acknowledgement are not allowed.

Effects of blows

1. An effective blow to your head, neck or torso is considered a killing blow.
2. An effective blow to your arm disables the arm.

Judging blows

1. When you are struck with a weapon, responsibility for acknowledging a blow as "good" is with the person receiving the blow, not the person delivering the blow.
   1. If you are uncertain, you may ask for information from your opponent or the marshal, but the decision to accept the blow is yours.
   2. If you believe that a strike was not valid (e.g. flat of the blade, not on a legal target), you should immediately inform your opponent.
2. If you are hit with an effective blow, you must indicate it clearly with words and/or motions. Examples: saying "Good arm!" and putting your arm down by your side or behind your back to show it is disabled, or saying "Dead!" and raising your weapon over your head sideways to indicate death or defeat.
3. For counted blow tournaments, upon receiving an effective blow, call out the number. Once the maximum count has been reached, indicate you are defeated clearly with words and raising your weapon over your head sideways.