Equestrian:Activity guidelines - Rossfechten

Activity - Rossfechten

General

History-focused activity - Rossfechten is one of the activities in the SCA that emphasizes period techniques and equipment, and includes additional requirements for participation. Tournaments include judges to help determine if a technique used was historically valid.

Rossfechten is the art of historical mounted fencing, and recreates a style of unarmored mounted combat using clothing, protective gear, and simulated weapons meeting SCA standards.

This activity encompasses a range of weapons, including swords, lances, spears, and other polearms, and it was practiced by knights, cavalry soldiers, and other mounted warriors throughout history.

Historical mounted fencing techniques often involve specialized skills to effectively wield weapons while controlling a horse in various gaits, such as walking, trotting, cantering, and galloping. These techniques also include strategies for engaging opponents on horseback, such as charging, thrusting, cutting, parrying, and maneuvering to exploit the advantages and limitations of mounted combat.

Historical manuals and treatises, written by masters of the period, provide valuable insights into the techniques, principles, and tactics of historical mounted fencing. Modern practitioners often study these historical sources to reconstruct and preserve the techniques and traditions of mounted combat. Because of the special emphasis of this activity on historical techniques, tournament conventions include active marshaling. The marshal will step in, as needed, to inform the riders if their blow was valid or invalid based on the technique and orientation of the weapon.

Rossfechten uses synthetic simulators (Rawlings™ blade or similar). There is an Experimental Program for using steel swords, lances, and other weapons in Rossfechten that is administered at the Society level.

Rossfechten is a Kingdom-Society joint program. Participants are authorized by their Kingdom level, with a Deputy Society Marshal responsible for the oversight of the overall program.

Requirements

• Rossfechten - authorization
• Rossfechten weapons
• Rossfechten rider armor
• Rossfechten horse armor

Conventions

General

1. Horses are not a valid target
2. Deliberately striking your opponent's horse is forbidden. 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 you are disarmed of all weapons, your opponent may allow you to regain your weapon, or require you to yield. (Note - this is to encourage people to release/discard their weapons when encountering horse issues, rather than hold on to them.)

Target areas

1. Head - includes the head and entire mask or helmet, and the neck
2. Body - includes the chest, abdomen, back, and the regions on the inner part of the upper arm extending 4 inches down from the armpit.
3. Upper arm - The arm above and including the elbow, but not the part included with the body.
4. Lower arm - The arm below the elbow, including the hand. While hands are legal targets, strikes to the rein hand must be done with care so that horse is not inadvertently yanked in the mouth.
5. Blows below the waist are not allowed, due to the high risk of hitting the horse.

Acknowledgement of blows

Valid blows

1. In judging blows, you are presumed to be wearing thin clothing, such as unpadded linen, and your opponent's weapon is extremely sharp on point and edge. Any blow that would have penetrated the skin, in your judgment, is valid. Kingdoms are not allowed to alter this standard.
2. Your mask or helm represents your unprotected face and head. A blow that strikes your mask or helm must be treated as though it struck your unprotected head.
3. An effective blow (also known as "a valid 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.

Calibration (How hard do we hit each other?)

1. You must deliver all blows with control, with the aim of delivering the lightest blow that your opponent judges to have penetrated the skin (a "valid blow").
2. Blows intended to deliver force more than is necessary for acknowledgement are not allowed.

Effects of blows (What happens when you are hit?)

1. A valid blow to the head or body is considered a disabling or killing blow
2. A valid blow to the upper arm renders the arm (including the hand on that side) incapacitated.
   1. You may switch your weapon to the other hand and ride "on the belt" (i.e. no hands) only if the horse can be controlled in this manner. The reins must be looped or secured to ensure they do not fall and become entangled in the horse's legs.
   2. If your horse cannot be safely ridden on the belt, you must yield.
3. A valid blow to the lower arm or hand renders the hand unable to hold a weapon or the reins.
   1. You may choose to ride with the reins in the crook of your elbow or on the belt (i.e. no hands) only if the horse can be controlled in this manner. The reins must be looped or secured to ensure they do not fall and become entangled in the horse’s legs.
   2. If your horse cannot be safely ridden with the reins in the crook of the elbow or on the belt, you must yield.
4. If both hands are incapacitated and you have not been dealt a killing blow, you must yield.

Calling 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 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 uncertain, you may ask for information from your opponent or the marshal.
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, when you receive 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.
4. Tournaments use active marshaling.
   1. Combatants are expected to call blows on their own awareness (consistent with standard SCA combat conventions), with clarification by the marshal.
   2. The marshal serves as referee, starting and ending bouts and counting well-struck blows, calling out valid blows as needed.
   3. A marshal calling a blow valid or invalid is not intended to question the honor or chivalry of the combatants. In the moment in combat or due to numerous factors, a marshal may need to step in to provide clarification to ensure the historical focus on techniques used.