Horses are trained how to perform in both Tilting and Skill-At-Arms.

The Tilt
Tilting is the most widely recognized event in the joust. Two knights advance against each other with a lance and attempt to score points by striking the other. The Tilt has both light and heavy events. The object of light jousting is to strike a clean blow to the opponents shield. The object of heavy jousting is to strike a clean blow directly to the other knight.

Skill - At - Arms

Horses are trained in Rings, Spear, Quintain, and Saracen's head.
These events are rooted in medieval combat.
Quintain

The Quintain is an apparatus for practicing the Tilt. It is a target mounted on a pole that spins when struck by a lance. The Quintain event is scored by counting the number of rotations after the strike.







Rings

The Ring event is about accuracy. Rings are suspended along the list rail. The knight attempts to spear the rings a gallop. Special ring lances are used for this event.

Theatrical presentations may have variations of this event. Rings may be held by a squire or even tossed into the air. These rings are typically larger. Competitive rings are small and may have less the one inch of clearance from the ring lance.







Spear

The Spear was used for combat and hunting. The spear is 6 feet long with a sharp steel tip to insure a good kill. The knight throws the spear at a 4 inch ring from approximately 10 feet away at a canter or gallop. One point is awarded for striking the ring, two for hitting the center of the ring.







Saracen's Head

The Saracen's Head is an event that dates back to the time of the crusades. Today fortunately, people have been replaced by cabbages. The object is to slice or spear the cabbage with your sword. A slice is worth one point, a spear is worth two points. There are usually two cabbages on the list rail for a maximum of four points per pass.

Tilting

The Tilt is the most widely recognized event in the joust. Two knights advance against each other with a lance and attempt to score points by striking the other. The Tilt has both light and heavy events. The object of light jousting is to strike a clean blow to the opponents shield. The object of heavy jousting is to strike a clean blow directly to the other knight.