My progress in Lance fencing in 2023

Introduction

In this article, we take a look at my further development in historical riding and especially lance fencing, as I continued it in 2023. There is also a corresponding video:

Progress in lance fencing 2023

Basically, I picked up the thread where I left it last year. Initially, it was about getting used to the lances and riding them again. Then it became important again to focus on the different targets and to hit the ground targets as well as the rings. It was important to make sure I hit them in the right place at the right speed.

Another goal we focused on was setting the speed, i.e. getting the walk, trot and canter at the right time when riding the lance. Another point was the precise handling and use of the lance by doing more fine motor exercises. This meant that some of the exercises were not just about taking the rings off properly, but also putting them back on the hooks. There were also other handling exercises, such as changing the grip and spinning the lance around the hand, among others.

We also set tasks again, which I rode through in a controlled manner. However, we noticed that Casey, our horse, reacted a little more nervously to the lance than we initially thought. We are therefore considering whether we should train a different horse for the next few times in order to do justice to the horse in question.

For more details and also to see the exercises in the moving image, it is advisable to watch the video, as many things become clear more quickly there.

Conclusion on lance fencing 2023

Training continued and further successes were achieved in lance fencing, even if the learning curve was no longer as steep as in the previous year. We intensified some exercises and focused more on fine motor skills. It was also important to work on footwork and communication with the horse, so that there is more safety here, because if the worst comes to the worst, mastering the right movements is the cavalryman’s life insurance.

Sources

Printed Sources:

D.V.E. Nr. 365: Vorschrift für das Fechten auf Hieb und Stoß, Berlin 1912.

Vorschrift für die Waffenübungen der Kavallerie, München 1891.

Cavalry Training 1912. Reprinted with amendments 1915, London 1915.

Gerhard Wanner: Die deutsche Stahlrohrlanze, Reutlingen 2005.

Heinrich Graf von Reichenbach (Ed.): Als Husar im I. Weltkrieg. Briefe, Tagebuchauszüge und Fotografien des Freiherrn Albrecht von Knigge, Berlin 2014.

Our Lancers, in: The Navy and Army Illustrated, July 1906, P. 422-424.