Fall Queen's Champion Equestrian 2008

Highlights

• Queen's Champion Equestrian: Arabella da Siena
• The Order of the Chamfron given for the first time as a newly created armigerous equestrian award. The premiere of the order was given posthumously to Rhiannon o Hafan Gath. The other two new Chamfrons made were Arabella da Siena and Ariadne de Glevo.

Event Synopsis by Lady Ariadne de Glevo

Viking Adventures: QEqC for Kolfinna II

For those clamoring for details from Saturday's Queen's Equestrian Champion Tourney for Kolfinna II, here's my account (Many of us who were involved in the QEC tournament on Saturday were busy all day Sunday with the non-SCA “Medieval War Games Clinic” for ETI Corral 37 in Thousand Oaks, hence the dearth of info about QEC so far….<sigh>).

The tournament itself was a challenge course which I designed in consultation with Her Majesty. Her request was for an event that would demonstrate good riding and combat skills, be exciting to watch and participate in, and provide Her with opportunities to (and I quote. ahem,) “Just Hit Stuff.”

On Saturday morning, QEC participants learned the date was actually 793 and they would be Vikings for the day with a plan to invade & sack Lindisfarne Island on Her Majesty’s behalf. The challenge courses were set up as match races which meant some exciting competition! There were 8 riders vying for the QEC title, and 12 riders total include TRM’s and the “Bye’s.”

Starting at the Viking Long Ship on the shore of Northumbria’s holy island, competitors had to secure their sword and a “sack for sacking” the island, charge up the beach, pick up a stout battering ram (quintain lance) along the way, and smash open the door (quintain) to a “building of religious and cultural significance” ever-after referred to as the BORCs (i.e. can’t call it a church in the SCA!)…then get inside and sack it. The challenge was to manage a weapon, a sack-for-sacking the small, contained space of the BORCs itself, and take the items of most value. Knocking candles off the alter, or missing any of the “ITEMS OF GREAT VALUE” would mean 5-second penalties for each issue.

Upon exiting the BORCs, the invading Vikings discovered that the local monks, the abbot and lots of Saxons had rallied to defend their island. The trick was to kill all of them before returning to the beach. The Saxons were arranged willy nilly in attack mode. This was no weaving of Saracen heads or, chopping of reeds…one had to do BOTH at the same time!!!! (And the abbot was particularly tricky…if you didn’t hit him just right, he fell over feigning death and snuck back up again costing you 5 seconds!!!)

After killing the saxons, monks and the abbot, competitors had to return to the longship. However, there was white capped surf, lots of severed heads, and floating booty in the water, not to mention a dangerous expanse of beach to get across first. The clock didn’t stop until the sack-for-sacking and the “Items of Great Value” made it into the long ship.

Times started off in the 2 minute range. As the competition edged into the 4th round, competitors were posting sub-one minute times. Every round had at least bye match, sometimes it was Mora’s Queen’s Champion, Lady Virginia, but more often than not it was Her Majesty riding Bo, or His Majesty riding either Tucker or his new pony, Mud.

Strangely enough the only horse to refuse to tackle the surf and severed heads was Mud….tiny little pony was Mud. But maybe it was because he only had two legs….Sven’s! LOL

In between the Semi final and final round, Her Majesty challenged Her Event Steward (i.e. me) to a run. Her Majesty has been taking lessons on Bo and figured she had the advantage of a quicker horse. Lucky for me, someone had sabotaged Her Majesty’s Sack for Sacking and she lost some of her goodies from the BORCs! (Being the Queen, we all just told her she was doing her best to spread the Largesse!) Tucker and I slipped out to the long ship first, tho' Tucker did decide that Lord Secca should come with us! The round posted sub-1 minute times for both Her Majesty and me!

The Final was between Lady Erycka and Dame Arabella. VERY exciting….Arabella’s horse, Zia, sensing the end of the day, decided to take the course on two legs…mostly the front ones. Although she got thru the surf and back to the long ship several seconds before Arabella, Erycka found she had technical difficulties getting her Sack for Sacking into the long ship….in a pre-industrial photo finish, Arabella got her sack into the longship first despite arriving after Erycka.

However, before Arabella could claim full rights to the QEC title, Lord Sechequer challenged her (on behalf of Her Majesty) to a final FINAL round….this time on foot! Sechequer reckoned he could sack the island on foot faster than Arabella could on Zia. Apparently the Abbott of Lindisfarne was no more willing to fall down dead to a Mongolian’s sword from the ground than he was from Arabella’s from her horse, and Arabella won that challenge with a sub-50-second time and no penalties.

We had several new riders at this QEC. New Dun-Orian, m’lady Phoenix Poumirou on her horse Spirit, and her protégé, 10 year old Jordan on Wing, did very well. Lady Cynthia of Dunbar’s horse, Oriflamme, came up lame so she rode a new mount, Trace, thru two rounds.. (One of which, against m’lady Anwyledd on Thai was tough to judge…Trace is literally a ‘mini me’ to Thai. Until they were standing next to each other, no one could tell them apart!)

Newly-made Dolphin, Lady Mayken De Houte rode rental horse Jimmy and gave newcomer Scott of Gyldenholt on Thumper, and Sechequer on Virginia’s horse, Casanova, a real run for their money. When Her Majesty challenged His Majesty to a race…well, we all just stood back and waited for sparks to fly. Apparently His Majesty was so busy remembering his riding lessons he forgot which end of the sword he was supposed to use to kill Saxons. The Marshal decided to allow him the privilege of bashing the abbot of Lindisfarne with the hilt instead of the blade though. Her Majesty made it back to the Long Ship far quicker than His Majesty though she did have problems with her “Sack for Sacking”…..(I'm told she plans to "sack" her riding instructor now...<sigh>)

TRM’s squires, Secca and Ciar both rode. Kiar made it thru two rounds on Tucker. Secca rode Bo and discovered just how competitive—and quick—a 21 year old Quarter Horse can be! Both squires served as ground crew, along with Andrew, Alexander, Elana and Darius. Two other members of HRM’s guard whose names escape me write now, were the Lists runners. We had a terrific Kingdom List Mistress in Cassandra who had the event running very smoothly with TRM’s herald filling in as field herald for the day announcing times, winners and matches. THL Judwiga was kind enough to fill in as Gate person for the day and tackled the copious amounts of paperwork, releases and money admirably.

What a wonderful day and exciting competition! It was a group effort though. I am eternally grateful to Their Majesties, to Their Courtiers, Guard and the Ladies in Waiting for helping out wherever there was need and making this event a success despite the rescheduling, short notice and craziness.

Thank you to all…

~Lady Ariadne De Glevo
Event Steward, QEC for Kolfinna, II

More Information

• Video of HRM Sven "riding" Mud
• Video of Lord Sechequr "riding" Mud
• Pictures of the Event