Stierbach Baronial Birthday

Rider

This is a team challenge; it is not competitive, it is intended to showcase skills. It is explicitly intended to permit repetition.  The challenge is written on the assumption that there are two riders working in cooperation as a team; it should easily scale to 3.  The team must:

1. Organize and plan the hunt - Decide what gait you will use, which reeds you will target and which bull you want to capture and which bull you want to pin.   This is a cooperative challenge; cooperation requires coordination.

2. Sort out the herd.   Three baskets contain a mixture of stuffed animals.   Sort out the baskets, but each animal must be handled by each member of the team - if you pick up an animal, then you must pass it off to your partner who will deposit that animal in another basket.  Your partner will pass you animals that you must place in a basket.  This is a test of your ability to maneuver horses in close proximity to one another.   You will be scored for each basket that is correctly sorted.   (5 points/basket  -1 point for each stuffed animal dropped on the ground. )

   1. Bulls

   2. Cows

   3. Non-herd animals.  

3. Clear the area and set the stage for the final kill.   Although the prey is the bull, there are a number of lesser predators in the field. You don’t want them to attack when the huntsman is in conflict with the bull.   There are two sets of lesser beasts (reeds with animal decoration).  The Hounds must each ride one of the lines of reeds and kill the same number of beasts in the same time.   You will be penalized for starting at different times, finishing at different times, or striking different numbers of targets. This is pas-de-deux with swords.   (10 points for the same number of reeds, 20 points for style - 1 point/second for differences in time. -1 point for each difference in number of reeds knocked down.  Gait multiplier 1/3/5 applies.)    The equitation judge may award up to 20 points based on your efforts to add self-imposed complexity to the obstacle: 

   1. Historic riding - sit the trot, use the whip properly, etc.

   2. Art & spectacle.  There are always ways to approach the obstacle simply; the equitation judge may award points if you approach the obstacle artistically.

   3. Pushing your limits.  This is going to be slightly different for everyone, but if you try something outside your comfort zone, the equitation judge may award extra points. Inform the equitation judge what you’re trying to achieve.

4. Choose the bull.  Each bull has 1 ring and 1 tent peg.  You must choose 1 bull to be captured (lance the ring) and 1 bull to be pinned down (tent peg target).  5 points each for doing it right.  -5 points if you capture both bulls or pin down both bulls, etc.  

5. Honor the inspiration -  Take the ring representing the captured bull to the symbol of your inspiration.  There are 5 points for honoring your inspiration.   An optional 5 style points if you make it look cool while a coronet or photographer is watching. 

Rider safety considerations.  

• Space is tight.  Good style and safety are more important than speed. 

• IF you canter the pas des deux, please arrange with your partner to avoid a collision at the exit.

Scoring

Sorting baskets:  5 points for each correctly sorted basket.  The ground crew will announce. 1 wrong animal is zero.  Dropped animals are -1 point.

Clearing the forest  Gait multiplier 1/3/5 w/t/c  applies to scores below 

 10 points for the same number of reeds (10/30/50)

-1 point for each second difference in their times (start late/finish early). (-1/-3/-5)

20 points for style (20/60/150)

The Bulls

5 points for lancing a bull

5 points for pinning the other bull

0 points for lancing two bulls or pinning two bulls or lancing/pinning one bull

Honor

5 points for honoring your inspiration.

Equitation

The sorting game is derived from A Koet’s High Five game - passing a token between riders requires them to maneuver close to one another with objects in their hands and keep their horses happy.

The reeds game is a pas-de-deux with swords.  The scoring rewards style and teamwork. This should be pretty.

The final bull kill requires cooperation and communication. Tentpegging and ring lancing are traditional skills that both historically and today were practiced as skills with martial applications. 

Honoring the inspiration rewards chivalry and pageantry and making this part of the SCA.