Jousting in Poway?
Jeffrey Hedgecock and I moved to Ramona (CA) around the same time, but one thing's for sure, he's had a bigger impact on the local equestrian sports scene than I have. For 3 days in October, the Poway (CA) rodeo arena was propelled back into medieval times for the third annual Tournament of the Phoenix organized by Mr. Hedgecock. This was my first visit to the Tournament. Friday, the day I attended, was a shortened day with massive attendance from the local schools on field trips. Six knights and their troops vied for supremacy on horseback with games of skill and that most heroic of all sports, jousting. The knights came from Australia, New Zealand, England, Norway, and the US, for this authentic historical recreation of a medieval tournament complete with an artisan village and a military camp. All the tournament participants were friendly and enthusiastically conversed with attendees. At one tent, a cheery man in medieval garb gladly expounded on the best ways to ride through a village and behead the greatest number of peasants, whilst demonstrating the arm movements with an authentically-reproduced iron weapon that looked like a tire iron with a sharp spike at the curved end. Maybe, a little too much realism for me? Meanwhile, at a neighboring booth another artisan demonstrated weaving techniques on a hugh wooden loom. Bagpipes and lutes added musical atmosphere, while I munched on a tasty tri-tip sandwich. Nearby, vendors sold puppets, period garb, musical instruments, and many other wares not often found in your typical mall. Now, it's possible that the average Ramona trail horse would do well with moving in a straight line while her rider spears rings on a lance or dices cabbages with a sword, but the jousting part is enough to send most horses running for the barn at top speed. The knights at this tournament wore authentic reproductions of metal armour and so did many of their sturdy steeds. A wood fence separated the two charging knights to avoid head-on collisions as they tried to break their lances on their opponent's shield. The event was a real crowd pleaser accompanied by wild cheering and cries of "hoosah!". I highly recommend a trip to this fair, but it’s probably best to leave your trusty steed at home!
Copyright 2009 By Loretta L. Nielsen
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Vaquero Days 2009
For 3 days in October the Granville Martin Ranch Museum in Descanso, CA hosted the Vaquero Days Western Heritage Festival. According to the festival program, Vaquero Days began in December 1992 to honor Granny Martin, one of the last true Vaqueros of California. By 2009 the festival had evolved into a horse-lovers' dream. When I arrived on Saturday, the spacious ranch valley was populated by hundreds of horsemen. Closest to the parking field was a huge arena devoted to barrel racing and gymkhana. Further along the ranch road was a round pen hosting several horse trainers/clinicians, including Pete Spates who offers clinics and demonstrations at Hidden Horse Ranch on old Julian highway in Ramona. Vintage tractors offered historic vantage points for all the activities and well-placed grandstands were also available for the more sedate. Downhill from the clinician round pen was a large field full of camping trailers and portable corrals, so participants could spend the weekend on-site. Further south, next to the trailers, was a large field course set up for the Craig Cameron Extreme Cowboy Challenge. Competitors had to demonstrate their horse's faith in them through numerous obstacles. Unlike the challenge I've seen at Equine Affaire, this course had plenty of room for extended gallops. There were log jumps, a circular metal ring, a knee-deep water hazard, a long chest-deep ravine, a simulated dismount and horse 'branding' with paint, a calf cutting pen, and other challenges. The competition was extremely popular and had classes for various training levels.
Uphill from the challenge course was the ranch roping arena. The rules for the 3-cowboy Vaquero-style competition are very different from the typical calf roping event done at the Ramona rodeo and other PRCA events. The numbered calf was slowly cut from the herd and roped first by the head and then by the heels within the arena using historical, 65 to 100 foot rawhide reatas instead of the more modern 30 foot stiff nylon ropes. Considerable skill is required to master roping with reatas. 'Broken' horse bits were not allowed. In fact, I was impressed by how many horses were being ridden around the ranch in hackamore or rope halters. Ramona horse trainer and all-around cowboy Ray Spence competed on three different calf roping teams on his young paint stallion, ridden in a rope halter. No festival would be complete without a shopping area and food. Although I was tempted by the beautifully-worked leather tack and other Western wares, I kept the padlock on my purse (mostly). I really enjoyed the cowboy poetry and Western music performances at the entertainment stage. All-in-all, well worth the trip...educational and enjoyable.
Copyright 2009 By Loretta L. Nielsen