I’m a person who has followed an alternative pathway in life to achieve my dreams. Since an early age I have been fascinated by the medieval period, and have always had an intuitive affinity to horses. I have been lucky enough to be in a position where I have fought in many jousts both in the UK and overseas, including participating in events using historically accurate lances, both with a tilt rail and “at large” in an open field. A strong element of many of these hastiludes was a mounted melee that utilised either clubs or arming swords, and stayed true to the historical medieval format.

I was able to accomplish this due to a deep understanding of what was required to be able to undertake this venture. Equestrianism is key, and my journey with horses started as a young child. However In 1996 I really started riding in earnest, and by 1999 I had my first horse on loan. It was in 2005 I discovered the Iberian horse, and in 2007 was able to acquire my own Lusitano horses, paving the way to a serious upskilling of my equestrian ability, and an entry into Working Equitation, a sport which has a very beneficial practical application to mounted fencing.

I have also studied historical fencing manuals since 2005, focusing mainly (but not exclusively) on the German tradition from the 15th Century. My ethos and interest is more in tune with rediscovering functional techniques and the effective application of them rather than competing, which is eminently suited to how mounted fencing is approached.

I have combined my riding ability, practical experience, and fencing knowledge to be able to teach mounted fencing (Rossfechten) since 2019, and have delivered many successful clinics to a wide range of clients with different backgrounds. Some are traditional riders who want to try something completely different, others are historians or reenactors that want to explore more complex and accurate mounted techniques to enhance their historical knowledge.

I firmly believe that mounted fencing is accessible to nearly all horse and rider combinations, if broken down and understood in logical, manageable steps and given enough dedication and practice. I also believe that all techniques both with the sword and in respect of ridden ability, need to be practical, functional and effective. To this end I have an extensive repertoire of effective equestrian exercises that assist in upskilling both the horse and rider, that are used in parallel with exercises to learn historical martial techniques.

Ultimately though we live in the 21st Century, and I am fully aligned with the notion that the horse and horse welfare are a top priority in any equestrian discipline; mounted fencing is no exception. We therefore need to have the horses’ needs and what we expect them to be able to achieve at the epicenter of anything that we ask of them, so I put great focus on building the horse as a healthy, functional and happy athlete.