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FEATURE
Jesting and jousting at the Fantasy Fest
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Knights at arms, fair maidens, feasting and fencing. NANCY CLARKE swaps riding for a bit of sword-play and finds it to her liking.
We rocked up dressed in medieval finery ready to explore the many stalls and displays laid around the grounds. There was everything from fairy wings, handmade unicorn hats to superbly crafted knives, even knitted fruit – if it was strange and a little out there you could find it. But in amongst all ye olde banter and glasses of mead the best bit of all, of course, was when the moment we’d been anticipating erupted onto the field – the Gryphon Company, dressed in their amazing outfits and trusty steeds draped in the colours of their banners. The individual jousters were introduced by the jester and cheers rang out from the crowd. The action did not disappoint. The horses were strong and true to the course, the amour clanged and the lances shattered time and again.
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We cheered the hits and booed the misses. It was heart pumping primitive excitement. The final session between Lady Amanda and Sir Luke decided the championship and Sir Luke took the Golden Lance. As the steward picked up the pieces of shattered lances the next act rolled in - a swashbuckling sword display by the Prima Spada School of Fence, a fencing school with five Salles operating in south-east Queensland, and one Salle in Tasmania. Based on the work of European masters of the 16th and 17th centuries, Prima Spada endeavours
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ne of the most anticipated new events on the calendar for southeast Queensland, the inaugural Fantasy Fest was held at Chambers Flat Equestrian Park a few weeks ago, and boy was it fun.
With splinters flying everywhere and the clang of armor and thunder of hooves making the heart race...
HORSEVIBES MAGAZINE - OC TOBER 2019
