Gulf Wars XVIII
Gulf Wars XVIII is coming up this March, specifically the 15th-22nd thereof down in Lumberton, Mississippi. For those of you keeping track of such things, yeah, it is time for me to make that long trek down southward again, as I have been every other year since Gulf Wars X. And this year, as usual, I will be taking horses down with me.
For those of you wondering this is a Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) event. Some of you may have heard of Pennsic that takes place every fall up in Pennsylvania. This is the southern version of such an event, being a week-long war type of event. While the numbers are a bit smaller than the typical war in Pennsylvania, at only about 7000 people in attendance, it makes up for it with the equestrian activities. It is my understanding and I believe it that this is the premier SCA equestrian event of the known world. Typically there are around fifty horses at the event and several more head from the wrangler.
This event will typically have it all for the equestrian participant in the SCA. In recent years it has included of course a war point equestrian activities. Various things have included quadrilles and military based formation demonstrations, the usual quests and challenge courses involved all the different skill at arms including tilting at the rings, tilting at the quintain, pig sticking, beheading the Saracen, and of course we have picked up the various versions of mounted combat and jousting as well. And of course there is the grand one of all pageantry, the emprise. Full of pageantry and pomp, not to mention lots of feats on the field.
And of course if you get bored with the formal equestrian activities there are miles of trails to be ridden just behind the site. And if it that bores you (how could that happen?) there are the armoured combat massive melees, the lighter fighting with the rapier blades, and several hundred vendors of various medieval wares to be pursued and purchased to your content. Seeing a couple of thousand folks charge each other in armour with ballista bolts filling the air around the gates of a castle is just awesome.
Anyway, long and short of this is I will be there. I will be over in the equestrian area. Being staff, I suppose to be set up right in front of the barn by the pond, across the road there. Stop by and say hello. Also, if you help out, I am going to have some cordials bottled up between now and then with me for sharing.
For those that really interested, I will be doing Candlemas on the 1st full weekend in February in Lexington as well in an effort to get back into a bit of practice with the armoured combat myself. So look forward to seeing everyone at both places.
