How many ways can you carry a spear on horseback? (and an experiment!)
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- čas přidán 17. 01. 2021
- Jason Kingsley, the Modern Knight, looks into carrying a spear on horseback. How can you do it safely and how do you get it ready for combat? Inspired by a video of Shadiversity, he also looks at a novel way of carrying in on your back. #spear #horse #knight
This is Shad's video: • Is wearing a SPEAR on ...
A video I mentioned: • Lance or spear? How to...
and the video ith the battle flag: • Medieval battle flags,...
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This is in response to Shad's video here: czcams.com/video/TTc_TLU3bxE/video.html
I cant wait for a cross over episode. Even though they live in different countries and both have busy schedules.
Amazing video sir knight! What about wearing the spear on the back with the point down for easier access? Also, any opinions on adding a second loop for the foot (as seen in depictions of Bashkir cavalry)?
You talked about this being convenient for carrying more stuff on you than you can easily hold, could you do a video about saddlebags sometime in the future?
Note that Shad's video was just a response to Dawson's video, who came up with he spear sling after Shad thought it couldn't be done. Here's his video: /watch?v=WbeS1bYB8Io
@@Drion086 Nerds = cringe. They are not nerds, they are enthusiasts.
22:44 "My horses aren't particularly well trained..."
Horse looking at the camera like "you hearin this shit?"
haha, that was a great little reaction!
😂😂😂👍
Oh yeah, Ghost! I hear you. Virginia
Don't worry, Ghost, we know you're very well trained no matter what he says.
He may not be very trained, but he's very well behaved.
you forgot the best way of carrying a lance on horseback - giving it to your squire trudging in the mud on foot alongside you.
lol, yes, hand it to staff and it becomes their problem.
Surely the squire would be mounted, especially later on. I mean, even the archers had rounceys, in the late medieval.
@@ModernKnight hand the staff to the staff to stave off fatigue, so-to-speak ^^
@@patliao556 depends on how wealthy the knight was. And if the knight could afford to buy mounts for his entire staff, the squire would just hand the spear off to the page to put it in the baggage train with the rest of the equipment.
Guess it depends it you are likely to need it, eg get ambushed
"This is my shadsperiment" made me chuckle not gonna lie.
*Shadspeariment xD
@@kenogelzer8497
Oh god...
It makes sense now!
@@sajmonness Something to remember, though, is that Dawson originally came up with the spear sling. Jason unfortunately forgot, and thought Shad came up with it.
I'm deeply impressed about how calm the horse is and stays with all the movement near its eyes. Usually horses do not like that and tend to panick. Your training was really effective.
thank you. He was quite nervous when he first turned up, but with gentle and calm training, he's developing nicely. superb horse to ride.
I was just about to say how well trained/behaved your horse is
1:56
The horse get stab by the stick and just flick his ear
And that make me wonder what does the horse was wearing to be protect against the person on their back and the other around?
@@ModernKnight i was thinking the same thing, that horse is more patient than most children. Ghost is a beautiful horse. Love your channel Jason. :)
@@ModernKnight about the over arm stabbing/under arm coaching. As a Russian, it's very clear to me, that all medieval sourses in my country use over arm method. No full plate armour in Russia all the way through medieval period as well. People had light to medium armour, softer saddles etc so one can do archery too. Archery wasn't seen as ignoble - indeed, many highly decorated bows are found, and aristocracy in legends and fairytales does archery. The difference between spear and lance and the same word "joasting" doesn't exist in Russia as well. horses are generally linguistically divided into two categories: 1) ridden and battle and mostly stailions here (no fancy horse vs heavy destrie stuff) 2) towing and plowing workhorse.
It's particularly fun with the icons: st George and the dragon/snake a.k.a Moscow shield in particular. In Russian icons and heraldry, it's still over the shoulder even when the dragon is lying on the ground, so the spear is vertical. And he's wearing something that could exist back in Roman era - either chainmail or a mail of small pieces, and often there is actual roman stuff such as sandals, tunic or a particular style of armour skirt. And the spear is no bigger than yours, yours looks the right size.
In Catholic icons - St George is often couching a bigger thicker lance and is wearing plate mostly.
Easy way to spot XIX century to modern drawings: artists who studied on western art, draw Russian medieval people couching lances.
P.S. Ghost looks stunning!
Can we just acknowledge for a second that this horse looks so majestic
Ghost says thankyou.
Yes, we can! As I lifelong horseman, I don't mind admitting that I'm jealous of Jason's horses.
So am I the only one who sees that it's drooling?
@@elitemook4234 He's drooling majestically
@@elitemook4234 spit happens. Horses in working/thinking mode worry the bit and drool. It's like a human twirling their hair or chewing on a pencil when they're deep in thought.
It's cool how all of you medieval/weapons channels watch each other.
I love how they all downplay how big each channel is like "yeah so I watched this guy Scholagladiatoria, you might not know of him"
Dlon Alokin they should just make a online tv channel
They all share the same public
They have the same viewers and aren't really competing since there is plenty of time to watch everyone's content.
An actual community.
I more than enjoyed it, I LOVED it. It was such a pleasure seeing all your demonstrations and giving the spear sling a go. Love your channel Jason and that we can see such great examples of medieval horsemanship.
Glad you enjoyed it, I was planning on filming some outside in the landscape, but the weather is terrible here, mud everywhere.
@@ModernKnight Ah, yes. Welcome to the horse world! We have a hot season, a cold season, and two mud seasons.
The Byzantine/Eastern Roman Cataphracts carried a spear on their back during the medieval period. it is explicitly stated in the Strategikon, one of the most extensive manuals on military training and tactics.
"On horseback at a run (gallop) he should fire one or two arrows rapidly and put the strung bow in its case, if it is wide enough, or in a half-case designed for the purpose, and then he should grab the lance which he has been carrying on his back. With the strung bow in its case, he should hold the lance in his hand, then quickly replace it on his back, and grab the bow. It is a good idea for the soldiers to practice all this while mounted."
@@SouthpawZer0 lol, welcoming a barn owner to the horse world is like being a stranger who's welcoming a man into his own home.
This is true historical science at work! Thanks for the great content guys
It boggles the mind that men like Jason has the ability to wake up and say to himself " ah yes, today I will sit atop this stunning horse and talk about spears." And the world is better off for it
1:55 Horse looking and thinking: "Oi! Carefull with the spear".
Love how Ghost looks up at 13:55, as if to say "Enough chit-chat, Sir Jason, let's ride!"
Ghost is such a stunning animal! There's really something of an Hellenistic statue to him - in the features and the expressivity, in some of the other videos.
Ghost says thanks.
"My horses aren't particularly well trained...." cue Ghost looking at the camera like, "is this guy kidding?"
He really needs to make an open world realistic medieval RPG with all his knowledge it could be epic
I’m pretty sure he’s the CEO of a game company as well
Like the holy grail of Monty Python, BUT with horses instead of coconuts.
He needs to see this comment!!
I've always wondered why this hasn't happened. His position and general love of these. I mean, he runs a great game company.
Soo... Mount and Blade?
A comment on the loop around the right shoulder : this method was probably invented by Mongols and is documented at least since the 17th century. It is typically shown behind the shoulder on the right, and generally with a rather important loop around the butt end, which your toes slipped through to allow the spear to be suspended. It was seen among the central Asian Dzungar mongol who effectively split in two parts : the majority stayed or got killed of by the Qing dynasty manchu, and the ones that fled west. The ones loyal to the manchu probably introduced it to the Qing who used it after that point quite a lot. The others, later known as the kalmyk, who went west, established themselves into what is now kalmykia, the only Buddhist Republic in Europe. They were largely Russian subjects who had a heavy impact on their light cavalry. They probably influenced the other nomads like the bashkir and crimean tatar who used it under Russian rule and introduced it to eastern Europe through Poland and against napoleon, later bring adopted in Prussia. Overall a very interesting device
Yup, Poles, Tatars, Cossacks, and Russian used it a lot.
interesting stuff, thanks!
Watching your videos makes me so happy. My aunt showed me your channel and it has been so informative! She passed away, and watching you reminds me of spending time with her ♡♡
Wow, my comisserations, but I'm also happy for you that you can remember her by our work.
This is what I love about Jason and Tod's channels, it's not just some bloke talking at a screen (no shade on Matt or Shad), they go out and try it and record practical results.
Shad also tests his theories
Mat test cuts frequently and does hema...
There is an illustration in the 1616 German text "Kriegskunst zu Pferdt (The Art of War on Horse)" by von Wallhausen which depicts a stirrup cup for a lancer, so I think they're a little older than the 19th century, maybe not medieval, but definitely early modern.
Interesting
That's interesting. It seems to me to be a rather obvious thing to do, but of course I benefit from already knowing it has been done. I have read in various sources that we don't have any evidence it was commonly done, which is not exactly the same as saying it was not done at all. Still, it does puzzle me a bit that it seems to have been uncommon.
He also shows another method, a loop on the lance itself: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fotothek_df_tg_0000948_Kriegskunst_%5E_Rüstung_%5E_Waffe_%5E_Lanzierer.jpg
Probably where the idea came from a lot of things didn't get popular until they were shown to be effective in battle and copied
My first thought when I saw the intro was a cup or basket you could rest the butt of the spear in on the saddle. After all, your hand, shoulders, and arm are going to tire much faster than the horse.
Congratulations, Sir Jason, on the confidence and even temperament of Ghost with so much movement near his eyes. It obviously represents many long hours of training.
Thank you very much!
...here I am learning how to wield a spear on a horse like I've ever gone have a spear...much less the horse, or even be in a medieval like battle....xP
If that is your standard, half the stuff you learn in school is invalid, too.
@@Nala15-Artist ...I guess you're right. My comment was rather a self reflection on the apusurdity of the situation that I, a viewer, was in. Curiosity is a funny thing and internet is more than happy to satisfy it. How far have we come from medieval times, when everyday struggles to feed onself and not to die for another man's glory are now replaced with comfort and excess time to explore topics like these...:)
you never know!
Don't give us ideas. I don't have spare IBM5100 computers. Last one was just nicked off by some idiot calling himself a "mad scientist"
12:32
Ghost: Another one? Huhh
There are pictures of Native Americans of plains tribes on horseback using some of the same techniques you showed. Generally with shorter spears however. What works in one culture seems to work for others. Interesting video.
Okay, the real star of this video is Ghost. I love how calm he is and sometimes gives a look of "what on earth are you doing back there"?
lol, I agree, that's why he gets top billing in the credits.
Nice to see Jason branching out and connecting with the rest of the hema community. He lives the life and it can only make the hema community even better!
Two things:
1. That is one chill, well trained horse
2. Love how community driven these channels are
For the strap, the sailor in me says, "Tie a knot that slips out when you pull the end." That way, you can detach one end of the strap.
I have recently started working with my horse to get him comfortable with me carrying/wielding a sword while riding, and your videos have been very helpful in the process! I've gotten him to a trot now while being able to move the sword around his head and body and he is becoming very comfortable with it! It's almost natural instinct for him, and even though he has never been exposed to it before, I feel like there is war horse blood in him from ancient times haha! Thanks for making these videos! They are very entertaining and thought provoking, and I have had a blast using them for my own practical purposes on horseback! Cheers!
well done to you both!
I enjoy how each youtuber is building on others content. They are not stealing or attacking but adding their unique knowledge and experiences.
Great video and beautiful well trained horse.
Thank you
Glad you enjoy it!
I’m so glad to see a new video! What more could you want, a handsome man, beautiful horses and an education in medieval ways! It works for me!
The under the leg one is mentioned in some Chinese sources, of a general placing his lance there to use his bow.
there is also leather cup on 1-2m long, hard, thick leather belt, that works great for holding lance AND absorbing energy from thrust. It was used by polish hussars.
Oddly enough I was thinking of just this sort of thing but more because I have used similar in the past to carry standards while marching. Lengthen the flag one slightly and move it to the right hand side and I can see how the hussars would have found it extremely handy.
Do you know the Polish word for this piece of kit? Would like to look up examples.
@@SuperOtter13 something like "tok" but it's hard to find it for me
here you have a link that shows it around first minute, but sadly in polish
czcams.com/video/IDa_1eTptoU/video.html
I love all the shots of Ghost's eye. Just "is he STILL talking about spears???" LOLOL!
And when he trots, I get the feel of that magnificent cartoon horse from the Bugs Bunny/Valkyrie cartoon.
I love this video, you make my d&d game more real, and I love learning about this kind of history!
Ooo, look at far Ghost’s training has come!
My children & I have been rewatching your videos on medieval horses, & they even have my husband interested.
I really enjoy when channels I watch give shout outs & collaborate with other channels. Sharing the spotlight lifts you both up.
Well done to all! Huzzah
That's lovely, hello to all the family!
@@ModernKnight
I just showed them this. You’ve made their day!
I really enjoy the back and forth going on in between the medieval/weapon channels on this site - You, Shad, Tod, Joerg, etc.
Ghost: what the F... is he doing on my back?
also Ghost: well never mind he does not let me work...
still Ghost: and i trust him
Ghost is EXTREMELY well-behaved. Probably a result of being well-trained.
Great video. I love how calm your horse is. It's like he's saying "yeah no big deal he does this with me all the time".
In Spain they practise hunting wild boar with lances on horseback. It is called "lanceo del jabali". I thought maybe you would like to practise that
Being a civil war re-enactor it was interesting to see how many of these I use myself on foot with a musket and bayonet fixed. Amazing video as always, on of the few channels that gets a like on all its videos before I even watch it!
thanks for your support, I know very little ablut what we call the American Civil War over here. (We've had several over the years, so it gets confusing)
You put a smile on my face. Thank you.
What a gorgeous horse Jason. Love your CZcams channel! I've been watching your videos for some years now. As a history nerd, you shed ALOT of light on the Middle Ages. Love your work!
thanks.
Your thoroughness is greatly appreciated, as are your explanations and research! Thank you!
Our pleasure!
I learned that horses don't need to turn their whole head but can turn just their ears towards the rider when they're attentive. Ghost sure is an avid listener :)
Millions of hours have been spend on horseback carrying spears, i am sure that in that time they tried out all methods displayed and many more
A million hours is more than a lifetime bro.
Torian, the point is that a lot of people over a lot of time have been on horses and carried spears. Not one person.
Vince W, but we didn't get to see them or learn about them. Dick.
I can't be the first to wonder why:
He is the owner/ceo of a fabulous game company that hasn't made any medieval games.
I absolutely love the sniper elite games since V2. I only found out yesterday that Jason has anything to do with them after watching his channel for years.
Life is full of fun little surprises.
Thank you so much! This video made my day! Its nice to see Ghost again!
Always a pleasure seeing you and Ghost! This new video is just what I need to start my working day 😃
I can imagine a whole column of mounted men passing by, all chatting and boasting and grumbling to the men near them, casually shifting the hold on their spears as their arms get tired or the tops of their feet get sore.
I love the way Ghost is giving you the side-eye at times! :) Great content as usual, very informative!
I really love your videos! Very informative, well presented, and very authentic. I'm going to binge-watch them!
Ghost is a very good boy! Thank you for videos. It's so rare to find someone who knows about horses in medieval times.
I love seeing your videos!!! It’s always exciting to see anyone keeping history alive!!!!
What a brave knight and true gentleman. Tries dubious spear sling experiment on trusted stead, demonstrates that it is a pain in the rear to control, but controls it anyway with a smile.
Thank you for another wonderfully fascinating video! Kudos to the horse and the training, so patient and well behaved.
I love how medieval youtube community always works together to test stuff out and improve our knowledge. You get the feel it's all genuine and the authors themselves want to know the truth more than they care about their ego of "i must be right" we so often see elsewhere.
To be honest i don't know what I'd do without medieval youtube, i feel like all i do is wait for you lot to release new videos. Keep it up!
did not expect a shad shout out but really happy there was one
I learned about this channel from Shadiversity's channel, and I must say it's a wonderful place to be. Its good to see a positive history community on CZcams. Thank you, stay safe, and look forward to more.
I love how patient your horse is. Very majestic, too. :)
People act all quizzically when I'm absorbed in my passion of astronomy. Getting all excited about a planetary conjunction and running around to catch a deep dark sky in which to photograph it. Thank you for sharing your Medieval Intensity. You play a part in reaffirming us all!
Horse: I'm a statue! Prove me wrong.
This is not only fascinating from a historical angle, it's also quite useful knowledge for illustration work featuring cavalry!
The horse just vibing. What a champ.
Hi again. When I was playing “silly buggers” I had linen shirt. Singlet, doublet, leather buff coat and back and Brest plate. Oh plus a ( really unauthentic aluminium) helmet. But we always used to wear extra padding on the right shoulder. And also round the neck. I had the colour. Comfy. Pikes ouch, especially for hours on a time.
I really love the collaborations and shout outs with in this awesome little community. I love both this channel and Shads channel, not to mention all the others - if you're part of the community, you know who I'm talking about.
Yet another interesting video, so much better seeing it rather than reading about it. You have a natural way of getting it over....Ghost is such a steady horse
Jason I want to say I love your presentation, depth of experimentation and good humor
I love these little practical videos about things that are so important but you'd never think about.
0:02 “there is a channel I watch called shadversity(...)” I knew it the moment I was notified about this video hahahah
Really love this Channel. keep up the Great work Sir!!
Legitimately the best channel on CZcams
Love this video! You and your horse are a great team!
such a great channel, this is what should be on TV
This channel is, by far, the best I've found this year, very interenting content and really well explained. Great job!
Welcome aboard!
14:20 is a good way to make sure that people keep their distance if the plague is about.
Also I was thinking that you might use the spear/lance for a few things from horseback, for example before battle there must have been quite a bit of noise then you could poke a footman with the blunt end to get his attention instead of trying to shout over others.
I have to say Ghost is really cooperative and patient.
Watched this video again concentrating on Ghost as suggested. He moves so elegantly. In addition to his strength, he has amazing confidence. Wondering if that is inherent in his breeding, due to his high school dressage background or all his more recent war training? He's a gem.
I can't stop staring at the horse's eye's. It's like looking into my soul
I was just watching that Shadiversity video!
I just found this channel! Huge fan of rebellion , and this seems like great content! Cant wait to see as much as possible
These videos never cease to amaze me with all the detail, the experimentation with different techniques, and the reasoning behind using certain techniques in favor of others. And, of course, seeing how calm and relaxed Ghost, and your other horses in other videos, are while you're experimenting.
Glad you enjoyed it!
In Polish a spear is called "włócznia" (it's pronounced almost like this: vwoochnia). According to Polish sources the word comes from "włóczyć" which means to drag and it's because Polish people would attach spears to pommels of their saddles and drag them along the ground.
Completely unrelated question: How do camels compare to horses in aspects of travel and warfare? What would be the pros and cons of each?
I'd love to know more about camels, but it's an area I know nothing about sadly.
The camel soldiers of the US came to like their camels a lot, when initially they were not so keen on being given camels instead of horses. Horses unused to camels can become spooked. Afraid I don't know enough to say how they compare in any specifics. Camels are heavier and slower, but they can carry about half their body weight all day. Horses these days carry from 20 to 30% of their weight--they may've carried more in the past, when there weren't set standards, though the same could be said for camels.
@@vanivanov9571 I hear they have a more comfortable gait for smoother fighting too... though the most important things are day to day I expect and you'd need hands on experience with both.
@@carbon1255 actually its the opposite, camels bob more causeing the rider to sway and bob more than horse cavalry.
camels have a natural height advantage (supposedly used by camel archers to shoot over friendly troops in atleast 1 battle), and can travel further on less food. but are slower, bumpier mounts. additionally, they are more stubborn animals, makeing their reactions to riders commands slower and less reliable. their weaker ankles also mean they are more likely to hurt themselves (aditonally the romans claimed they are more vulernable to caltrops), aditionally they are said to have a reclutance to form close order formations, this is believed to be a result of their natural herds being smaller (but this is speculation)
that said their smell was/is off putting to horses, who tend to try and bolt away from camels unless specifically trained otherwise. makeing them useful against enemy cavalry especially cavalry from lands where camels are not native.
camels were mostly used as mounts for mounted infantry and light (scout) cavalry operating in the desert and other arid regions, although it was known their presence could cause horse cavalry to flee (which caused the romans to bring them to britian briefly), however they are described by the romans as only being useful for scouting and screening (and logistics).
and while the parthians did experiment with camel cataphracts, the fact they were used only briefly [infact for only a single recorded battle, despite many battles with the romans in that period, mentions melee combat camels] and the fact it was not copied probably highlights their inferiority as (heavy) melee cavalry (as camels and cataphracts were used afterward, so only the combination stopped)
@@matthiuskoenig3378 I was under the impression that was only at slow speeds and that at gallop the camel was smoother, but what I know is only as good as I've been told, I've never seen a camel much less ridden one.
Man, now I want to see Shad on horseback. Not too likely, but I'd like to see it non the less. Both of you guys are a wealth of information. Much appreciated, thank you for the content.
Maybe one day!
And one more: From the comments it seems Ghost is stealing your show. ;-)
lol, the horses come first in the credits for that very reason, they're the stars.
@@ModernKnight So all of this interesting information you deliver in these videos is just an excuse to show off your horses? :P
@@AnotherDuck To the point!
I see spear usage. I click. Well met, and excellent demonstration, sir.
Glad to ear You again hope this 2021 brings more medieval history
I'd say that strap is also useful when travelling longer distances, to reduce fatigue. Also, I bet there exist techniques that were suited to giants, and others suited to dwarves.
Brilliant channel, your delivery is excellent and very easy to watch. Great stuff 💯🇬🇧✌️
Glad you enjoy it!
Shaaaad! uncle Jason is calling you here
Thank you so much for your content.
You are living my dream :)
Please keep makeing this beautiful videos.
Thank you, I will
I have to try this. Thanks for posting!!
Just by looking at it, I think the spear-over-shoulder, head up, and resting on your boot are most practical for before the battle, while waiting. Only problem I could see with the resting on your foot would be when your foot is armored.
Holding with your left hand and resting on the shoulder/arm or resting it on the saddle seems to be a good way for riding about all day.
The rope over one sholder I can see for better control while carrying it around all day. Having a weapon ready as quickly as possible might not be that important if you travelling in a army.
That's impressive the skill it takes to wield melee weapons on horseback and effectively fight with them it's so amazing to see!
The addiction for knowledge satisfied. Thank you.
that horse is so calm and beautiful
wow, he did it.
Great informative video as always.
Cool you're doing these again!
You, Shadiversity, and LIndybeige should all do a video together in the future! IT'd be the perfect trifecta!
The sling on your spear in for travel just like a traditional 2 point sling on a rifle is just intended for carrying when traveling and not for being able to quickly engage the enemy.
Just love the fact that you don't need to speculate when you can just figure out things trying them out directly when you can!
I'm impressed at how well your horse behaved during the video. I'm originally from Wyoming (USA) and most of my family there is heavily involved with horses, mainly rodeos and Fourth of July parades in Cody, WY, so I know a bit about horses. LOL