Featuring
The World's LARGEST Purse.
Team USA |
Team Great Britain |
Team Canada |
History:
In the days of old the knights on horse were the most lethal weapon of war.
King Edward , The Gordon, The Bruce, The Durward and many other men of
title, not only went on the Crusades together but also would compete with
each other on the field in jousting matchs. Their Knights would also compete
and wage on who would be victorious. 
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From these early beginnings we can only imagine how the skill and technique with the lance developed. We do know that from its military beginning, the concept of a mounted knight with lance and shield charging another evolved into a sport. Knights would gather together to practice, train and show off their skill with lance and horse. Jousting tournaments as entertainment and sport lasted from the early 1200's to the late 1400's.
This was also the time of the chivalrous knight. For not only had a fighting style developed, but a code of ethics had developed between fighting men, something that had never before occured. This code of ethics, this positive concept called chivalry, would forever after be associated with the knight.
As jousting in warfare became obsolete, the tournament began to change. From the sport of showing one's warrior prowess in skill-at-arms and jousting matches, the tournament became an elaborate show, with skill being secondary. By the late 1500's, the knight was encased in more than 120 lbs. of padding and armour and could scarcely move. His horse would sometimes falter or fall due to the extreme weight of armor on horse and rider. Combine this with a lance rest, that was bolted to the armour, and an unbreakable lance that was wedged to the lance rest, this was a situation that only a few would want to be in. Perhaps this is what ended jousting as entertainment on a large scale in the 1600's.