What is skill
at arms?
The equestrian
extreme sport
Skill at arms is a mounted sport that is exhilarating, action packed and fun. Disciplines are many and involve riding at the canter and gallop, on the flat and over jumps, with weapons such as sword, lance, revolver or pricker. Points are awarded for striking and carrying targets, and for speed and style.
Disciplines include:
Tent pegging
A test of accuracy, agility and athleticism. This involves you galloping towards a 7.5cm wide peg placed in the ground and removing it on the point of a lance or sword. This can be done individually, or as a synchronised team riding abreast as half sections (2 riders) or sections (3 or 4 riders) or riding Indian file (4 riders) in single file.
2 rings & a peg
This is tent pegging with the addition of 2 rings, of 6cm diameter, suspended from gallows at approximately throat level when viewed from horseback. The aim is to carry both rings on the lance or sword before removing a tent peg from the ground. Again, this is to be done at a gallop.
2 oranges & a peg
It takes a skilful rider to gallop toward 2 suspended oranges, with a sword in hand, and slice them clean in half. The first orange is attacked with a forward stroke of the sword, the second with a backhand stroke and then a peg must be removed from the ground. For maximum points all 3 targets need to be hit.
Skill at arms course
Also known as Sword, Lance Revolver (SLR) - this is a course of 3 elements. Starting with a sword you jump a couple of fences and impale 2 straw dummies. Next you draw a pricker (or revolver) from a holster and attempt to burst balloons attached to the left and right of 2 jumps and 1 in between. In the last element you pick up a lance and aim to collect 2 suspended rings and remove a peg from the ground.
Interested in skill at arms? Find out how you can get involved.
