Random Pic: A Burning Ring of Fire

The Swedish historical riding group Infensus, which means 'ready for battle', practices tilting at rings a little differently.

Asa Cidh on her Knabstrupper gelding Helge(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

This image makes me think of a variation to the chorus of that old Johnny Cash song...

~She thrust in to a burning ring of fire...~

When I asked Asa Cidh -- who is actually a member of the jousting group Celeres Nordica, but was practicing with Infensus that day -- how the riders kept the fiery ring from burning themselves or their horses, she answered:

"Some riders have a "stop" on the spear, a small screw. Most of us, as you see in the photos, pick the ring 'at an angle', we push the horse a little bit away from the tilt." -- Asa Cidh

The above picture and the ones below are from a training session the group did in April.

Tanja Carlson on her horse Bella(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Tanja Carlson on her horse Bella(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Bjornar Hugdal Kalberg on Hercules(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Kristina Nystrom carries off a burning ring(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Asa's Knabstrupper horse, Helge, glances at the fiery thing on the ground, but does not seem bothered by it(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

You can find out more about the group and what they do on the Infensus website.