Decisions, Decisions

Consider the items a jouster had to pay attention to while thundering down the lists;

-Increase speed of horse while keeping him moving along the tilt (without running into the tilt)

-Decreasing horse speed after contact (or before, a tactic sometime used) and eventually coming to a complete stop without the horse rearing and perhaps dumping you ingloriously.

-Switching attention between controlling the horse and your weapons (lance and shield)

-Making dozens of quick decisions about where to shift the shield, the position of the horse (to throw off the other fellows aim), and the aim of your lance.

One of the key decisions a jouster had to make was what speed to achieve and when. The opposing horses took off at the same time and they would meet somewhere in the middle of the lists, depending on the speed each rider choose to use. The horses were large and were carrying a man weighing at least 150 pounds, who was encased in up to a hundred pounds of arms and armor. That, plus the weight of the horse's own equipment, resulted in a load of close to 300 pounds. The rider did not want to achieve a breakneck speed, as control of the horse as it thundered down the lists was essential. The horses could quickly achieve a speed of over ten miles an hour and have a closing (combined) speed with the other horse of nearly 30 miles an hour. While this speed increased the force with which one's lace hit one's opponent, it also reduced the amount of time one had to line up one's lance with the oncoming knight while trying to avoid the other fellow's blow. But even at top speed, each knight had some 30 seconds to sort it all out and make his key moves while horse and rider bounced up and down and from side to side. Aiming was no easy taks no matter what the speed.