Being an Ironside

On a typical weekend most members normally arrive on Friday and have a quiet evening after setting up their tents or caravans. Saturday starts with a kit inspection at about 0930 to check that all the equipment is both safe and authentic. We then have some spare time until forming up at the horse lines around mid-day ready for our display. All those with their own tack have to get it onto the horses, so it will be 30-40 minutes before we are ready. We might then do some drill to warm up both riders and horses before performing our display which takes about 20 minutes. The dragoons tend to open the display, and then help set up during the cavalry part. It’s then over to Living History with some or all of the horses to have lunch and talk to the public until it’s time to form up for the battle. We form up in good time, and then the battle normally takes about an hour and a half, so on completion we wend our weary way back to the horselines in the late afternoon. After untacking the horses and taking them to their paddock we all assemble in the modern camp for tea and cakes before readying ourselves for a fun night in the beer tent or around the camp-fire. Sunday follows a similar pattern, except we normally only do the Saturday display, so we have more time on Sunday mornings to pack up camping gear before taking horses over to Living History.

The Battle

The battles are scripted so we always know a rough outline of events and who will win. They are often, however, quite loose within the scripted framework, so we respond to events as they happen on the field, and also, if there is a quiet moment, provide movement and colour to entertain the audience. They generally conclude with a march past in which we lead the Army of Parliament past the General Officers and organising regiment. The battles are, above anything else, shows, and we always bear that in mind – girly giggles and wide grins are discouraged. Riding a horse in battle is a unique, challenging and exhilarating experience, and all of our troopers, as well as being tested in the horsemanship and weapon skills, are encouraged to fight on foot at regular intervals so that we can appreciate the impact of cavalry on infantry. Safety of both people and horses is, of course, always the first priority, followed by putting on an entertaining and educational show. You may notice in our displays that cavalry seem invulnerable to musket fire and swords; this is a safety feature to avoid the danger of loose horses on the field. We do, however, try to react to blows by taking 'wounds'. We are one of the few groups which allows cavalry to engage with infantry, and this, although unscripted, is very carefully done. If you wonder why an Ironside is talking to an enemy during to a battle, they are probably organising the next five minutes' fighting in the safest and most spectacular way! Although the infantry will claim differently, riding in a battle is very hard work and more tiring than fighting on foot, as Waller's who do both can testify. During the hour and a half's battle, there will be a couple of breaks standing still out of the way to rest the horses, but very little of the rest of the battle is spent standing still or in walk. Unlike the infantry, we also have to look after the horses after the battle before relaxing, so joining the Ironsides only for the dedicated.