24/ MARCH/APRIL 2013 THE RIDER When Knights Of Old Rode Horses Bold!


The Rider Visits Medieval Times Toronto


Do you remember the childhood excitement you felt the first time you watched one of those old films of knights of yore, maidens in distress, heroic kings and wizards and dragons? As a kid, I used to escape into my make-believe TV world when watching Ivanhoe or Knights of the Round Table starring Robert Taylor, one of my earliest screen heroes, or Prince Valiant with a young Robert Wagner. And don’t get me started on the ultimate screen swashbuckler, Errol Flynn, as Robin Hood who smited the evil Sherriff of Not- tingham played by the very hiss- able Basil Rathbone. And as a grown up, I thoroughly embraced the medieval lunacy of Monty Python & the Holy Grail – I still can’t hold a coconut without hearing the clip-clop sound effects of horses hooves in my mind!


Imagine my absolute delight when I was recently invited to attend Toronto’s Medieval Times, located on the CNE grounds, when they launched a brand new show fea-


es had just been washed and were calmly waiting in spotless stalls while they dried off before suiting up for the pageantry in the dinner show arena.


turing brave knights jousting and fighting to defend the hon- our of the princess against a malevolent invader and his wicked minions bearing instru- ments of torture. Woohoo! Along with The Rider’s publisher, Barry Finn, I was welcomed by Marketing & Sales Manager, Cindy Wilson, who kindly escorted us on a tour of the barns prior to the show to meet the real stars of the show: the twenty-one stunning Andalusian, Friesian, Menorcan stallions and Quarterhorse geld- ings who carry the knights into the arena. We were given the


royal treatment by Master of the Horses, Franz Christian Garcia, who introduced us to each of the magnificent steeds. Franz Chris- tian started riding at age four in his homeland of Mexico, and by the time he was 18 years old he had joined a professional US horse show; he has been with the Medieval Times show in Toronto for the past seven years.


He explained how they matched each horse with specif- ic skills based on their individu- al temperaments. “Depending on the role needed for the show, we match the horse to each task


according to his physical build and temperament,” Franz Christian advised us. “Horses carry their riders during close-in swordplay, jousting and other dressage skills and they must remain calm and focused. Dur- ing the training period, we work with the horses 5 or 6 days a week for one hour each day. We don’t stress the horses and ensure all of them are well fed and kept in optimum condition with regular vet and farrier vis- its.”


Returning to the main reception hall, we were treated to castle cocktails and some fun photo opps. with the King and the Princess. The main Hall of Arms is the audience mar- shalling area which is lined with all sorts of cool souvenir stalls and merchandise booths, all of which are surprisingly afford- able. Mums and dads buying numerous princess crowns, sparkly wands, plastic toy swords, clay dragons or logo’d t-shirts for their little knights and m’ladies won’t feel plun- dered, unlike other similar entertainment venues and theme parks. I scored a beautiful fairy and unicorn figurine atop a crys- tal ball for less than $20 and my publisher acquired a mighty but inexpensive replica medieval dagger, hopefully for display purposes only and not for disci- plining errant writers!


As Barry and I walked around the barn, it was obvious that these horses are treasured co-stars, not just beasts of bur- den who carry the knights around in full armour. The hors-


The trumpets heralded the beginning of the show so Cindy escorted us into the vast arena lined with banqueting tables and chairs. We all donned cardboard crowns and sat in sections assigned to the various knights, then the feasting and tourna- ment commenced. What fun! We watched all manner of medieval horse sports and sword play, cheering on the knaves and knights (ours was the Yellow & Red Knight who eventually won that evening’s tournament). Even the castle’s resident falconer flew one of his


birds around the arena to the ooo’s and aaah’s of the crowd. We hung on tight to our roast chicken legs – the bird looked hungry!


The show is very much Lord of the Rings meets Game of Thrones live, with all sorts of stunning lighting effects, dry ice, a luscious sound track and an easy-to-follow story line. In the end, good triumphs over evil just as we polish off dessert and coffee, and a young maiden in


industry groups of 15 or more guests are offered a generous group rate so visit www.medievaltimes.com for more details and ticket informa- tion or check out their full-page ad in this issue.


Glenda Fordham


Entertainment & Lifestyle columnist


the audience is awarded the vic- torious knight’s favour as the Queen of Love & Beauty. Our serving wench, Kayla, was charming and full of witty ban- ter as she delivered the various courses, all of which are eaten by hand. Thankfully she also delivered damp hand towels and wet-naps to prevent any embar- rassing stains or sticky fingers. All in all, a memorable and fun knight…er, night was had by The Rider.


Medieval Times is not just for families with small kids. We saw groups of adults and corpo- rate parties that night, cheering and screaming encouragement to the performers, laughing at all the jokes and generally for- getting about reality for a few hours. This show is the best therapy for a stress-filled work- day.


2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the Toronto Cas- tle so watch for upcoming announcements of ticket spe- cials and contests in The Rider to mark the occasion.


Medieval Times presents multiple daily shows Thursdays through Sundays. The Rider is pleased to announce that equine


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