Credit: Barbara Miller. Stacey Gail competes in the Garleton Lodge International Tilting Tournament in Scotland.
Twenty-three-year-old Mikayla Miller of St. Leonard, MD was about eight years old when she first tried jousting. She said she didn’t do well the first time, but with lots of practice and many jousting tournaments she “got better and better.”
There’s no doubt she did improve, because Mikayla won the 3rd Garleton Lodge International Tilting Tournament at Rockrose Equestrian Sports Centre in Scotland on May 14th.
The competition drew riders from Scotland, the Netherlands, and the United States and included jousting, Maryland’s State sport, as well as a Scottish variation called “tilting.” Instead of three rings (each suspended from one of three arches), tilting has one arch.
“In tilting, they have one arch that they call a gallow, and rope on the side that is just wide enough for a horse to fit through,” Mikayla said. “They can raise the height of the ring, where in jousting the ring height stays the same. In jousting we run three arches three times. In tilting, your normally go through for a single ring 24 times, but we only did 12. The ring height is adjustable for tilting, unlike the standard height of 6’9” here in Maryland.”
Mikayla’s mom, Barbara Miller, is secretary of the Maryland Jousting Tournament Association (MJTA). She shared how folks from Scotland found information about the club online, making first contact in 2016. Then, in May 2017, Jan Simpson, owner of Elvingston Stud in Scotland, and Scott Rodgers traveled to the United States from Scotland for the first international competition.
Scottish Tilting Riding Club treasurer, Scott Rodgerson was along for the trip. He said he quickly adapted to the differences in jousting and tilting.
“It was great fun, and we were so lucky everyone was extremely welcoming and helpful,” he said.
Barbara recalled that things grew from there.
“They invited some riders to go [to Scotland] for a tournament in October 2017. We had three riders: Shannon Allen, Stacey Gail, and Mikayla Miller. The Scottish Tilting Riding Club housed us and planned many events and excursions to help us enjoy the sights around Edinburgh while we were there. Each person was responsible for their own expenses. Mikayla ended up being the first Garleton Lodge International Tilting Champion. She placed first in the Open Class and was named the Overall Tournament Champion.
“Four Scottish riders returned to Maryland in May 2018. Our three original riders hosted these riders and planned excursions for them to enjoy in our area. Another tournament was to be held in Scotland in 2019, but Maryland riders were unable to attend. Denmark participated that year, and a Danish gentleman was the second Garleton Tournament Champion. We all had our airline tickets for the planned Scotland tournament in 2020, but COVID changed those plans. That tournament was rescheduled for May 2022. This time our riders were Stacey Gail and Mikayla.”
At this year’s international competition, Mikayla competed in both tilting and ring jousting, winning both. She also caught the highest number of rings, taking overall champion. Right behind Miller in the competition was Stacey Gail of Fallston, MD, who took second place in jousting. She took fifth in the Tilting Open Class, while Mikayla placed first, after winning tie-off rides with Scottish rider, Jan Simpson.
“I’ve been around jousting my whole life,” Stacey said. “My mom has been jousting her whole life, too. I started competing at age six. Back then, I had an amazing Arabian whose name was Eagle Flick. He took to it immediately.”
In Scotland, both Stacey and Mikayla rode borrowed horses. Both appreciated the practice session they were allotted.
“We practiced in the ring at Elvingston Stud,” Stacey said. “It was breezy, and the rings were moving. Ours are on metal hangers, but theirs are hung on a string. It was something we had to get used to. Then, on competition day, we were indoors at Rockrose for tilting and outdoors for the three-ring jousting. Instead of a metal hanger they used a chain covered in rubber, so it still moved. It was a fantastic setup and an absolutely stunning property.”
Stacey – who has been inducted into the National Jousting Hall of Fame - took second in rings behind Makayla. “I missed one ring. Mikayla is young and fearless and a fantastic rider. I am older now, but I got to ride Anastasia -nicknamed Anna, and that was the same horse I had ridden the first time,” she said. “She is a beautiful little paint. The weather was amazing, and they were so accommodating.”
Mikayla recalled that her borrowed horse was a quick study.
“This year, Jan [Simpson] let me use her horse. They had one that hadn’t been ridden much and I just schooled her some and rode her in the competition. Everyone over there is incredibly nice and so helpful to all of us.”
Stacey agreed.
“Their generosity alone is one of the most amazing parts of going over there, and the friendships we have developed,” she said.
Rodgerson said his club was delighted to finally get Mikayla and Stacey back to the competition, after it had been cancelled for Covid.
“All our members were so happy to catch up with them and we did lots of other activities through the week,” he said. “It was our biggest competition yet and we must be getting better as the scores were much closer.’
Mikayla and Stacey said the friendly atmosphere is part of what drew them both into the sport of jousting.
“One reason I love jousting is that it is so family oriented,” said Stacey. “Also, it’s not an opinion-based sport. It is about you, your horse, and the ring. You are competing against no one except yourself. You either get the rings or you don’t, and there is no separation between kids and adults or horses and ponies. Everyone is welcome in this sport.”
Barbara Miller believes the sport has been good for her daughter.
“I like that a rider can participate no matter their age, riding level, or type of horse. There’s no special equipment, except the lance - which can be handmade or borrowed. There are no special outfits to be purchased and no special type of saddle used. It is not subjective to a judge. The rider either gets the rings or they don’t. Everyone is welcoming and ready to help other riders. They don’t think twice about lending a piece of equipment or giving suggestions when asked. There are whole families of jousters competing together. MJTA wants to encourage others to bring their horses and participate.”
To view more photos of the tournament or learn more about MJTA, visit marylandjousting.com. To learn more about the National Jousting Hall of Fame, visit nationaljousting.com/fame.htm.