You have seen the Andalusian horses perform at the Medievel Times castle at Discover Mills... did you know the horses are trained locally?
Felipe is the local resident Andalusian horse trainer for Medieval Times. He worked for the company beginning in Chicago and after spending 12 years working with the horses there, he was moved to the local Castle in Lawrenceville. He lives at the farm, which is 14 acres of rolling hills between hundreds of trees. When he is not training the horses, he works on getting the farm updated. While fence replacement is not his favorite thing to do, it is a necessity for the safety of the animals. At Medieval Times, safety is the priority.
Felipe states that the Andalusian is an intelligent horse that has been trained for battle for thousands of years. The horses are very responsive in their training and once they have accomplished the task, they are through for that day. This enables the horse to know and then demonstrate "I do this and I am done". The horses have the ability to jump up and then kick behind them with all four legs in the air. This would be used if there were an attack from the rear. They are able to walk forward as well as retreat in a sideways kind of manner which comes in handy for close contact combat such as sword fighting while mounted on the horses. They are also able to bow, which although has no battle standing, is really great to witness! There are also different "walks" or trots that the horses are able to do. The horses are born dark and the majority turn grey. The horses have to be at least four years old before they are able to start their training.
The stallion Andalusians are kept in separate corrals for safety reasons. They will attack each other if they are left together for domination of the area. The horses are well cared for and split their time between the air conditioned, padded stalls at the castle and the freedom to graze and roam at the farm.
The public is not allowed to visit the farm but they are cordially invited to stop by the castle located at 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway Lawrenceville, GA 30043 for a dinner and tournament. For further information contact Leyla Thompson @ Leyla.Thompson@medievaltimes.com or 770.225.0230. You may also visit the companies website: medievaltimes.com