The head Knight at the Scottsdale Arizona Castle for Medieval Times, Edward Maciejczyk, talks about the importance of building trust and a bond with the horses used in the show. He explains that horses are live animals and that everything your brain tells you to do when you're on a horse is pretty much wrong. He emphasizes the importance of patience, consistency, and positive experiences when training the horses, as forcing them through aggression or whipping them will result in a loss of trust that is difficult to regain. He also discusses the process of becoming a Knight, starting as a squire in the stables, shadowing a squire in the show, and undergoing pipe training to learn the basics of sword fighting. The weapons used in the show are functional rather than pretty, and modern technology is blended with traditional methods to make the job easier. The goal is to keep moving forward and to maintain the bond between humans and animals that is the foundation of the show.
