A ring rider sits on an unsaddled horse, which he guides through the ring track at a gallop. He has a lance in his hand, with which he tries to insert the ring that hangs halfway along the track. The horse must be decorated and the participant must wear the prescribed competition clothing. For demonstrations of ring tilting of the ZRV, every participant is required to dress in Zeeland (men's) costumes. You can participate in a ring-tilting competition from the year you become twelve. There is no maximum age for ring tilting. Nowadays you see more and more ring riders who participate in old age.
The ring to be stuck has a diameter of 38 mm. During the camp, the diameter of the ring can be reduced to a minimum of 10 mm. If the ring is inserted, the ring rider must neatly deliver it to the ring runner at the end of the track with the lance. At official competitions, each participant can do 30 rings. The ring hangs halfway between the track on a rope between two posts (in Zeeland: the poengers).
The ring track has the same dimensions at all competitions, namely a length of 36 meters and a width of 1 meter. The track is fenced with poles, along which a rope is stretched at a height of 1.2 meters. At both ends of the track, the horses can rest in the boxes after every trip.
A chaise is a two-wheeled (antique) wagon, pulled by a horse. There is a man and a woman in the chaise, both in Zeeland traditional costumes. The man steers the horse, the woman tries to lance the ring. The man makes the horse trot across the course, with three to four rings hanging above the road in an iron tube. It's about collecting as many rings as possible, it's not about the speed at which that happens, although the horse must trot under the ring to be lanced. The chaise and the horse must be decorated. Decoration is only allowed with "living" material, so not with artificial flowers or something. The combination of decorated flowers, decorated horse and a pair of traditional costume is a beautiful sight.
The Zeeland Ring Riders Association (ZRV) is the umbrella organization on Walcheren and in Zuid-Beveland for ring tilting and chaise riding. Most villages on Walcheren have their own ring tilting club, or a few villages together form one. And there is a Zuid-Beveland department. There are 16 local departments that are affiliated with the association.
There are historians who say that the origin of the ring tilting goes way back in time. The ring-tilting shows many similarities with the German 'Rolandreiten' and the Danish 'Kranssteken'. When you see a May wreath adorned with flowers and ribbons in the iron ring, it finds its origin in the Germans who held their May celebration in the spring. That would also explain why ring tilting competitions are held in many places on the 3rd day of Pentecost in the spring. Yet this is not the most likely explanation for the origin of the ring tilting.
The following statement is probably closer to reality.
According to 'the Zeeland Cronykalmanach' from 1788, ring tilting is derived from the jousts and tournaments that the warlike and militant nobility in the Middle Ages organized. It was then the custom that the ladies - by way of a prize of honor - let one of their rings hang there. The knights had to try to collect this ring in their gallop. The rings then hung on wide silk ribbons. The knight who had first lanced the ring three times was allowed to make a lap of honor. The knight was then led to the circle of ladies, his prize was awarded there and the accompanying ribbon was wrapped around him. Historians find this the most likely explanation for the occurrence of the ring tilting.
