Sydney Horse Expo returns to Centre 200

Two daring equine acts will hit the mainstage as part of the fourth annual Sydney Horse Expo.

Dubbed the “resurrection of the sport of kings,” Knights of Valour full-contact jousting returns to Centre 200 on Saturday.

Members of the travelling show have been entertaining audiences throughout North America with their tournamentstyle format that showcases the skill of medieval knights to a modern audience.

The show begins Saturday at 8 p.m. with the door opening at 7 p.m.

“We didn’t know what to expect when they came here last year, but everyone that saw the show was extremely impressed with how intense the jousting was and how skilled the riders were,” said Paul MacDonald, general manager of Centre 200.

MacDonald says the popularity of television shows such as Game of Thrones, has drawn fans of all things medieval. Last year, many of the show’s attendees wore costumes.

Making their expo debut this year is the Highland Highwaymen Cowboy Mounted Shooting Club, a group hosting challenges to tests riding skill and shooting accuracy.

A widely popular event in Western Canada and the United States, a local group has formed and is now working to grow the sport in the province.

Mounted shooting is considered a timed event that uses balloons as targets that must be burst while following a specific pattern. Shooting contestants compete using two .45-caliber, single-action revolvers, each loaded with blanks. The sport is highly regulated by the Province of Nova Scotia and the Chief Firearms Officer.

Returning as regular features of the expo are riding competitions in western and English pleasure, reining, barrel racing and pole bending.

The expo gets underway Friday morning and runs throughout the weekend. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online at tickets.capebreton.ca.