THE BRASS RING
by Lisa Hart

Did you ever ride a whirligig?  Maybe take a turn on a flying jinny or a spin on a roundabout?  Chances are you have but you knew the ride as a merry-go-round.  The oldest ride still in use today did not start out as a way to horse around.

Men on a Mission

Merry-go-round history goes back hundreds of years.  It all began in the time of knights and castles in the country of Europe.  Men know as crusaders went on quests or missions to fight for their ideas about religion.  Some happen to stumble upon men in Arabia locked in battle on horseback.  It turned out to be just a game for the riders.  To the crusaders it looked like a serious fight.  They named what they saw carosella, which means little war.

The crusaders soon returned to their homes in Spain and Italy.  With them came news of the little war they had seen.  The men described the game as a contest to catch clay balls while riding full speed on horseback.  Smelly oils and perfumes filled each of the clay balls.  Losing riders often ended the game covered in scent.  Could the players of the carosella be the first to know the smell of defeat?

Changing the Rules

In France they called the contest Carousel.  Along with putting their own spin on the name the French decided to do away with the use of clay balls.  Riders now used lances to spear gold rings.  Rings hung from tree limbs or poles on brightly colored ribbons.  Brass took the place of gold in later years.  The rings hung around until they became a part of more modern merry-go-rounds.

No longer a game, the little war had grown into an event.  Riders took great care to dress up their horses in a royal fashion.  The game had now become a way for knights to show off.  Cowboys showcase their talents in much the same way at rodeos.

In Training

Playing to win in a carousel took a lot of skill.  A special machine gave young men a chance to sharpen their ring-spearing.  Riders mounted roughly carved wooden horses hanging from chains.  The chains hung from beams reaching out from a center pole.  Horses, mules or even men brought the wooden horses to life by moving the center pole.  Imagine what these first merry-go-rounds looked like?  The pace became faster and the goal of spearing the ring harder with each turn.

How often does the training camp outlast the life of the sport itself?  Millions of children and adults are glad that in this case it did.  After all what would amusement parks or fairs be without a merry-go-round?