IN 2016 THE RUSSIAN DZHIGITOVKA FEDERATION INVITED NATIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO COMPETE IN THE FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL DZHIGITOVKA CHAMPIONSHIPS.
The British performers answered the invitation from Moscow to create The British Equestrian Dzhigitovka and Trick Riding Association, and assemble a competitive team to compete at the first World Dzhigitovka Championships in Moscow July 2016.
The team members are all national and indeed world champion athletes from different countries around the world. They met as competitors at The World Dzhigitovka Championships in Moscow 2016 and although competing against each other for the World Champion title, they were also inspired after seeing the highest standards of work in Russia to come together to present the best of Dzhigitovka to the world stage in an unsurpassed show spectacular.
The International Dzhigitovka Show is created by British Team founders Karl And Zana Greenwood, in association with the International Dzhigitovka Equestrian Federation in Moscow, IEDF.
The show now features the current World Champion, Sergey Murugov (Russia), and elected top athletes from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, France and Germany alongside the British Dzhigitovka Team.
Company founders.
The International Cossack show has been created by Husband and wife team Karl and Zana Greenwood. Both Karl and Zana have lifelong performance backgrounds in circus, stage and film, with 18 years as stunt riders in live performances.around the world.
Their live shows are renowned for their superior high quality, beautiful calm, happy performance horses, professional riders and great entertainment.
The British Dzhigitovka Team train at The Centre Of Horseback Combat - which also provides tuition in Horseback Archery as well as Dzhigitovka
KARL GREENWOOD Karl is a rider, presenter, theatre actor, screen actor and ringmaster.
FILMING
Karl is well known for his prosthetics and costume work both in theatre productions, live shows and for film. His expertise includes extensive costume and prosthetics work for circus acts, theatre roles, feature films and various BBC productions including Dr.Who.
Karl and his horses have extensive experience in major production theatre, Film and TV studios and indoor arena shows, and has produced outdoor Equine Stunt Shows for beaches, arenas, horse trials, castles, town centres and central London in every environment.
All the horses are trained by Karl and Zana and their staff at The Centre of Horseback Combat in Hemel Hempstead. They are trained in Horseback Archery, Jousting, Fire work, Filming, Trick Riding, Roman Riding, Rearing, Falling, Laying down, Sitting and plenty more besides.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
Kickboxing - Black belt, Padi Divemaster, Ariel work, Fire performance, Stilt walking, Horse Archery Instructor, knife throwing.
ZANA COUSINS-GREENWOOD
ZANA’S EARLY YEARS
Zana's performance background started on stage when she was 3 years old. Aged 9 she won a place at the prestigious Arts Educational School, Tring Park where she furthered her career in acting, singing, dance and music. At this time she also discovered horses but was put off riding by her parents as it interfered with her ballet and muscle development. Not discouraged Zana continued to have a love of horses and finally bought her own pony to compete in local x-country events on and pony club. After riding for her teenage years she still had the performance bug and dreamed of combining the two.
She trained to be a Trapeze artist, Fire eat, Stilt walk and perform aerial acts with her husband Karl and through having these skills found work at Lulworth castle for a jousting team.
So it started…
ZANA AND HORSES
Zana is an accomplished Jousting knight having performed in hundreds of Jousting shows for over 13 years. She is a very experienced Cossack Trick rider working with true Russian Cossack techniques linking in with Russians Trick riders in Moscow. Her tricks includes vaulting tricks, sitting backwards on her horse's neck and picking up hats and jumping over fire whilst still in trick!
All of course performed at full gallop and she can perform saddle falls and bull dogs.
She was trained by Cossacks to use a Russian Shashka sword, lance, gun and throwing knives all from horseback.
She also is an experienced Roman rider (standing on the backs of 2 horses at canter), including four-in-hand and jump.
EXPERIENCE ABROAD
DUBAI
Zana also has worked in Dubai with Hoofbeatz entertainment as stunt team leader, teacher and show rider, providing Trick riding, Fire eating and Horse archery acts. Zana works with Niagara, an Andalucian gelding who she has owned since he was 3 yrs old. He is now 15 and can lay down, sit up, rear at liberty and whilst ridden, Joust, trick ride and loves jumping through fire. Together they make a strong pair and have a unique bond.
RUSSIA
Zana also competed and coached in July 2016, 2017 and 2018 in Moscow, Russia with team GB for the first ever World Dzhigitovka (Trick riding and weapons) Equestrian Federation championships. She won a personal silver medal in Horse Archery and the team came third overall in the team events year one and in 2018 Zana won the bronze medal in the womens category and was top female placing overall in the weapons section.
She now travels to the Moscow region in Russia to sit on the committee of the International Dzhigitovka Equestrian Federation -IDEF and to learn new training techniques and weapons skills to bring back here to train students and keep alive the traditional art of Dzhigitovka.
She has just been made Head of International relations for the IEDF.
She holds a coaching qualification for Dzhigitovka from the International Federation in Moscow to teach these skills in the U.K.
Oman- Zana is now a tent pegging coach having completed a training course in Oman March 2016 with the ITPF (International Tent Pegging Federation)
NATIONAL HORSEBACK ARCHERY SOCIETY
She is an experienced Horse Archer and instructor and has a passion for Horse Archery and the commitment to see this exciting sport brought back to life in the U.K and and has set up along side Karl the National Horseback Archery Society - NHAS, which is committed to horse welfare and high Horse Archery safe and legal teaching and standards in the UK.
See the N.H.A.S page for more info and to join.
Zana has recently returned from The World Horseback Archery Championship in South Korea, Oct 2018 and represented GB at Al Faris, Jordan, April 2018.
ZANA’S OTHER SKILLS INCLUDE:
Trampolining, fire eating, fire spinning, pyro poi, stilt walking, doubles trapeze, knife throwing, swimming, trained ballet dancer, PADI Dive master in scuba, kick-boxing black belt, rock-climbing, fencing and broadsword fighting, British Action Academy Screen Combat courses - Phases I,II, III, has gained a Tent pegging coaching certification with the ITPF in Oman and has gained the JISC horse stunt test qualification.
She is also a qualified lifeguard, gym instructor and has a current first aid at work certificate
