NEW YORK STATE FAIR -- It's a throwback to fairs 500 years ago. Modern-day knights mount their horses to test their skills. The riders are from Paragon Jousting and they travel the Northeast to demonstrate their craft for big crowds.

On Monday, they held three shows in the Coca Cola Coliseum. Along with jousting, they are taking part in other events on horseback, like sword fighting and skill competitions.

The jousters say it takes lots of work plus a little something extra to become successful.

"Our horses train for years. Our riders will typically train for a year anyway before they see a crowd. It requires good horsemanship skills, a lot of physical strength and some courage to throw on a helmet. You can't see much, you can't hear anything and it's a combined 40 mile per hour impact when you hit," said Scott Rodlin.