365
Days in Horse Country – Horseback Archery
The practice
of shooting arrows from horseback is older than the saddle, going back
thousands of years. The Greeks and
Romans practiced this form of warfare, as did the peoples of Mongolia, China, and
Japan. The Plains Indians of the
American West were also skilled horseback archers.
Recently, this ancient art has been revived, and horseback archery competitions are taking place around the world. The sport was brought back to life in Mongolia in the 1920s, and it is now practiced in Central Europe and the North America. Horseback archery competitions consist of a course 300 feet (90m) long. They are divided into three sections separated by posts. Targets are located on the course, and must be shot from a galloping horse. The sport has rules concerning position the rider must be in when shooting particular targets, and the course is timed. Modern archers use a traditional recurve bow, either genuine or fiberglass replica.
Any breed of horse can be ridden in horseback archery, although lighter breeds are most often seen. Because the rider needs to hands to shoot the bow, the horse must be well-trained to the leg and seat aids. Horses also have to be calm and not spooky, and they must be able to maintain a consistent speed at the canter or gallop.
Michael