BFF Mounted Archery Clinic

After two years of dreaming and scheming, it finally happened!!

As some of you may remember, back in 2015 I wrote about exploring a new equestrian sport. After getting a quick 101 archery lesson from my friend S later that year, there was little to no mention of mounted archery though because well... I literally hit a wall trying to find an instructor or lesson barn to help me get started. All my searches yielded nothing of viable worth and the timing didn't really work out either since after moving Quest to WSS a couple months later, I had my hands full with preparing for the 2016 distance riding season. 

About a month ago though, I stumbled upon photos on my FB feed of a mounted archery clinic that had just taken place at a barn about an hour away from me. I reached out to the organizers and to my immense excitement, they replied that there were still accepting riders for the next clinic date! One of the organizers, a lady named A, provided me with the clinician's information so I could contact her. S took my interest in the sport seriously and even going so far with offering to accommodate me with a private lesson on her days off. Unfortunately her barn is a 3-hour round trip for me so it will take some logistics and planning on my end to make lessons happen. However in the meantime, I had the clinic to look forward to and hoped it would be a good introduction to see if I really did enjoy it. 

The clinic started at 10am and the drive to the barn BFF took about an hour. I gave myself plenty of time and arrived early to snag a good parking spot and headed over to indoor arena for the day's activities. A, the event organizer recognized me from FB and introduced herself and S, the clinician. While waiting for others to arrive, I started chatting with a girl named E and we hit it off really well. Best of all we agreed to help each other with pictures and video throughout the day so it's all thanks to her (and her bf) that I have media to share with everyone! 

When S finally called us over to get started, the total count was 26 participants which felt like a pretty large number. She began the clinic by reviewing safety rules and then had us get into groups of 3-4 based on the draw weight of the bow we wanted to shoot with. We were given a selection of handmade Chinese horse bows with various draw weights to pick from. E and I paired up with two other ladies, S and K, and we got set up with our 22lb bow and a round of 4 arrows.

The first part of the clinic was focused on shooting skills from the ground. The indoor arena was converted into a mini archery range using a line of hay bales stacked 3 high in 8 separate groups. My group picked out our hay bale target and waited until given the all clear to start. Having only picked up a bow and arrow twice in my life, I was pretty sure I had the least experience out of our group and my hunch was confirmed after watching the other members of my group shoot first.

S made her way up and down the line, stopping at each group to watch and assist. I waited to go last because I knew I'd probably need some help. Mounted archery horse bows are traditionally made with no arrow shelf. It makes a ton of sense if you are shooting at speed with no time to use it and practically speaking, the shelf would probably get in the way since the end goal is to load, draw, and shoot without looking down at your hands. When it got to my turn, I picked up the bow and the lack of shelf completely threw me off. The two times I did archery, both bows had a shelf to work with so I was at a total loss of what to do and fumbled around. When I explained my issue, S pointed out that my hand acted as the shelf essentially. That imagery was apparently all I needed- it was as if a lightbulb clicked on and just like that my next two arrows flew straight and hit dead center. "Nice job!" S praised.

Because of the number of people and limited time, we were only able to get though two rounds of shooting from the ground. E got some great pictures that, aside from posterity, I used to improve my form to make the most of the practice opportunity. I tried to keep in mind the tips S gave to me earlier (draw hand cups the lower jaw, no chicken arms) and also did my best to make adjustments that I saw from the pictures. As with most things, proper form is foundation and muscle memory can be developed so I opted to get that part right first and as soon as possible. My aim wasn't horrendous though and I consistently hit my target.

The most fun thing about being part of a large clinic was watching others learn from their successes and failures. One guy bought his own bow and arrows and he obviously knew how to shoot. There was one hairy  moment though when one person on the far left of the range had an arrow go way high and break a window! The glass got cleaned up quickly though and it was the only mishap for the entire clinic thankfully. 

After shooting from the ground, it was time to introduce the horses!

There were four horses ready for our use that day and we could pick as we liked. I choose a pony named Macaroni with a very sweet disposition to be my partner for this part of the clinic. I liked how quiet he was and he had more whoa then go which was needed for my purposes that day.

S had us mount up 4 riders at a time and we practiced shooting while being lead at a walk. The first round was done very slowly as everyone had to pause at some point in order to figure out how to nock, aim, shoot and reload arrows from our "leg quivers" aka half chaps/boots.

Everyone in the clinic was eager to keep going so in the second round, S allowed us to pick from walk and/or trot and let us tackle the course one rider at a time with our leadline assistants.

Shooting from a trot introduced a whole new set of challenges as we had to figure out how to deal with a two-beat gait and still try to do the whole archery thing while moving. S suggested a half seat, two-point, etc...but we were allowed to adapt with whatever we felt comfortable with. Macaroni wasn't the smoothest or willing mover so I ended up timing my shots with posting and that also helped keep it instinctive and natural. As I get better though, I do want to practice in a half-seat since being able to shoot from a canter/hand-gallop is the final end goal. The leadline assistants were also clinic participants so I helped switch with them to jog horses so they could shoot as well. It was a nice break from standing around and waiting.

I was able to shoot 3 more rounds before the end of the clinic and I found something to improve or tweak each time.

At the end of the clinic, I was still smiling from ear to ear and still just as excited. What a joy it is being able to make what felt like a far-fetched dream come true. For me, I do know this is definitely something that I want to continue doing as an interest and maybe even get competitive one day. The latter is still a pipe dream but mounted archery has been gaining popularity in the East Coast over the recent years. Given enough time, there could even be enough support to set up organized events.

If you ever get a chance to try mounted archery, I totally suggest giving it a go! Done under supervision and with an experienced horse, it's a super fun challenge for the rider and just something different to try.

Beginner's Luck

Awhile back I mentioned that I was interested in pursuing a rather different discipline with Quest. I haven't said too much about it since then as I ran into a couple logistical issues that brought my scheming and machinations to a screeching halt. I'm all about safety when doing inherently dangerous hobbies (I think archery lands solidly in this camp) so I wasn't about to go out and buy a bow and arrows and start shooting at things without getting any formal instruction.

I googled around and was pleasantly surprised to find a lesson location that was only five minutes away BUT they specialized in Olympic compound bows only and did not provide instruction on traditional recurve bows which are used in mounted archery. Finding adequate practice space was also another issue- I couldn't quite set up an indoor archery range for the winter months that would be safe and unobtrusive. So archery was put on the wayyy back burner until I could figure something out.

A few months ago I was catching up with my friend S and happened to mention about how I was interested in getting into archery. Well apparently S has been shooting since he was a kid and said that he would be more than happy to teach me the basics! He also had a few other friends that were interested in learning as well and so plans were made.

Life happens though and it wasn't until this past weekend that we were able to fit in a quick archery 101. The group lesson turned into a private lesson which was just fine with me. S took his instructor duties very seriously and had everything ready when I got there. He even picked up new equipment- six carbon arrows with practice field tips and a foam target for me to practice with. We used his wooden longbow with a 35lb draw weight. I'm an extremely visual learner so I asked him to demonstrate as he instructed me on safety and proper stance.

S fired off six arrows, showed me the safe way to remove them from the target, and handed the bow to me. My first round arrows felt like they took forever to nock and fire but going slow as fine since my main goal was safety, maintaining stance, and....okay, maybe at least hitting the target once would be nice too. The first five arrows buried themselves nicely into the dirt and grass...hmm...well at least they flew forward and straight! As I got more familiar with the action though, I was able to focus on other aspects to adjust my aim and sight. The little corrections made all the difference and the sixth arrow was a solid hit in the target. A little low but a legit target hit.

Elated by my tiny success, I walked down the range to pick up my arrows and set up for another round. "Repetition is the key to conditioning" and my second round showed huge improvement- 4 of the 6 arrows on target AND my very first bullseye! Even S was impressed. I decided to end on that good note and honestly my arms were also quite tired from using a bow that was a bit too heavy for me. S gifted me the arrows and the target as part of the lesson "fee" so all I have left to do is find a bow that fits me to practice with!

Taking Aim

About this time last year while I was still very much a newbie learning the basics of riding,  I discovered something that I have been wanting to do before I discovered endurance riding. Yes, before endurance.

Lajos Kassai, a lead proponent for Hungarian mounted archery

The annual Yabusame festival in Japan

Mounted archery is an ancient sport and mounted martial art that has been practiced for centuries. It seems to be more popular in areas of Europe and Asia, but there is a small but steadily growing group of mounted archers in the US who actively train and compete in Texas and along the west coast. Unfortunately the sport has not yet attained the same popularity on the east coast so local resources for information, lessons, and clinics have been sparse and lacking.

Not to be daunted though, I've been learning, reading, and digesting as much information as I can. Shooting a bow from horseback obviously requires a certain level of horsemanship and riding ability. There are different types competition courses involving a variety of target setups and track lengths. Beginners usually shoot at a walk- those just starting out are on lead lines, intermediate shoot at a trot, and advanced archers at the canter. All of this is obviously done without hands on the reins and communication with the horse is entirely leg, seat, and weight cues.When I started riding everything about mounted archery was very much beyond my abilities however as I've gotten more proficient on horseback, the fire has slowly been rekindling. I've been interested in doing archery for a very long time. I was introduced to it back in grade school gym class and really enjoyed it. Best of all this is something that I can eventually do with Quest. The more I've gotten to know her, the more I think she'd make a decent mounted archery partner with her smooth steady canter, great athletic abilities, and honest personality.

There is going to be a ton of work involved of course. I need hundreds of hours of practice on my own two feet first before doing anything mounted. Quest and I need to also keep working on lateral movements and basic dressage undersaddle. Then there is all the desensitizing work that needs to be done- the sound of slapping bowstrings and nocking arrows, the feeling of the bow, arrows, quiver brushing against hindquarters/sides, the visual of dropped arrows and bows on the ground, etc.  

Finding the proper equipment is another challenge. Mounted archery uses traditional archery methods which include recurve bows, namely horse bows, that come in a multitude of sizes, designs, materials, lengths, and draw weights. Like saddles, the bow selection is vast and they can be completely customized or purchased right off of a shelf. I've been spending quite a bit of time just figuring out what I need for my height/weight/size because being under or over bowed are both major safety concerns. I seem to have a penchant for choosing hobbies involving high risk...

I've been checking out archery groups on FB and some bowyers (the official lingo for bow makers) approached me about getting a custom build for reasonable prices. It'll be more expensive than the run-of-the-mill beginner bow but will be an actual horse bow and made to my specifications. So tempting...must resist. I'll likely settle for a good youth bow to dabble around with that can take a beating since I'll probably be knocking it into things, dropping it in dirt, and getting it coated in horse hair and slobber.

Lots of things are still in the works but I'm eager to give this new hobby a try. Next steps, getting my bow, safety equipment, and scouting out the basement to see what would be needed to set up an indoor practice range!