Feature: Straight shooters

FEATURE

Straight shooters

It might have its roots in ancient warfare, but horse archery is one of the fastest growing sports in the modern world, writes REBECCA NADGE.

If you’re thinking of taking up the sport of horse archery, Hayley Chambers of Outback Equines has a warning: dropping the reins to shoot at targets from horseback is highly addictive!

It was a photo of an archer shooting at a gallop that inspired her to get involved. “It looked so wonderful! I thought, yep, that’s something I would love to do. As I got into it more I realised there are so many different aspects and dynamics of the sport that make it really appealing.”

One of the drawcards is that there are very few restrictions on the tack that can be used in events, meaning riders from different disciplines can give it a go. Buying a bow, arrows and protective gear is also relatively inexpensive, with most riders able to kit themselves out for less than $500.

It’s these factors that make horse archery a readily accessible and inclusive sport. And as Hayley points out, there’s another plus: “From a horse welfare perspective I think it’s probably one of the best sports because it’s kind to the horses and quite easy on them. To be riding your horse and have to drop the reins and trust them to carry their pace, whether it’s a walk, trot or canter, you’re essentially not controlling them, you’re trusting them to do their job.”

Many nations have a history of archery. If you’re thinking Vikings or Robin Hood you’d be right – but take a step even further back to the Iron Age when shooting arrows from horseback was gradually replacing the Bronze Age chariot as a weapon of war. In Australia horse archery got its start through medieval reenactments rather than as a sport in its own right.

Globally, the sport is governed by the International Horse Archery Alliance, which was established in 2013. “There were a lot of different organisations across a number of countries that were embracing the sport, building their own tracks, and running competitions,”

Hayley tells me. “A country can incorporate elements of their cultural heritage into a track, and apply for it to be approved and included as an international competition.”

Like other equestrian disciplines, horse archery has different types of competitions with variables such as pace, the length of the track, shooting distance, and the number of targets. Australia was one of the first countries to incorporate competitions at a walk, rather than catering only for those who could shoot from a faster gait.

Ground archery has also been growing in popularity amongst women. Hayley believes this can be attributed to the success of films like The Hunger Games. “What I see with my clients, and the feedback I get from them, is that when they’re shooting the bow and they hit the target, there’s a real feeling of achievement. It’s a feeling of empowerment that’s hard to explain until you’ve experienced it. But imagine you’re galloping along on your horse, you’ve dropped the reins and then you’re shooting - there’s no feeling like it in the world.”

For Hayley, who has competed in show jumping, eventing and dressage, horse archery ticks every box. But even if you’re coming from another discipline and are already a competent rider, you still need to practice the fundamentals of good archery on the ground. “Newcomers to the sport are obviously super keen, and the sooner we can get them shooting off the back of their horse, the quicker they’re addicted,” Hayley laughs. “But eventually they’ve got to come back to their ground archery and become competent in the basics. On the back of a horse it’s easy to fall into some bad habits with your actual archery style.”

There are fundamentals to archery that any good coach will teach, whether they’re involved in horse archery or not. But caught up in the excitement of their new sport, many riders forget the basics; sometimes, Hayley adds, striving to be a little further ahead than their current skill set allows: “The biggest challenge is getting riders to go back to their groundwork – which is probably similar to a lot of other equestrian disciplines,” she muses.

FACING PAGE: Hayley and Larrykin, bareback and bridleless (Image by Katy Driver Photography). TOP: Jai Shaw mastering the basics with Hayley’s help (Image by Katy Driver Photography). BOTTOM: The number and type of targets can vary (Image by Katy Driver Photography).

Ella McBain and Gypsy working on their skills (Image by Remi McBain).

And riders aren’t the only participants who need to get their groundwork in order, it’s the horses too. “We start all their training on the ground, shooting in front of the horses, next to the horses, and we might even pair them up with a horse that’s really confident so they can see that their buddy is quite relaxed and happy,” Hayley explains. “This is just basic horse training; your groundwork comes first before you start doing anything under saddle.”

Although there is no particular breed that is better suited than others, horses do need self-carriage and engagement to carry themselves properly without relying on the reins for balance.

Hayley starts horses on the archery track with barriers along the sides to prevent any extracurricular meanderings. “We teach them to go along nicely with rhythm at a walk, trot and canter, which is essentially dressage – and in this sport, good dressage basics are an advantage for both horse and rider. We always voice train our horses and I use a lot of positive reinforcement, teaching them to understand that when we ask for the stop, or the ‘whoa’, they get a little treat at the end. Very quickly the horses are traveling down the track quite happily.”

Desensitising horses to the sound of the bow and the rattle of the arrow is another important step. Again, Hayley uses positive reinforcement by pairing treats with the sounds and movement of shooting. “What they start to learn is that as soon as the bow is shot they get a lolly, and after about five or six repetitions most horses will be looking forward to that sound and will be waiting for their treat.”

She regularly teaches between eight and ten riders and their horses in one-day clinics, and estimates she has a 99 per cent success rate in getting the horses confident with their rider

shooting from their backs.

Pony Club Australia has also recently approved horse archery as a sport, which, Hayley says, is a huge boost. “Along with some colleagues of mine, I was so proud to be a part of that process. We posted a webinar not long ago to encourage some of the other clubs to take it on.”

Hayley suggests that anyone interested in learning more about the sport should seek out a clinic, or make use of instructional materials online. “There are a few horse archery coaches around, and I’ve made an online instructional series on starting off in horse archery; I think there’s over three hours of footage there. If you can’t get to a horse archery clinic, I’d say find a good coach and get archery lessons. Good basic archery at any of the archery clubs can usually get you started.”

But be warned, anyone willing to give it a go might just end up hooked on a new sport!

Interested in setting your inner warrior free? Visit Hayley at Outback Equines, the International Horseback Archery Alliance, or Pony Club Australia.