Mounted Archery – the equine partner

Mounted Archery’s Most Essential Element:

THE EQUINE PARTNER

It is not a mystery that great mounted archers cannot do their jobs without great horses. It really does come down to the horse in this sport – we can be the most accurate archer on the ground, or the strongest rider with a grasp on the reins, but if our horses are not in tune with us and willing down the archery track then we have nothing. Once you go into the track and drop your reins, you need to be able to trust your horse and concentrate on shooting your bow.

There is no worse feeling than picking up the canter at the start gate to find yourself flying down the lane too fast to shoot your arrow, or be trying so hard to keep your horse cantering that you can't focus on your shot. This is why the training you put in to build the relationship with your archery horse is of the utmost importance. It does not happen instantly between horse and rider, but with lots of patience and time the relationship between archer and equine can be one of the most rewarding connections.

It starts from the moment you decide to do archery with your horse; you ask for their absolute trust in your decisions. You ask them to allow this entirely foreign action of a bow building tension and releasing an arrow from their most vulnerable space… on their back.

Through years of training horses for mounted archery we have developed a step-by-step program to safely introduce horses to archery. We always start from the very basics, desensitizing the horse to the sounds of the arrows touching each other. Holding a handful of arrows, we rub them down their neck, back and even legs. We imagine every possible scenario that the horse may encounter an arrow’s movement, for example, accidentally falling from the quiver or tapping them on the croup. Horses need to become familiar with the arrow’s touch on all parts of their bodies. Then, progressing forward, we desensitize them to the bow, lightly twanging the string to allow the horse to feel the vibration and energy of the bow.

Following this, we slowly bring up their confidence until they are quiet and calm with us shooting around them, and then find a ground person to hold the horse while the rider shoots from their back. Rushing these steps almost always creates a tense or spooky horse. It’s why we never move to the next step until the horse has found relaxation and totally accepts the stage it is at. A horse that thinks archery is boringly inconsequential has the ideal disposition.

You may be wondering what kind of horse you’d need to go out and purchase to get started in this sport. Luckily there is no single breed that is naturally adept – everything is in the attitude, which can be trained. I have personally witnessed horses of every breed not only do well, but be absolute superstars in the archery lane.

Our biggest obstacle to members’ progression into the next stages is their worry that their horse may not ‘be good enough for archery’ or ‘be too spooky.’ However, I truly believe with the right approach, any horse can be a phenomenal archery horse. For example, I personally have ridden everything from arabians, wildies, quarter horses, and thoroughbreds down the lane with great success. I know of a young 4-year-old warmblood in Alberta who loves to do archery, as well as a number of draft horses and cobs who have succeeded amazingly. We have even had mules and the occasional donkey show up and prove to us all that it’s not about what breed you have, but rather it is about the training and time you spend developing that equine.

Naturally, embarking on this journey alone can be intimidating and uncertain. That is why connecting with a community of helpful, experienced horse archers who have gone through the same apprehensions and growing pains is so important. If you have a willingness to face these challenges and a desire to reap the rewards for overcoming them, Okanagan Khanate Mounted Archery is here to help. So saddle up already and let’s ride!

Horses from left to right: a wildie, a quarter horse, a gypsey vanner, an icelandic pony, a mustang, a thoroughbred, and another wildie.