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and how many pounds of pull you’ll be comfortable with. The trainers can tell you how to measure your size for the correct arrow length and what kind of field tips you need, feather length, decide if you want three feathers or four and why and the appropriate nocks (the part that snaps onto your string) for the ends of your arrows.
It’s a good idea to contact one of the MA3 folks so you can get their input on the best bow and arrows for you. There are some specifics related to your body type and size such as bow length and how many pounds of pull you’ll be comfortable with. The trainers can tell you how to measure your size for the correct arrow length and what kind of field tips you need, feather length, decide if you want three feathers or four and why and the appropriate nocks (the part that snaps onto your string) for the ends of your arrows.
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MOUNTED ARCHERY TECHNIQUES are a bit different than standing styles. The movement and speed of the horse, the placement of the arrow (which side of the bow), the arm position and the fingers or thumb used for the arrow hold and pull can be different. It’s much easier to find out how to do it in the first place before you learn and practice a way that isn’t appropriate to mounted archery. There are variations and styles that different instructors teach that will dictate how you choose and what feels right or works best for you at this stage.
1) Start practicing on foot, advancing to walking – on your own feet and then moving faster while shooting at a target. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, you must start training your horse to understand her part of the job. Since your hands are used holding the bow and the arrow – huh! You don’t have another hand for the reins to steer and slow down a horse.
You need to be able to work your way up to galloping your horse, maintaining good balance and a quite mind for both you and your horse with no hands to be successful. This takes some training and maintenance.
It’s a good idea, once you get your skills figured out, to practice shooting some arrows with your horse in the area – not mounted.
2) Have your horse on a long rope draped over your elbow while you shoot a few arrows – in the opposite direction of your horse of course – so you can get an idea of his response to the action and sound. Depending on the reaction, you can decide the time frame for getting closer so your horse can get comfortable with your shooting. When you can have your horse right there next to you and not reacting, get on and start doing the movements, before you loose an arrow, standing still at first and then walking.
The great part is that you can start practicing both your shooting and your horse work at the walk pretty quickly. You don’t have to have one piece great before you put in the other piece. Both you and your horse need to get the feel for the track and how and when to nock your arrow and to loose your arrow. Your horse needs to learn to remain quiet when you are fiddling with a bow, pulling an arrow out of the quiver, nocking it and there is a whish-twang of the string as the arrow goes. All this goes on just behind the horse’s ear and eye.
You do not need to have a course set up to do this. An arena or out in a field works depending on what you have available, your horsemanship skills and your horse’s behavior and training. You may start in a ring and set up some PVC pipe stands that have T’s on the top to run cord thru for your track delineation. You can use cones or barrels or poles to line your track. Something that both you and your horse can start to understand.
3) You can then teach your horse how to stay in line and be calm, where to enter the track and to stop at the end nicely. Easy, peasy to start. That doesn’t mean you’re going to be good or great, but it is easy to start.
Archer Diana Troyk