Global IHAA list. You must be an MA3 member to rank on the MA3 list, you do not need to be a member to Rank on the IHAA list, however, there is a $25 fee for non members (MA3 members Rank for free on both lists).
The third way to compete is participating in the above mentioned IHAA Postal Matches that are open to anyone regardless of club or National affiliation and are free to all.
The next Postal Matches due at the end of June and is a 9 run Postal. The Korean 1-2-3, and three runs at the Texas Triple.
All of the standard Ranking courses and rules can be found on the MA3 site www.mountedarchery.org all of the IHAA Ranking and Postal Match rules and courses can be found on the IHAA site www.horsebackarchery.info
If there are any questions on the rules or the courses don't hesitate to ask.
Greg Ogburn
USA IHAA Rep
MA3 & IHAA Ranking Officer
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MA3
Serena Lynn, who also appears on our cover this month, competing in Poland with AMM Archery.
Many thanks to Nina Galicheva for this month's cover photo
to give us the POWER. We’re want to think we’re invincible with a tool instead of being invincible with our skills.
If you really want to be an exceptional mounted archer, you will need an achiever mindset. Of course you’re going to keep shooting arrows at targets – the fun part. Nothing is going to infringe on that. But, shooting the arrow is a much smaller part as far as your actual success, than your horsemanship skills and the training of your marvelous mount. You’re going to be able to accomplish so much with your great new skills. Even if you only consider your horse and saddle tools, as I know many folks do (even though that gets me in a bunch), to get you where you want to get with your mounted archery you need to add this knowledge, change of mindset and skills to your toolbox.
If you say you want to learn or get better and then hide from what it takes, maybe re-evaluate. Those who do not give this a shot (pun intended) and continue on without these targeted skills, that’s fine. All the rest of us who have decided, yes decided to get one hundred times better with this one change will not only be just fine with that, but delighted to have all the success that a higher level of skill always brings to the competition.
Carpe Diem!
These are some of the first questions you’ll then ask yourself and after them, we can move on to more precision in your abilities to analyze and adjust for better results and better questions.
As in:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
I’m going to give you some concepts and situations for your consideration relative to these initial questions so that you can apply it to your answers for you and your horse.
Many people are taught to lean into the bow while shooting and of course there are reasons to approach it with these words, but we must, must, must (not a typo) place a high value on the degree to which we lean. Check yourself. How far would you lean if you were standing on the ground? And a lean can be anything from a slight shift of weight in the upper body while dropped into your balanced core, to looking like you’re tilted up on your front foot and… completely out of balance. Would you think it would be a good idea to be out of balance on your horse? And if you didn’t have stirrups, a saddle and pinchy knees, would you be able to maintain that position? If not, could it be correct?
Also for your consideration, if you’re leaning way forward over the horse’s neck when shooting, just where are you going? There’s a good chance that you’re making the horse feel like you’re ahead of her and that she needs to speed up to get up under you. Do you want your horse to speed up? If she thinks this and you don’t say otherwise, you are indeed causing your horse to run faster. If you’re close to flossing your teeth on your horse’s mane, I’d say you’d better straighten up. Don’t get ahead of the horse’s driveline.
If you lean forward and toward the targets i.e. your weight is heavy in that stirrup and your seat bones are also up, out of the saddle and shifted into the lean… shouldn’t your horse, who you’ve hopefully trained to give to pressure, shift or track toward the outside? Might that cause your foot to catch in the track barrier rope or your horse to go off course just doing what your body is telling him to do?
Hmmmmmmm… Aren’t these pretty darned important questions?
And because every great hmmmmmm… deserves a great how (my line) I’ll just start you off with some action steps to get your baseline. To help you challenge assumptions and get yourself straightened out, start on the ground with a shooting stance and see what you tend to do.
1)
2)
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If you’ve seen the recent Bridgestone Tire commercials with the Olympic archery shooters – there isn’t even a hint of leaning. I’ve included this for your consideration.
Now, THINK about sitting on your horse – preferably bareback. But, if you must use a saddle at least drop your stirrups. After all we’re just in your mind here.
1) What CAN you do differently to challenge where you currently are in your position?
Please keep in mind that these are discovery experiments. Don’t get stuck on how you think you were taught or how you’ve “always done it”. Our job is to get you better from here. And what got you here isn’t going to get you to the next level. You need to up your skills, preparation and MINDSET.
Try #1 > something DIFFERENT > get an unexpected reality > get more curious.
Try #2 > something DIFFERENT > get a NEW unexpected reality > get more curious.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
These might be way big different things or it could be as small as a tad less leaning into your bow or cocking your head just bit down the arrow.
Now, go get on your horse and apply what you challenged yourself with while mounted. Don’t get all chompie to shoot and let yourself get off track. Ha! Little mounted archery joke there, particularly if you’re pushing your horse off with that weight imbalance and a heavy leg pushing into his side while your heel kind of digs in as you attempt to keep yourself upright.
Have you come this far to only come this far? I think NOT!
There is nothing to lose. You’re experimenting. You’re on an adventure. Lets go for Exceptional!
Lauren has been teaching and training for over 40 years and is the author of two books that are pure magic for horsemanship – “Curbside Service” and “Balky, Balky, I Ain’t Goin’”. Find out how to be strategic in your best next steps to Exceptional Horsemanship for Mounted Archery by grabbing her “Wouldn’t It Be Great If ____?” Quiz to check your perspective and propel your horsemanship on her exceptionalhorsemanship.com site.
Lauren has been teaching and training for over 40 years and is the author of two books that are pure magic for horsemanship – “Curbside Service” and “Balky, Balky, I Ain’t Goin’”. Find out how to be strategic in your best next steps to Exceptional Horsemanship for Mounted Archery by grabbing her “Wouldn’t It Be Great If ____?” Quiz to check your perspective and propel your horsemanship on her exceptionalhorsemanship.com site.
For more information about Mounted Archery Association of the Americas (MA3) visit their
website:
www.mountedarchery.org