You’d be forgiven for believing that archery on horseback was a thing of the past, a form of iron age hunting and fighting that has long since disappeared. But mounted archery has far from died out. It's unlikely that it still takes place in the traditional way for hunting or in aggressive situations, but instead it has become a popular sport, with competitions taking place in the UK and across the globe.
A little history
Although it was once a popular method of assault in fast attacking raids, mounted archery was an ineffective defence against massed foot archery in more formalised battle settings. Large numbers of foot archers were able to synchronise attacks on their large targets and achieve a longer range than their mounted enemies. In fact, mounted archery was such an ineffective defence that Mongol archers would often dismount and shoot from a sitting position!
Mounted archery began to disappear in the 17th century when modern firearms became common weapons. During the next century, bows were occasionally used in conjunction with firearms, providing archers with the benefits of both. However, as repeating firearms were developed, mounted archers were removed from battle completely.
After Mongolian independence in 1921, mounted archery enjoyed a resurgence as a cultural display at festivals showcasing Mongolian heritage. Its instant popularity - and huge visual appeal - sparked a worldwide interest and mounted archery began to be reintroduced across the world.
Competitions today
Nowadays, mounted archery is a rapidly growing equestrian sport, popular in a large number of countries including the UK, the USA, Germany, China and Korea. The sport has come a long way from its origins and now uses a light weight (under 50 Ib) bow and a guided track to keep the horse straight.
There are a number of annual competitions held all over the world, with the largest held in Korea. In order to embrace the sport’s history, competitors often wear the traditional clothing and use traditional bow and arrows rather than those used in modern foot archery.
In general, the competitions are split into two groups: Korean style and Hungarian style. The Hungarian style involves one run on which the archer must hit three targets from three different angles, the reverse angle being the most difficult (obviously!). The Korean style involves three different runs that vary in difficulty, the hardest being the 5-shot serial run which requires the competitor to loose the arrows quickly between targets. All mounted competitions include time penalties and points for accuracy making it a difficult balance between completing the course in the allotted time - and actually hitting stuff.
The Korean style competitions also include a game called Mogu. In Mogu, the mounted archer must chase after a ball being dragged by another horse. They are required to shoot at the ball with ink-dipped arrows and the number of ink stains is counted to determine the score. This also requires a horse with nerves of steel (or good protection at the back - not sure I'd want to try this one myself unless I'd got a LOT of practice in)!
Getting in to mounted archery
Many mounted archery beginners start out as horse riders with an interest in picking up archery. If you have previous horse riding experience, a few beginners’ archery lessons may be all you need before you’re ready to start competition training with your local club.
For those with no previous horse riding experience, regular non-mounted archery is a great place to start. Taking part in a beginner’s course gives you the opportunity to try out the sport or archery in general while picking up the basic skills needed for mounted archery. For information about 2020 Archery’s Have A Go sessions where you can get started for only £20, click through to our main website here http://www.2020archery.co.uk/lessons-courses-1/Have-a-Go or call 0203 130 6797.
2020 Archery Website
Junior Archery Website
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