“Nothing clears a troubled mind better than shooting a bow” is a quote that only people who have tried it will understand it. But what can actually be better than archery to clear your troubled mind; a sophisticated version of it, the mounted archery, also known as horse archery.
A horse archer is a cavalryman armed with a bow, able to shoot while riding from horseback. Archery has occasionally been used from the backs of other riding animals. In large open areas, it was a highly successful technique for hunting, for protecting the herds, and for war. In the video below you will watch Lucas Novotny, a horseback rider and also one of the world’s leading horseback archers.
Now, Novotny is almost single-handedly keeping the tradition alive. Let’s hear his thoughts about the mounted archery, “There’s something magical about seeing the arrow fly and hit the target. Archery is difficult enough, you know, on the ground; to be on a back of a horse and to feel the wind on your face, it is a challenge and I like challenges.”
He is not only a great archer but also a great bowyer; he explains how difficult it is to make the perfect bow. Also, he explains different types of mounted archery connected to the origin where they took place for the first time. Watch the video below for more.