Mounted Archery

When Horse and Rider are One

Teaching an ancient equine practice in Lockwood Valley

by KIMBERLY RIVERS

photos by VINCENT MCLEAN

Across continents, dynasties, civilizations, and wars, through rivers, mountains, trails, and tracks, humankind has relied on and used the horse to conquer, explore, build, and travel the world, and some say that connection and partnership has allowed riders to touch the world of the gods.

Heather Lomax

Photos by Vincent McLean

Throughout history, approaches were developed to train, ride, and connect with the horse in ways that have shifted over time. These methods came out of utilitarian uses for horses in battle, travel, and daily life. From cross-country jumping and polo, to the meticulous dance of dressage and the tasks of working equitation, gymkhana and charrería, to long-distance riding, each competition discipline of the modern era is based on skills and training that horse and rider either needed on the battlefield or in day-to-day tasks required for living.

The use of spears, lances, and bows and arrows from horseback is documented throughout history around the world, with the earliest descriptions of mounted archery dating to the ninth century B.C. with the Assyrians in the area today called the Middle East. The tactic quickly spread and was heavily relied upon throughout the Asian continent for thousands of years. In the Japanese tradition of mounted archery, a saying embodies the aim of the practice: “jinba ittai” means “horse and rider are one.”

When the rider asks the horse to shift into a trot or the faster canter, the experienced rider can feel each hoof connecting with the ground. A horse that trusts the rider will be listening for direction through subtle changes in leg position and pressure, seat balance, or for a rotation of the shoulder. The rider, through their seat, is in rhythm with the gait. If truly in sync, horse and rider may join up further, matching breaths together as one. These skills are all needed because the rider must drop the reins to aim and release an arrow.

“All those poetic adages are true. Horses lend us their grace, beauty, power, and strength,” said Heather Lomax, describing the experience of connection when shooting from the back of a horse. She is the 10th ranked horse archer in 2022 with the Mounted Archery Association of the Americas, and at Hidden Creek Ranch in Lockwood Valley introduces people, riders and their horses, and non-riders to the ancient practice of mounted archery. The sport is growing as riders and non-riders alike seek to connect to the challenge of dropping the reins, trusting the horse, and shooting a weapon.

“I’ve been riding longer than I’ve been walking,” Lomax said. Like many people building their lives with horses, she describes the draw of the horse as an addiction: “It’s a passion; I’ve always loved them. I love the connection, the process it takes to try and be a part of a partnership with a 1,000-pound prey animal in a way that does not increase or develop anxiety” in the horse. “It is miraculous to me that they let us ride them.”

She learned to ride and work with horses from

her mother, who also introduced her to mounted archery about three years ago. Lomax then into the sport, taking clinics with Elizabeth Tinnan, an expert clinician in the art and skill of mounted archery based in Nashville, Tennessee. Today, Lomax offers multi-day clinics, group and one-on-one lessons for riders with their own horses or on her horses. She offers “experience” packages for people who might not have ridden before to get a taste of the sport.

Learners start on the ground, getting the feel of placing the arrow, taking aim, and releasing the arrow without any motion. The archer holds the bow in the left hand (for those who are right-handed), and to start will shoot only to the left side of the horse, also carrying the second shot arrow between two fingers, ready to be placed for the second target. Once more comfortable, the rider can place up to four arrows poised in the left hand ready to be placed in the bow without the time needed to draw from the quiver.

In mounted archery the rider does not have time to sight and aim at a target as in ground archery, and those taking up a bow on a horse have to adjust to letting the arrow loose much quicker. Safety is always paramount, and beginners are taught to toss away the bow and any arrows in hand if they feel the need to pick up the reins with both hands.

After beginners get the feel for shooting while standing, they’re asked to walk past several targets, shooting at each in turn. Learning to adjust aim and position arrows while walking helps prepare for the movement and timing of releasing arrows from horseback.

Once in the saddle, riders practice at the walk only, with one arrow.

Hidden Creek Ranch has a straight 90-meter track and a 500-meter cross-country track that weaves through a wooded area with targets at various intervals. Both are used in competitions

and clinics. The targets are set up to mimic historical scenarios a mounted warrior might face, such as a foe attacking from a tower, or an enemy soldier attacking from the ground and behind.

Being able to canter a horse, drop the reins, then turn around and shoot at something behind the horse’s hip requires the rider to release control and trust in the horse.

The rider goes along the entire length of the shorter track with no reins in hand. Because the track is so short, Lomax explained, you have to truly partner with and rely on the horse “when you drop the reins — to maintain speed and direction until you say otherwise.” It requires trust on the part of the rider in a unique way.

Over the past several months Lomax has been busy traveling for competitions, and depending on where she’s headed, she’ll either transport her horses, or ride horses at the competition. One recent riding experience helped her become a

better teacher when she remembered the experience of riding an unknown horse through a challenging course.

The horse she was initially assigned to ride at an out-of-state competition came up a little off the day of competition, so an alternative horse was provided.

The replacement was a young filly named Freya. She was a pretty grulla, or blue dun, quarter horse. Blue dun is a sort of shimmering gray coloring, with black legs, mane, and tail.

“She was really brave and great on what we call the 90-meter straight track,” Lomax said. You start at one end and finish at the other. The horse doesn’t have to leave any buddies behind, which can be hard for a young horse. And on the straight track the targets are all on the same side, with a barrier fence the horse travels along, providing guidance that can be helpful for a horse that is still learning.

But Lomax was shooting on the hunt course that day, a 500-meter cross-country track. “There are no barriers, the horse has to run away from their friends, into a dark part of the woods.” This can be difficult for a young horse.

“She needed a lot of support from me” to keep her at the desired speed, direction, and to keep moving ahead, Lomax said. This meant Lomax did not shoot at every target, resulting in a lower score because she had to focus on guiding Freya during certain parts of the course. She took a lower score that day, but remembers the feeling of working with an unknown horse and having to make the choice to stay in connection— even if that means helping the horse do well.

That experience, and the feeling of being unsure of the horse at the beginning, is helping Lomax as she instructs others who ride unknown horses.

Lomax emphasized that if a rider can take their horse places, and reasonably get out and walk, trot, and maybe canter around, they can do mounted archery.

“More people would try this sport if they thought they could do it,” she said. “They underestimate what their horse needs in training to go to an introductory lesson.”

Story by Kimberly Rivers