Horseback Archery
When I think of horseback archery, I think of Robin Hood and Medieval Times. I didn’t realize people were practicing it today. We did a podcast on Cowboy Mounted Shooting a few years ago, and that was fun. While riding through nearby Rancho Rio Equestrian Center, we noticed them setting up the arena for an event. I keep a watch for happenings here because it is one of my favorite stables. We can ride right along the Kern River. But I hadn’t heard of this.
When I asked around, I discovered that clinicians, Elizabeth Tinnan and Heather Lomax, were holding a horseback archery and bridle-less riding clinic for about 10 students. I grabbed my portable recorder and began asking questions. Elizabeth Tinnan told me that horseback archery was growing fast in the US. There were two national organizations, including the Mounted Archery Association of the Americas, and many smaller clubs around the country. Elizabeth is from middle Tennessee and rides with the Chattahoochee Horse Archers at Tennessee Valley Archery. I had not realized that there was a group less than an hour away. Judy Osborne told me about the Poseidon Horse Archers who meet at Hidden Creek Ranch.
Heather Lomax owns Hidden Creek Ranch and teaches bridle-less riding among other disciplines. She discovered mounted archery fit in nicely with this type of riding. It takes two hands to fire an arrow, so one needs a horse that knows how to carry a rider with little direction.
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John & Ranae
Episode #185
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