The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association
Issue 1, November 2009 Welcome to the Parthian Shot, occasional newsletterr o the BHAA. In this inaugural newslette issue we hope to give you an insight into the world o horseback archery rom both a historical and contemporary viewpoint. In this newsletter you can expect to nd articles on the ner points o riding techniques, archery skills, and opinion pieces regarding all aspects o horseback archery; including some historical background into the lie and times o mounted archers throughout history. So without urther ado let us saddle up with the Scythians - the original horse archers.
The Scythians by Rick Lippiett Around 700 B.C., loosely allied nomad tribes conquered the steppes rom the Carpathians to the Altai Mountains. The Greeks called them Scythians, the Persians named them “Saka” or “Saccae”. The related words derive rom “skuza” - an ancient Indo-European word or archer (c. English shoot). Scythians thought o themselves as the people o the bow and called themselves “Skolotoi”. Their livestock, which were their lieblood, were ed by the grasslands; and thus the nomad tribes had to move every time their animals grazed the area clean. Horses were at the heart o this mobility and nomads spent almost their whole lives on horseback. They were also an active warrior nation and the Scythian mounted mounted archers were much eared across Asia Minor. Scythian Scythian armies took an active part in the attack against the Assyrian city o Nineveh, and were richly rewarded by the Egyptian Pharaoh himsel. In the Bible, Jeremiah 5:15-16 says o them: “It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open grave, all o them are mighty men.”
Scythian Nobles - From a romanticised painting
Much o the surviving inormation about the Scythians comes rom the Greek historian Herodotus (c. 440 BC) who, in his Histories, made a study o both their culture and their belie system. “The Scythians do not have cities, no ortied dwellings. All o them are horsemen armed with bows. No enemy can run rom them, because they are people who carry their homes with them, people who do not have cities or orts, and every one o them are riding bowmen. A nation like that is invincible and unapproach unapproachable.“ able.“
Herodotus mentions a royal tribe or clan, an Herodotus elite which dominated the other Scythians. Their sociopolitical structure was complex and generally ollowed a conederation o clans – very similar to the Celtic tribes that would later come to dominate them in the West. Oten, compacts were made, sealed with blood, when amily connections didn’t exist. This was was “blood-brotherhood”. “blood-brotherhood”. A relationship sealed with blood was taken very seriously and a man would have sacriced his own lie or his blood-brother blood-brother..
Footnote: What was the Parthian Parthian Shot? The Parthian shot was a military tactic made amous by the Parthians, an ancient Iranian people. The Parthian archers, mounted on light horses, would eign retreat; then, while at a ull gallop, turn their bodies back to shoot at the pursuing enemy. The manoeuvre required superb equestrian skills, since the rider’s hands were occupied by his bow. This t actic was used by most Eurasian nomads, including the Scythians, Huns, Magyars, Turks and Mongols and later Byzantine & Sassanids. At the Battle o Carrhae the Parthian shot was a principal actor in the Parthian victory over the Roman general Crassus.
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association Their physical eatures and stature are very evident rom artwork depicted on Scythian coins and Grecian pottery – in the latter there is also some evidence o their colouring; including the ot-mentioned red and blonde hair.1 Scythianss had a taste or elaborate personal Scythian jewellery, weapon-orname jewellery, weapon-ornaments nts and horsetrappings. They executed Central-Asian animal motis with Greek realism. They commonly used motis on their possessions that were the so-called “Siberian animals” a sort o mystical combination combination o dierent animals, rom gryphons, to stags, eagles and o course their beloved horses. Warrior belts were made o leather, oten with gold or other metal adornments and had many attached leather thongs thongs or astening o the owner’s gorytos (bow case), sword, whet stone, whip and axe. Scythian horsemen rode with no stirrups or saddles – merely a saddle-cloth. Scythian Culture - A set of modern Ukrainian stamps
Herodutus goes on to describe them: “The Saccae, or Scyths, were clad in trousers, and had on their heads tall stif caps rising to a point. They bore the bow o their country and the dagger; besides which they carried the battle-axe, or sagaris. sagaris.” ” The religious belies o the Scythi Scythians ans were a type o pre-Zoroastrian religion. Archeological evidence has conrmed the use o cannabis in uneral rituals, and the drug was also used to induce trance and divination by soothsayers. Herodotus also reported that Scythians Scythians regularly used cannabis, both to weave their clothing and to cleanse themselves in its smoke or r itual purication. Tombs excavated in the Southern Ukraine have revealed revealed important insights into their culture. These tombs, or “kurgans” were about 50 square meters o surace, and 4-5 meters deep underground. The burial site was covered by piling large rocks over it, and then earth over the rocks, so it looked like a hill rom a distance. In the Carpathian basin, especially the middle and northeast o Hungary, several o these burial hills can be ound.
The intact arteacts rom these “kurgans” show the Scythians’ interaction with the developed cultures cultures o the time and also their relative wealth in the orm o exquisitely worked gold. Some o that wealth was no doubt derived rom being the intermediators between west and ar-east, and taxing the goods passing through on the “silk road”. Arteacts extracted rom the tombs prove that Scythians were excellent herders, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, bow makers, carpenters, coopers, and potters, and that their women had mastered weaving, braiding, and elt making. They traded with the Greeks and there was some transmigration between the peoples - the Scythian philosopher Anacharsis visited Athens in the 6th century B.C. and became a legendary sage. During the 3rd Century B.C., in the atermath o several deeats to the Greeks and Macedonians under Alexander the Great (and his ather Philip beore him), the Empire o the Scythians started to disintegrate somewhat. By the 1st century BC the Celts seem to have displaced the Scythianss rom the Balkans. while i n Scythian
Southern Russia a kindred tribe, the Sarmatians, gradually overwhelmed them. In the South and East they were either subjugated or assimilated into the Parthian tribes. Many nations would later claim to descend rom the warlike horse-nomads. In the Ukraine and Crimea the earsome Cossacks claimed descent rom the mounted horselords - such as the amous Zaporozhian Horde (as romanticised in Nicolai Gogol’s Taras Bulba ). It has even been argued that the Scythian peoples were the ounders o Celtic tribes o Scotland (Scotae) and Ireland, and the Germanic tribes such as the Saxons. Interestingly most o the latter seem to have placed less importance on the horse and the art o horseback archery seems to have been lost entirely as they migrated West. 2 In the East, Scythian inuences have been identied all through China and even as ar aeld as Korea and Japan. Japan. Various Korean arteacts, such as the royal crowns o the kingdom o Silla, are said to be o Scythian design.
Footnote: Footnot e: Blonde & Red-headed Asians? 1. There have been some studies o the mitochondrial DNA o the skeletons ound in some Scythian “kurgans”. Skeletons discovered in kurgans in the Altai Republic showed characteristics “o mixed Euro- Mongoloid origin” – so the blonde & red-haired colouring and its origin remains a myster y.
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association
THE BATTLE OF JAXARTES 329 B.C. 1 The battle itsel was orced upon Alexander the Great; he had already decided to accept the river Jaxartes as the north-eastern rontier o his empire, as it had been beore. While the Macedonians started construction on a new city to mark the rontier, the native Sogdians revolted. During the suppression o the Sogdian rebels, and the heavy ghting that ollowed, an army o mounted nomadic warriors appeared north o the Jaxartes, eager to join in the struggle and take away the loot. Philip o Macedon, the ather o Alexander had inicted a crushing deeat on the Scythians in 339BC, killing one o the last kings o the second Scythian empire, Ateus. Revenge Revenge and retribution would also play a actor in their willingness to attack the Macedonian armies.
The Saccae had occupied the northern bank o the Jaxartes, condent that they could beat Alexander’s men as they disembarked, but underestimating the harmony with which the Macedonian artillery, eet, cavalry, and inantry collaborated. Firstly Alexander ordered that the crossing would take place en masse, so that the mounted enemy archers would be aced with more targets than they could strike at; and he ordered his artillery to cover the soldiers in the ships. (Catapults have a longer range o re than bows.) The Saccae were thus orced rom the banks by the powerul catapult and siege bows. For the Macedonians, it was now easy to cross the Jaxartes. In all likelihood the Scythians would normally have withdrawn at this point. However Alexander wanted to neutralise the threat to his borders rom the nomad armies once and or all and was not about to let the enemy get away so easily. easily. Thereore as a second part o his strategy he ordered a battalion o mounted spearman to advance and provoke an attack rom the horse-lords. The nomads did not recognize this sacrice or what it was. In their society, in which blood euds were common, no commander would have sacriced troops to obtain a better position or the main orce. The amilies o those who had been killed would immediately start a vendetta. Alexander, Alexander, on the other hand, could send his mounted spearmen on this dangerous mission because his men were proessionals and understood that they were not really let alone. To them, it was a proessional risk. Alexander’s vanguard was immediately surrounded and attacked by the Scythian mounted archers. Once they were engaged, their position was xed and they were vulnerable to an approach by the Macedonian inantry and Alexander’s cohorts cohorts o Cretan archers. The nomads now ound themselves themselves caught between the Macedonian mounted spearmen and the rest o Alexander’s army. The Saccae tried to escape to the wings o the Macedonian lines, but there they were met by Alexander’s inantry. This was the end or the Scythian army - about 1200 Saccae were surrounded and killed, including their commander Satraces. Satraces. It was a splendid victory - over 150 prisoners were taken and 1800 horses were captured. As ar as the Macedonians and Greeks knew, no commander had ever been able to pin down and destroy a nomad army – including the mighty Darius the Great. This was a boost or morale, and a psychological blow or the nomads north o the Jaxartes. Alexander’s Alexander’s main aim, however however,, had never been to subdue the nomads; he wanted to go to the south, where a ar more serious crisis demanded his attention. He could do so now without loss o ace; and in order to make the outcome acceptable to the Saccae, he released the prisoners o war without ransom. This policy was successul: the northern rontier o Alexander’s empire was never seriously threatened again.
1
The modern name or the river is Syr Darya and today the site o the battle straddles the borders o Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan – just south west o the ancient city o Tashkent Kazakhstan Tashkent (the modern capital o Uzbekistan) and north east Khujand Khujand (a city in Tajikistan).
Similar crowns, brought through contacts with the continent, can also be ound in Koun era Japan. It is interesting to note that certainly in Japan and Korea, horse-archery continued to ourish (and is still practised today in both countries). Similarly the Parthians, and later the Moghuls became renowned horsearchers and there is some evidence that there was some passing on o knowledge between the Scythians and these cultures.
To the mounted archer the Scythian legacy remains proound and indeed there is little better example o the perection o mounted archery as an art-orm than that o the centaur – the mythical creature creature inspired by the Greeks rst encounters with the Scythian horse-lords. On observing the harmony between the horsemanship and archery skills o the Scythians, the Greeks thought that man and beast were united as one..
Footnote: The Move to the West and North? 2. Vendel Age Scandinavians (pre-dating the later Norse kingdom) were great horse warriors, ought rom horseback and even imported the stirrup beore the Avars brought them to general widespread use in Europe. (The Avars probably probably copied them rom the Chinese warriors o the Southern & Northern dynasties.) Scotae tribes also retained their knowledge o horses, but, like the Norsemen seem to have placed much less importance on martial equestrianism by the ‘Dark Ages’. It is just plausible that these tribes were remnants o Scythian displacements and m igrations rom Central Asia.
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association
Blazing Saddles by Karl Greenwood The great appeal o horseback archery, or me, is to see newcomers to the sport get involved so quickly in two disciplines at the same time, riding and archery. It doesn’t really matter where on the target you get the arrow – once you can loose an arrow, the passion to do it better on the next run means you are hooked! And the great equaliser is that the competent participant in one sport is usually a novice in the other. For the Horse-riders new to archery, there are articles elsewhere, but or the archers new to horse-riding, lets begin at the beginning. Horses are begot with problems and design aults. One end bites, the other end kicks and they are uncomortable in the middle. Well, we can live with that, but as we get into the saddle the main ault becomes apparent – no handlebars. Now, I appreciate that humans have ridden horses or around 8,000 years, but it wasn’t until 1748 that a brilliant young scientist called Isaac Newton invented gravity - and so we thickos had to go and invent motorcars, as alling o became painul. Actually one o the best aids to not-allingo is the stirrup. Put the tread on the ball o your oot and jam your heels down and your legs get a locked-in eeling, as you are supported should your weight swing to one side. Push your bum deeper in the saddle and the locked in eeling is emphasised. Want more? Sit up straight and lean back a bit, then. It is amazing to realise that the stirrup wasn’t introduced to Europe rom the Chinese until the 700’s. Yep, A.D. Seven Hundred! The whole o the Roman empire was born, grew, dominated the earth, led the way in philosophy and science, invented cement, roads, skyscraper technology, knew the distance rom Earth to the Moon and central heating etc ...... but hadn’t worked worked out how to stop slipping sideways onto the ground like a sack o spuds when rushing
in with an urgent message or the Emperor, such as “Your Highness, The Mongol hordes are looking a bit leery.” The introduction o the stirrup led to a stability that allowed the evolution o thrown spears into retained lances, and so developed the armoured Knight, the invasion o 1066, the Lineage o Monarchs and The Really Useul Theatre Company – but that’s a dierent story or a dierent day! More relevant, it led to your good sel sat on a Dobbin at the start o the run, ready to rock (and not ace-down in the mud already),, bum deep in the seat and heels already) down. Now, call me presumptuous but I will assume that the stirrups are attached to a saddle o some sort - here in England, nine times out o ten it’ll have Wintec written on it. In my humble but nonetheless correct opinion, - and here I shall show my love o a good ght – English saddles are made by Satan and his horde o evil pixies that rolic naked to the the music o snapping limbs. The The English saddle undoubtedly leads the world on thingummybobbies and wossnames, but it is at, hard, slips round the horse and doesn’t have a pocket or your mobile phone. For horse archery, when quite oten the rush o the moment leads to all sorts o o balance situations –looking down or or arrows, at the eathers, orwards, backwards, sideways etc. I would look to the working saddles o America Iberia and Australia where the riders weight could easily be a little o balance by, say, suddenly hanging a cow o a piece o string and swinging it round your head. Stock and roping saddles have two or three girth straps, to spread the load and so be nice and tight but not uncomortable. At least one o these girths will be a sliding cinch type strap, completely completel y variable to the size o the horse unlike the too loose/ too tight buckle holes. The Australian saddle has leg poleys – semicircular plates that are xed to the tree o the saddle just above your thighs. Should you slip sideways, your other leg holds onto the poley.
Should you attempt to leave involuntarily by the back door, both your legs rise up and hold the poleys. Should your horse baulk and buck causing you to go out the ront door, the poleys – well, they’re o no use there, I’m araid. You are the weakest link - goodbye. Well, I never said it wasn’t a gamble. Stock and roping saddles also have very deep supporting seats, as do the Spanish and Portuguese (Iberian) saddles based on bullghting saddles. Many people quite wrongly assume that a bullghting horse is brave and unappable – a brave and unappable bullghting bullghting horse is very soon a brave and unalive bullghting horse. No, no, no - what Pedro needs is a quick and reactionary horse who is quick on his hooves and a saddle to match. Ater all, a quick horse is only any good i one is still atop o it and the bull not atop o one. These saddles have a high curved cantle (back) that curves around the rider and a smaller one at the ront.
Karl Greenwood, o the Stampede Stunt Company, staying rmly in his saddle while he controls two rearing horses at a perormance perormance..
Footnote: Footnot e: Choosing a Stock Saddle The main thing is to make sure the stock saddle is o reputable make and quality. Indian copies o Aussie stock saddles tend to be much cheaper - but are generally poorly made and have a t endency to splay. Syd Hill o Brisbane are considered the best Aussie made, but others have good reputations. Expect to pay rom £300 - £1000. Semi-stocks are popular in NZ, but difcult to nd in Europe. Pearce-East o Gisborne are generally regarded as the best Kiwi made saddles and cost around £250 - 500. There are also English-made versions which are suitable - Trekkers o Yorkshire make one or around £400.
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association There are enough working saddles rom around the world to ll a book, and all are designed to keep the rider on board under unbalanced unbalance d conditions. My vote goes to the Australian Stock – very deep, very comy and secure, and those leg poleys give the piece o mind that you are not going anywhere else, even on young and spooky horses. And the poleys prevent your legs coming too ar up i you get a bit excited and lean orward, and so can remind you to jam your heels down, sit up straight and get your bum in the seat. I that’s not enough or you ... Well, lean back a bit, then!
The Stampede Stunt Company perorms arena shows and holds courses in jousting, horse archery and stunt riding in E. Sussex. www.stampedestuntcompany.co.uk
The Horse Archer King There are lots o images o horse archers around both in books and reproduction reproductionss o graphics on the Net. Net. But there is one you could own yoursel and carry about in your pocket i you so wished. Its an image o the Seljuk Sultan Rukn ad-Din Qilij Arslan IV b. Kaykhusraw that appears on one o coins rom his rst reign. On it the Sultan appears on horseback ring his bow while hunting birds. We can tell that rom the type o arrow he is using and he has two spare arrows in his right hand. (pictured above right) The Seljuks o Rum and their neighbours the Ortoqids, Danishmends and Zengists o Anatolia and the Jezira were Turkish Turkis h amirs and Sultans o the 12th and 13th Centuries who, unlike unlike almost all other Islamic rulers, had pictorial representations on some o their coins.
by Ken Clark
It has been argued that many o these show astrological scenes but this coin seems merely to celebrate the ruler himsel. Since most o the populace o the area would still be Christian and used to the pictorial coins o their ormer rulers (the Byzantines) such coins as this would have been more acceptable to them that they might have been in many other Islamic areas. It’s not a common coin and I don’t know what you would have to pay to acquire one. It’s likely to cost a ew coins.
BHAA & BHAA Merchandising With Christmas coming up why not treat yoursel or that special person to a BHAA eece, jumper or even a thong? We’ve launched our new merchandise range. For anyone looking to brand themselves with some very cool gear and get noticed in the crowd, then take a look. We have everything everyth ing rom polo t-shirts to hoodies, aprons ane even maternity wear! All you need to do is tap in the ollowing magic letters on your web browser http://www.cafepress.co.uk/bhaa and you’ll be instantly transported to your very own slice o BHAA heaven. Aussie ‘Poley Style’ stock saddle - high cantle and no horn. This allows the rider to mould into the saddle. 3½” knee pads and at thigh pads. Prices range between £300 - £1000
Our stitched clothing line is coming soon too and once ready a link will go up on the website as well as on the shop ront. Happy shopping! And don’t orget i you want to nd out the latest rom the BHAA, or just nd out more about the aims and aspirations o the BHAA as an organisation, then go to: http://bhaa.org.uk
Footnote: Footnot e: Choosing a bow for horseback archery A common question any starter to horseback archery asks is, “what bow should I buy?” With so much out there what should an eager young horseback archer be looking or? This question will be answered in ull soon on our website so watch out or its publication on the News page up at http://bhaa.org.uk/blog/
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association
Making Your Own Arrows by Dan Sawyer As well as arrow components, you will need a ew basic tools: epoxy adhesive (e.g. Araldite); superglue; a hacksaw; a sharp crat knie/scalpel blade. You will also need some more specialised equipment: a etching jig; taper tool(s); etching tape (optional but I think it’s much easier than glue); etching thread (optional but can save lacerating your hand). Then there are the components: shats; nocks; piles (points); eathers. There are other renements such as arrow wraps, u-us, sel nocks, ootings, barrelled shats and a host more, but more o them in uture. For now I’ll just look at basic arrows. You will need a set o well matched arrow shats. Ideally you should go to a shop and hand-pick your own shats. I shall write another article in the uture dealing with this, but or now I shall assume that you are just buying a set o shop-matched shats. Most archery shops will supply supply these. I personally have tended to use thelongbowshop.com , who supply a variety o wooden shats or a decent price and they have always served me well. Jason, who runs it, is always always happy to give advice. There are many other options i you preer. You will need to select the spine (which just means stiness) o o the shats. This can be a complicated business, with which I shall deal in the next article, but as a starting point, assuming you have a standard bow and a draw length o 26-29”, I suggest selecting a spine around 5lbs lighter than your bow. I your draw length is longer, or your bow especially ast or its weight, then choose a higher spine. spine. Precise spining is complicated and not necessarily accurate, even i done properly! Consistency between arrows is more important than getting the spine exactly right. Nonetheless I’d suggest speaking to the shop beore buying.
Most will be helpul. Alternatively, i you want to get really technical then wait until the next article and pick your own shats. The rst step is to cut the shats to the right length. For target archery this will be perhaps 1/2” longer than your draw length. For horseback you may want to go a bit longer, depending on how consistent your draw length is. What you want want to avoid is drawing the arrow too ar and having it all o the bow! Measure the the shats, mark them and cut them to size using a sharp hacksaw. Now use the taper tool (essentially a pencil sharpener) to taper each end o the shat. The shorter taper is or the nock, the longer or the point. There are several dierent types o arrow points, alling into several divisions. divisions. Yo You u can choose between brass and blued steel nish (largely a matter o taste but some people suggest that brass doesn’t adhere as well as steel); eld or bullet tip (really only relevant i you’re likely to be hitting trees, target stands etc, as eld points will make it easier to pull them out) and taper, screw or parallel t. I suggest steering clear clear o parallel t to start with as they are ddly to attach properly. Taper t are ne and probably the most common. I preer screw t or my wooden arrows (not or bamboo). Note that you should still glue screw t arrows! You will also have to choose a point weight. They vary rom 60grains to about 150 grains.. For now, choose a middling weight grains such as 80 or 100 grains, depending on the strength o your bow. I you shoot a 40lb bow that really pings the arrows out then choose a point o 100-125 grains. For a 25lb bow you might want to stick to 80 grains. The next article will deal with this in more detail. Arrow points are usually greasy when you get them. Whether they eel greasy or not, you need to clean them beore attaching them as any residual grease can hinder the gluing and you’ll leave leave points in targets, which is annoying or you and or the poor
soul whose beautiully made arrow hits your abandoned point. Submerge your points in white spirit or acetone and slosh them around. Then withdraw them and, holding them with pliers or similar, burn the spirit o over a ame. Check that they t the shat (you will occasionally need to saw a little bit o the end o the tapered shat), then x them to the long tapered end with an epoxy adhesive such as Araldite. Next you need to t the nocks. These are superglued on but beore you do it, check that they t squarely. Nocks must be properly aligned. I you look at the end o the shat you will see the grain lines running parallel through through the shat. shat. The string should run perpendicular to these lines. The arrow arrow will ex as it ies. This can aect your accuracy, which is why arrows are spined to the right draw weight, so they ex the right amount with a given impetus. The spine will be dierent with and against the grain. To ensure that you are not shooting arrows that are eectively too weak, you must have them exing against the grain, which means the string must run across it. Check this very very careully beore gluing! At some point you will want to protect your arrows arrows against the elements. elements. I nd it easiest to do this once points and nocks are on but beore etching. Moisture in the wood will make your arrows warp, so you basically need to waterproo them. You can use many dierent things or this. Personally I tend tend to use Danish Oil, which you can get rom Homebase, B&Q, Wickes etc. Sometimes it’s combined with woodstain, sometimes sometimes it’s clear. clear. This is up to you. I apply three coats to each shat, allowing each coat to dry beore applying the next. Simply rub it on with a cloth and work it in a bit. You can also use teak oil, linseed oil (I’d suggest boiled rather than raw), beeswax (although this can make pulling the arrow out o the target tricky), varnish or a host o other things. Now comes the etching. Beore you start, use a sharp knie or scissors to sn ip o the jagged ends o the quill to each eather
Footnote: Wooden vs Aluminium Arrows Many horse archers preer to use aluminium arrows or consistency and durability. So why use wooden? Some preer the tactility o wood wh ich is less slippery,, they also make less noise which can make your horse less nervous... and, o course, they are cheaper. However slippery However,, in all likelihood you will break more wooden arrows and you have a marginally increased chance o the arrow-splitting on horseback. So really it’s just down to personal preerence. preerence. Some o the more advanced horse-archers are now even turning towards more modern arrows made o carbon-bre - thus urthering durability and consistency o shot.
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association These can hurt i they catch your hand! Next you need to sort out your etching jig. This will generally consist o a stand that holds the shat by the nock and a clamp or the eather. The two parts attach by a magnet. I you want to get technical technical and try to nd the perect arrow then it is a good idea to keep one or two shats unetched at this stage. They can be used to check check whether you have selected the correct spine, as well as checking your bracing height, nock point and general tuning. Put the shat in the jig. There should be a notch or the nock. There should also be a knob that you turn, rotating the arrow through 120 degrees (you can get attachments or 2- or 4 etch). This knob should have have a mark on it. This denotes the starting position. Remembe Rememberr I said that that the arrow must be aligned so that the arrow exes against the grain? grain? This is how you ensure that. I you align the marks marks on the jig then the rst eather you attach will be the ‘cock eather’ (the one that points away rom the bow when you shoot and is oten a dierent colour colour or ease o recognition). It will be aligned with the grain. Generally speaking, the eathers will have a greater stabilising eect the urther back they are placed. Foot archers will thereore place them as ar back as they can without their ngers touching them when drawing the bow. On horseback you have to think about pulling them rom your belt/quiver and nocking the arrow whilst moving. You may want to position your eathers a couple o inches orward to make them easier to handle. This is largely personal preerence. preerence. Having decided where you want the eathers to be positioned, place the clamp on the magnet, pushing it back against the stop or consisten consistency. cy. I suggest then marking the clamp with a permanent mark or uture reerence. Place the eather into the clamp so just the quill is exposed and the eather lines up with where you want it to go on the shat. Apply either superglue or etching tape (which is just double sided tape, so stick it to the quill, trim and then peel the backing o) to the quill.
Put the clamp on the jig and make sure it’s against the backstop beore pressing it rmly onto the shat. I you are using tape then that’s job done. I glue then hold it down airly rmly or a ew seconds to allow it set, then leave it or a couple o minutes. It can help to run the at o a crat knie along the quill to press press it down. Once it’s stuck, careully remove the clamp rom the eather and rotate the knob on the jig. Stick the other eathers on in the same way (these are the ‘hen eathers’ – they are the same colour as each other but usually a dierent colour rom the ‘cock’. You now have a ully unctioning arrow. You can leave it there and the arrow will y just ne. ne. I suggest doing one o the ollowing two things to nish o. The easier one is to apply a blob o superglue to the leading edge o each eather. This will help keep it on and give a little hand protection. The other thing, thing, which is more eective and looks ar cooler, is to tie the eathers. To tie your eathers, you will need some thread. You can get etching thread rom thelongbowshop.com or rom many other archery shops. Alternativel Alternatively y you can try regular thread. thread. I don’t know whether whether this works. I use etching thread, thread, which is very ne and strong. At its most basic, tying is just wrapping the leading tips tips o the quills. Starting on the shat a little in ront o the eathers, wrap thread around the shat and up onto the quill. The thread can be secured with superglue or by wrapping the thread over a loop and pulling it under the wrapping when you’ve nished. For the really traditional look, continue the wrapping along the eathers, pulling the thread gently between the sections. Your arrows are ready. Now go and shoot!
From top to bottom: 1) A Fletching Jig 2) Types o point or wooden arrows use eld points or bullet points! 3) Arrow etching and nock
Footnote: Footnot e: Compensating for Korean and Hungarian Style Because the Hungarian style requires arrows to be held in the bow hand, the ideal etching should be placed an inch or more forward o where the knock and shat join. This allows the archer to grasp the arrow knocks without crimping the eathers. Korean style is less problematic in this area BUT it is a major aid to gave a brightly coloured &/or &/or obvious cock-eather to allow the arrow to be placed on the string correctly at speed. Arrow length should be an inch or more longer than your maximum draw length
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association
The Centaur Approach by Jay Red Hawk Hal human, hal horse; a simple equation. While we now know that centaurs don’t really exist, the early Greeks saw cultures o various horse tribes, that rode without clothing and without without horse tack. From a distance, observing that and being rightened by it, (because no one at that time period had any rame o reerence or people riding horses) one can understand this ancient misconception. To ask a horse to put anything on its’ back is altogether unnatural, let alone a human being. We walk upright, we smell like a predator because we eat meat, our eyes are in ront o our heads, so physically we project predator to a herd animal...and we hunt...we’re hunt...we ’re predators. Many “credentialed” and “certied” riding instructors who have books, dvd’s and oer clinics like to call call bareback, a “natural” approach. In act, it is not. What is natural or a horse is to run rom us. That’s why they have our legs, big nostrils and lungs, a big heart to pump blood and oxygen through their 700 - 2000 lb. bodies. It is the reason why they have eyes on the sides o their heads, so they can see let and right when they are grazing, it is why they have big unnelled ears to hear predators approaching them. The only things “natural” that occur on a horse’s back is its own hair. O course, there are other things in nature that get on a horses back, like dust, mud, dirt, dander, ies, and several other insects. There are larger things in nature that can get on a horse’s horse’s back, back, however, they have meat-eating canines, claws and eyes in ront o their heads and a horse will do what it can to not let that occur. So, trust is the key. The horse must trust that whoever or whatever is climbing on it’s back is not not going to harm it. The The same can be said or the rider. The rider must be able to trust her/himsel, rst and oremost. However, it is a special thing, indeed, to
trust the horse you are climbing on to. The other morning or example, I was on my Appaloosa and he started to hump up, go sidewayss and rear up. I hadn’t ridden him sideway in about 3 weeks. I was riding him bareback to go out and check on our main herd o 19 horses, using only a lead rope and a rope halter. I am not mean to a horse but I don’t put up with any bullshit rom them either. I tried to encourage him to go orward, but to no avail. I let him act up without reacting to it. So, when he realized he wasn’t going to get me o his back and he quit acting up, I turned him in circles or a ew minutes and made him work o his behaviour. I walked him or a 1/4 mile, trotted him or another 1/4 mile and then we came upon the herd. By that point I had control over the most important part o his body; his brain. Horses are very smart animals, however, their teeth occupy more room in their heads than their brain...what does this teach us? Only the obvious, that a horse would rather graze than have to think. That is what they are designed to do. But horses do have a good brain and a nd some are extremely intelligent. We just have to rst understand that they do not think like a human, and beore we can really get them to use their brains, we had better know how to think like a horse.
elation and a joyous, “natural” eeling. That is why I entitled this article, The Centaur Approach. The equation being hal human, hal horse.) Remember that there is more than a physical aspect to this. The mental aspect is key. I you expect your horse to think like a human, learn to think like a horse rst. Don’t just get on and ride and treat your horse like a machine, and when you’re done, put your horse up and orget about it. Talk to your horse. Brush your horse out. Pet your horse sometimes when you are not even going to ride him/her. For those o you who do horse archery, learning about horse training and horsemanship will make you a better horse archer, period. When I worked or actor Kevin Costner i n Deadwood, South Dakota at Tatanka a living history museum and visitor centre, I did bareback mounted archery demonstrations 6 days a week or 6 months. I did receive one injury and ripped a tendon on the side o the knee when the horse I was riding stepped in a hole and stumbled down rom underneath me. I still made a bullseye and didn’t release my arrow until I was upside down in mid-air. I do not recommend that you try that...ever. Alwayss use a saddle when practicing horse Alway 3 archery.
Riding bareback is an incredible i ncredible eeling. eeling. It is a borrowed reedom that is indescribable indescribable.. When riding bareback, there are subtleties, ticks, muscle spasms, twitches and habits o physical behaviour that you will come to know and eel when riding bareback. Slight Slight nuances that you will never know with a saddle in-between you and the horse. You will learn much better balance on a horse riding bareback. For men, we have to learn how to balance rom our hips instead o our shoulders. Women naturally balance rom their hips. You must learn not to “lean” on the reins and nd your “seat.” You will develop inner thigh muscles you never knew were there. Cantering and galloping through an open eld or pasture bareback is indeed an
Footnote 3: Saddle vs Bareback Lajos Kassai is undoubtedly one o horseback archery’s leading authorities and, in his book, advocates that those seeking to begin as a horse archer should start o bareback and not use a saddle as this creates later “uncorrectable problems”. These problems are never expanded upon but it is certainly true that only students attaining a certain level o prociency are allowed to use Eastern-type saddles in Kassai’s schools.
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association
Some Basic Tips to Bareback Riding 1. Never get on a greenbroke horse horse or a horse you can’t handle bareback. I you don’t have control o a horses mind i t is unsae. A horse will always outweigh you and is always bigger and stronger. Lunge your horse rst on a lunge line or in a round pen. 2. Always get on a horse that is seasoned, well trained and has a good disposition i you are an inexperienced bareback rider. 3. When starting out, get on a horse bareback in a controlled environment, such as an arena or corral that you and the horse are used to. 4. Don’t overdo it. Start o slow. You have to crawl beore you can walk. Walk with the horse. Do circles, gure eight patterns, practice balancing without leaning on the reins and with the right amount o leg pressure, a steady slight squeeze. Do this or a hal hour everyday or 2 weeks. 5. Ater 2 weeks, you will notice you are starting to have better grip with your legs. Walk or 15 minutes, warm up your horse and then go at a “dog trot.” (A slow trot) Do this or 2 weeks.
Jay Red Hawk is a horse archer, proessional stunt rider, and published author. He is recognized as the world’s leading expert on Lakota horse archery. You can read his chapter on Lakota horse archery in the book “Mounted Archery in the Americas” published by the longridersguild press and available through Krackow company (www.krackow.com) or Amazon.com.
6. When you have accomplished steps 1 through 6 or a month, try cantering around a round pen, corral or arena. You should be ready. Do this or another 2 weeks beore you go out into a eld or pasture. Saety rst, always!
Mr. Red Hawk has appeared in National Geographic ( May 2004) and in 2003 was the rst man to hunt a bualo o horseback using a sinew-backed bow and stone arrow points in over 100 years.
7. When a British lm crew asks you to ride bareback in a herd o bualo or a History Channel series, simply tell them “Bullocks!” and put on a saddle! (Sorry, that one was just or me!)
Jay can be contacted by e-mail:
[email protected] J Red Hawk 15260 Bend Rd. Box Elder, SD 57719 USA
Footnote: Kassai & Redhawk I asked Jay about Kassai’s methodology and his views were as ollows: “I know o Kassai and he knows o me, however, I disagree with his Spartan school o thought. Riding bareback rst or many inexperienced people is not sae and a good way to get hurt and lose condence. We are not living in 500 AD Hungary. While I would agree with Kassai i we were having to train horse archers to ght the Romans or the Visigoths or the Teutons, in modern times things are dierent. Always use a saddle as a beginner.”
The Parthian Shot
Newsletter Newslett er of the British Horseback Archery Association
International Horseback Archery & Cirit Competition Sivas, Turkey 2009 October saw the coming and going o an important stage in the international development o horseback archery. For probably the rst time in hundreds o years Turkish soil again elt the thundering hooves o mounted archers. Sivas, in the eastern Anatolian region o the country, country, was home an international horseback archery and Cirit competition which saw competitors travel rom the UK, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Iran, Korea and Hungary. The one time capital city o the Seljuks (a mounted warrior empire) surrounded by rough Steppe like topography witnessed a marvellous weekend any who were present will be hard pressed to orget. The competition, rather than being a hollow quest or medals and glory, was intended rom its conception to do three things. To 1) introduce horseback archery back to the population, 2) gain exposure or horseback archery at a national level in order to gain unding 3) gather together those interested in the traditions o horseback archery and 4) to develop an alternative to the “Hungarian style” competition. It would be air to say that all our aims were achieved. The tournament organisers were ully conscious o what was happening in the horseback archery world and a decision was taken early on to use the opportunity to show case traditional Turkish style horseback archery in competition orm. There is no reason or the Hungarian style to maintain its dominance and consequently consequent ly competitors were introduced to the “Mamluk style” course as well as Qabaq (gourd-shooting). The Mamluk course was essentially similar to the Korean style course other than one target was on the “wrong” side o the track meaning riders had to shoot over the horse’s head. On top o this, between each gallop, targets moved positions ensuring riders did not get into a robot like comort zone.
Jehad Shamis - BHAA Secretary, flying the flag in Turkey
The main reasoning behind these dierences was to make the course a little more challenging. The “Jarmaki” shot (the wrong side o the track) was an essential shot or any mounted archer worth his salt. Qabaq saw the revival o a centuries old horseback archery game played in Turkey, Egypt, Iran and India where riders had to gallop past a 6-8 metre high pole and hit a target at the top o it. Whereas traditionally the target consisted o a pot o gold or a dove waiting to be set ree rom an accurate shot, the competitors simply had to hit a rice pan stuck at the top! Even so, the game was an amazing success as all competitors elt an extreme joy at doing something both traditional and dierent to the usual horseback archery activities. The competition took place only on the Saturday, with Sunday being used as a demonstration day or the public and VIPs alike. A great show was laid on including a brie demonstration o Qabaq and an international match o Cirit. Cirit was an old Ottoman equestrian martial arts game which helped improve the cavalryman’s prowess with a spear on the battle eld. In essence the game involves trying to launch a stick at someone’s body and then escaping as quickly as possible
(as one would in battle). The game itsel was o terrible quality and the non-Turks were clueless o rules and did not have the same reactions o their Turkish team mates. However, the crowd loved the mistakes, bloopers and all round amateur-nature o the match and it brought many smiles to many aces! Overall the competition was a great success. Turkey demonstrated its culture, heritage and hospitality well to all competitors and has won many riends now internationally. Perhaps most importantly, the Culture and Tourism Ministry in Turkey have been on the phone to the organisers asking how they can be supported and what unding they can oer. It appears that a antastic amount o money has already been pledged to next year’s competition. And this is in all honesty what the competition was about; like-minded people with one aim coming together to help a country develop horseback archery. It is a rare and special thing and we must hope that these types o people are given the strength to continue their great work. I you get the chance, go to Turkey in 2010! You won’t be disappointed. Neil Payne - Chairman o the BHAA
Footnote: The BHAA and competing abroad 2010 is going to be a busy year competition wise. Competitions are planned in the UK, Sweden, Poland, Japan and Mongolia not to the mention the European Championship (venue TBC) and the World Championship in Korea. We are keen to help our members experience competing abroad so i anyone is interested please do register your interest. Simply send an email to
[email protected] to ask or details. As soon as dates and locations are conrmed, BHAA members will always be rst to know. This inormation will then also be made available on the News page at http://bhaa.org.uk
