Mounted Archers in Britain

[John Conyard]

You are more than welcome. Strensall is the other side of York, around 5 miles away. We train near Howden around 40 minutes to the south. This time of year I train about once a week, sometimes more seldom less. Rain or shine. Archery is all a bit Scythian at present, done bareback with a 67lb Grozer bicomposite and cane arrows. As ever it all comes down to the release and reloading.

All our riders need to work on their speed of shooting over the winter. I ride around in a circle using both hands to string each arrow. Frankly I do not think I could ever achieve 1.5 seconds per release! That is brilliant.

Our riders also have to cope with a range of horses, but they are all well trained, and we have our favourites. But our riders tend to use the same saddle. We address accuracy by getting closer to the target, and of course every arena is different in size and layout.

I really enjoy horse archery. Waiting for that special moment when the horse is in balance and everything is just right is brilliant. We will meet up soon.

JC