Archery: Thumbring?

[ratty]

Ratty
When you say War bow do you mean Long/self bow or infantry /archer composite.
As you know they both have different dynamics. The former relies on massive weight to propel a heavy shaft. The later due to it's design and material make up is more efficient.(IMHO)
Foot archers could use heavy composite bows against Cavalry and infantry. Mounted archers seem to have been used to provide rolling arrow storm to break up or disrupt infantry formations. Or as a screen working with their own cavalry. They make good ambushers as well.
A really heavy composite bow isn't really needed for such tasks. A #60 bow will ruin your or your horses day. Just by sheer arrow volume makes coming to grips a tad risky.
The Chinese used heavy composite bows I believe. But I seem to remember that they were employed by foot archers.
A lot of the super heavy Asian bows were used for the testing and training of soldiers.
Hope I didn't ramble on too long.
Jon R

its quite difficult talking about poundage of bows because so many are measured in different ways.

for eg, most bows now are measured at 28" today

so if you mean most horse bows were 60# at 28"
being drawn to the chest / behind the ear or to the ear they would be more like 90# at 32"+ i would agree

or are you saying they were 60# at 32"+ which would be about 40# at 28" if so I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree

warfare archery is very different to recreational archery these men would have trained most of there lives to shoot bows from horses. bow weight wouldn't be a problem to them.there lives were so very much more than trying to hit a target,it was getting as much power as possible to penetrate there enemy.