The history of horseback archery stretches back to the very beginnings of civilization, and was employed as formidable and devastatingly effective method of warfare by many early nations, particularly in Asia and the Mid East. The Scythians are thought to be the first to develop an equestrian martial art, but they were followed by the Koreans, the Mongols, the Huns, the Turks and the Magyars. And the horse bow has been identified as one of the most important of all the historical weapons that have had a profound effect on the political and social makeup of the world we live in today. One interesting bit of archery folklore has the ancient Greeks inventing the mythical half-man, half-horse centaurs after their first exposure to horse archers.
Today there is a tremendous resurgence of interest in all forms of historical archery; Medieval Archery as practiced by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) Japanese Kyudo and, of course, horseback archery. But you don't have to ride a horse to enjoy shooting a horse bow. They are great fun all by themselves, and with a little practice and the right arrows, they are capable of great accuracy.
NZAP carry a few of the more popular horse bows in stock, and we have formed an alliance with Horseback Archery NZ, the local agents for Lajos Kassai of Hungary. Kassai is a world class archer is his own right and is the world's leading proponent of Horseback Archery. The bloke on the horse in the photo at right is Robert Schreiner of Horseback Archery NZ.
