Posted on Nov 6, 2022
Pacific Northwesterners are taking to the ancient martial art of horse archery
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A new generation is building community around shooting arrows from the backs of galloping horses.
Beesh Lotspeich leans forward to her horse’s ear and growls, “Let’s kill it!” She spurs the horse. It breaks into a canter with a burst of raw power.
As they pass between two wooden poles, they trigger a timer. The seconds are now clicking away.
She feels the sides of the horse’s ribs expand and contract with each breath. She reminds herself not to tense up but to breathe.
Beesh feels the pounding of the hooves as they hit the dirt track. The hooves thump in a three-beat cadence with each stride, thud-a-lump. Her body rises up with the horse, and falls back to the earth, thud-a-lump. She and the horse are now perfectly in sync.
She drops the reins. She is now trusting the horse completely.
She sees the target ahead. She lifts her bow. Curling her thumb and two fingers around the bowstring and the notch of her arrow, she draws.
Beesh Lotspeich leans forward to her horse’s ear and growls, “Let’s kill it!” She spurs the horse. It breaks into a canter with a burst of raw power.
As they pass between two wooden poles, they trigger a timer. The seconds are now clicking away.
She feels the sides of the horse’s ribs expand and contract with each breath. She reminds herself not to tense up but to breathe.
Beesh feels the pounding of the hooves as they hit the dirt track. The hooves thump in a three-beat cadence with each stride, thud-a-lump. Her body rises up with the horse, and falls back to the earth, thud-a-lump. She and the horse are now perfectly in sync.
She drops the reins. She is now trusting the horse completely.
She sees the target ahead. She lifts her bow. Curling her thumb and two fingers around the bowstring and the notch of her arrow, she draws.
Pacific Northwesterners are taking to the ancient martial art of horse archery
Posted from opb.org
Horses and Horseback Riding
Martial Arts
Archery
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Onward to the next arrow
On the track, everything in Beesh’s world dissolves. Thud-a-lump, thud-a-lump thunder the hooves as they hit the dirt track. Beesh nocks her arrow to the bow string and draws as she rises again. At the top of the stride, the split-second of suspension. Release.
The arrow flies toward the target.
“After you let go, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Beesh said. “You just have to let it go and move on to the next one.”
..."Onward to the next arrow
On the track, everything in Beesh’s world dissolves. Thud-a-lump, thud-a-lump thunder the hooves as they hit the dirt track. Beesh nocks her arrow to the bow string and draws as she rises again. At the top of the stride, the split-second of suspension. Release.
The arrow flies toward the target.
“After you let go, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Beesh said. “You just have to let it go and move on to the next one.”
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