Just outside the upscale community of Scottsdale, Arizona, a
small group of athletes gather to hone their skills and to let out their battle
cries. Their team, known as The Desert Warriors of the Southwest, is part of a small, but growing, group of dedicated individuals that keep the tradition of mounted archery alive. Their training facility is nestled among rural homes, and Saguaro Cactus is one of just a few dedicated training camps in North America.
The tradition of mounted archery started in Mongolia with
Genghis Khan and later spread across Europe and the Americas. In the United
States the heritage of mounted Native American warriors and hunters is an image
romanticized in the Westerns. The level of horsemanship that is required to not
just ride at speed, but to load, draw, and fire an arrow on target is hard to
describe until you actually see it firsthand.
The type of events are based on the different mounted archery
disciplines from around the world. From Korean there is the Mogu ball, from
Europe the Hungarian three-sided target, while from the Middle East comes the
Qabag target. Each exercise tests both the riding and archery skill of the
competitor, with the most exciting event being the Qabag. In the Qabag the
rider must draw their arrow, and while at speed lean forward while twisting
around allowing them to fire at the target mounted about 20 feet above them.
We were fortunate enough to spend the day with Diana Troyk
the founder of The Desert Warriors and the chief instructor at the mounted archery
facility. Diana’s skills have been tapped for the filming of the History
Channel’s “The Secrets of Genghis Han” as well as other projects where mounted
archery is required. In 2010 she took the Bronze in Korea, and Third in the
North American Championship. She has also competed in Poland, Japan, and
Mongolia
“Shooting and hitting a flying target off
my horse at a gallop was such an adrenaline rush, I knew I wanted to do this”
Diana Troky
Diana and her students hope to see the sport grow here in the
USA through the Mounted Archery Association of America. This group is the
sectioning body in the USA, Canada, South and Central America. The organization
and its dozen or so recognized clubs host clinics, demonstrations, and
competitions across the United States and Canada. For more information on the
sport and how you can get involved, please visit MountedArchery.org
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