OT: Does Oldtime Indian Horseback Shooting Still Exist?

[Fiddler]

I'm a lifelong fan of Old West history and have read many accounts of observers at the time, describing the marvelous equestrian skills of the Plains Indians, not only riding, but discharging arrows and bullets from incredible positions atop their galloping mounts, especially the "under the neck" shot.
I've read that horseback archery is impossible without stirrups. Did the Plains Indians use stirrups, or even saddles?
We all know there are people here and there who are keeping ancient crafts alive just for the love of it.
I'm curious if anyone, red or white, is keeping this historically significant style of horsemanship and marksmanship alive, even if it means shooting at targets instead of live buffalo or human enemies.
I'd love to see a video of some young rider performing the horsemanship feats Lewis & Clark, the Mountain Men, and General Custer witnessed firsthand.

[Malamute]

I don't know about Indian shooting, bit there's a fairly active Cowboy Mounted Shooting group. I don't know the web address of the organization, but you could google it.

[pokey]

yup.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/

http://mountedarchery.net/

pretty cool stuff. maybe not up to under the neck shots tough.

[Ben_Rumson]

I’d like to see that too Fiddler after seeing a guy on TV a couple of years ago..... He demonstrated how the Huns IIRC upright on horseback could keep arrows in the air,...He was a deadly killing machine.. It was all one smooth motion from quiver through release as he loped along on his horse... Firing forward as he advanced, then to his side when he was even with the target, then swing to the rear and keep firing as he rode away... one about every second, accurately hitting targets 30 yards away or so.. What amazing athleticism ... It was scary efficient!

[Fiddler]

Wow! I just visited the links provided and had no idea that so many folks were interested in stone age archery.
I've heard that if flint isn't available for you to create your own arrowheads, that the bottom of a beer bottle will work just as well, because it possess the same knapping qualities as chert or onyx.
Can you imagine the kind of men it took to fashion killing weapons out of stone and wooden shafts, then go out and use that technology to provide food, clothing, and shelter for their families?
And to think that today, we worship NFL and NBA thugs whose only socially redeeming talent is chasing a ball around!

[Malamute]

...Can you imagine the kind of men it took to fashion killing weapons out of stone and wooden shafts, then go out and use that technology to provide food, clothing, and shelter for their families?.......

.....And wage war and create empires?

Horses used to be considered engines of war. It is truly amazing what men have done in the past, with what we may consider inferior weapons. Today, we hear, (and greive) the loss of a few men in a day in our wars. In the ages long past, 60,000 men could be lost in a single days battle, with bows, swords, spears, and other hand weapons. That's more than were lost in all the years of the Viet Nam war, with automatic weapons, artillary, air support, and all.

[Rusty]

Try looking at www.horsebows.com and take a look at what is being imported today.

If you do a Google search you'll also find all kinds of photos and videos to watch on the subject. IIRC this bowyer traveled the U.S. a few years ago giving demonstrations of his bows and shooting abilities. There have been a few threads on the horse bows over on tradgang.com as well. While they were very efficient technology for their time they have been a bit of a let down for modern archers who try them after being used to our modern bows.

[zack coyote]

The American Indian used saddles made of wood, with stirrups, not always, but often. They learned horsemanship from the spanish that used heavy saddles. These saddles had tall cantles, and pommels (saddle horns), to help keep them in the saddles during battle. The Indians also used a war saddle, that was just a pad that was strapped on the horse . This pad would be stuffed with grass, or horsehair, it also had stirrups. The invention of the stirrup by the Chinese changed mounted warfare, as you could stay centered on the horse easier.

[AJMD429]

While they were very efficient technology for their time they have been a bit of a let down for modern archers who try them after being used to our modern bows.

I think if the American Indians had somehow had the modern compound bows our hunters use, we pale-face types wouldn't be living here right now.

Another 'ancient' warfare thing I find fascinating is the 'dogs of war' - I've heard from several sources that dogs like the Neopolitan's and so on we have now are only about half the weight and size of the ones truly used in the days when horse-mounted soldiers were indefeatable, and such dogs could catch them, and pull the rider off the horse for a bit of chewing-on...

[Rusty]

Well Doc, what I was trying to say with out coming right out and saying it is that the horse bows mentioned aren't really up to the standards of a moderate recurve today. Personally, I shoot a long bow for now and mine was really easy to tune and set up. I have heard severl people say the horsebows are hart to get shooting right.

Actually, the plains indiands had some pretty good bows. An osage bow with a sinew backing would preform about as good as some bows out there today.