Archery on horseback

(chinaculture.org)

Updated: 2013-12-18

Archery on horseback is a traditional sports activity of the Mongols. All people can take part in the competition regardless of the age or sex.

Archery on horseback is a traditional sports activity of the Mongols. All people can take part in the competition regardless of the age or sex. Each participant shall get his own bow, 9 arrows and horse ready before the competition.

The 9 arrows will be shot in three rounds. In each round, the rider, with three arrows in a bag on the back, goes on an 85-meter journey on horseback, shooting the arrows at the 3 targets, 25 meters away from one another. Failure to finish shooting the 3 arrows after the journey ends is regarded as a dishonor. The archer who has shot the most arrows on targets will be the winner.

The archery on horseback competition varies in scale, with the large one having as many as 100 participants, the medium one having 20-30 archers and the small one having 10-20 archers.