Horse archer presentation in Hungary

A horse archer (or horsed archer, mounted archer) is a cavalryman armed with a bow, able to shoot while riding from horseback. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on A bow is a Weapon that projects arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow Horse Archery was the defining characteristic of Steppe warfare throughout Central Asia, and also of the southern American prairies after the adoption of the horse. The Eurasian Steppe (sometimes referred to collectively as The Steppes or The Steppe) is the term often used to describe the vast Steppe Ecoregion Prairie, from the French prairie ("meadow" "grassland" "pasture" refers to an area of land of low topographic relief that historically

Basic features

A Timurid drawing of an Ilkhanid horse archer. The Timurids, self-designated Gurkānī ( were a Persianate Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate or Il Khanate (Ил Хан улс Il Khan uls;) was a Mongol Khanate established in Signed (lower right) Muhammad ibn Mahmudshah al-Khayyam Iran, early 15th century. Ink and gold on paper

Since using a bow requires a horseman to let go of the reins with both hands, horse archers need superb equestrian skills if they are to shoot on the move. For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description Horse archery is typically associated with Eurasian nomads of the Eurasian steppe. Eurasian Nomads are a large group of peoples of the Eurasian Steppe. The Eurasian Steppe (sometimes referred to collectively as The Steppes or The Steppe) is the term often used to describe the vast Steppe Ecoregion Such were the Scythians and Sarmatians and later the Parthians, Magyars, and Turks. The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran The Turkish people (Türk Halkı also known as " Turks " ( Türkler) are defined mainly as being speakers of Turkish as a First language Scythians were well known for their tactic of the Parthian shot, but evidently it was the Parthians who give it its name. The Parthian shot was a military tactic employed by the Parthians, an ancient Iranian people. In this tactical manoeuvre the horsemen would make a feigned retreat and progress away from the pursuing enemy while turning his upper body and shooting backwards at the pursuer, guiding his horse with his voice and the pressure of his legs. Military tactics ( Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating Feigned retreat is a false retreat used to lure enemies usually a larger force into a position of vulnerability

Horse archery was most widespread among Eurasian steppe people like the Scythians, Huns, Magyars, Mongols, Turks and so on, but was also adopted by other peoples and armies, notably Chinese and Romans who both suffered serious conflict with peoples practicing horse archery. The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy Hungarians (or Magyars, magyarok are an Ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family It developed separately among the peoples of the South American pampas and the North American prairies; the Comanches were especially skilled. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose range (the Comancheria) consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado ^[1] Horse archery was also practiced in Japan, where mounted archery is called Yabusame. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. is a type of Japanese archery, one that is performed while riding a Horse.

Horse archery is the earliest form of cavalry weaponry. The Iron Age horse was not strong enough to bear an armoured rider, being little larger than modern ponies. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. A pony is a small Horse with a specific conformation and temperament Horse archers replaced the Bronze Age chariot, which allowed mobile attacks even with horses too small to bear a man. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of Carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples

Appearance in history

Ottoman Horse Archer

Early horse archery, depicted on the Assyrian carvings, involved two riders, one controlling both horses while the second shot. Sipahi ( Ottoman Turkish: ota سپاهی also transliterated as Spahi, Sepahi, and Spakh; traditionally rendered as Spahia Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture This technique did not replace the well-established chariotry as an effective tactic. The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of Carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples

The natives of large grassland areas developed mounted archery for hunting, and for war. The buffalo hunts of the North American prairies may have been the most spectacular and best-recorded examples of bowhunting by mounted archers. Bowhunting is the practice of taking game animals by Archery. ^[2] The typical employment of horse archers in battle was in the manner of skirmishers; lightly-armed missile troops capable of moving swiftly to avoid close combat or to deliver a rapid blow to the flanks or rear of the foe. Skirmishers are Infantry or Cavalry Soldiers stationed ahead or alongside of a larger body of friendly troops Due to the superior speed of mounted archers, troops under attack from horse archers were unable to respond to the threat without ranged weapons of their own, resulting in casualties, morale drop and disruption of the formation. When able to retreat to avoid return shots or charges, horse archers were generally proven to be effective against heavily equipped infantry or cavalry, especially in flat, treeless regions. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Horse archers were eventually rendered obsolete by the development of modern firearms. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion In the 16th and subsequent centuries, various cavalry forces armed with firearms gradually started appearing. Because the conventional arquebus and musket were too awkward for a cavalryman to use, lighter weapons such as the carbine had to be developed, that could be effectively used from horseback, much in the same manner as the composite recurve bow presumably developed from earlier bows. The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is A musket is a muzzle -loaded Smoothbore Long gun, which is intended to be fired from the shoulder A carbine is a Firearm similar to a Rifle or Musket, but generally shorter and of lesser power A composite bow is a bow made from disparate materials laminated together usually applied under tension The 16th century Dragoons and Cuirassiers were heavy cavalry equipped with firearms. A dragoon is a soldier intended primarily to fight on foot but trained also in Horse riding and cavalry combat especially Cuirassiers were mounted Cavalry Soldiers equipped with Armour and Firearms first appearing in late 15th-century Europe.

Nevertheless, mounted archery was an effective tactical system in open country until the introduction of repeating firearms. An example is described from a Texas Ranger attack on Comanches "Captain John Bird rode up the Little River with fifty Rangers recruited in Austin and Fort Bend counties. The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide Jurisdiction based in Austin, the Striking a band of some twenty Comanches busily hunting buffalo, he immediately attacked. The Comanches ran, and to Bird's dismay easily outdistanced their pursuers. Bird chased the Comanches for several miles across the open prairie before he noticed that the fleeing Indians were growing much more numerous. Alarmed, he halted the reckless pursuit and turned about in retreat, only to discover, too late, that he had now made the ultimate error in Comanche warfare. As the Texans turned, the Comanches, now some two hundred strong, immediately wheeled after them in a turnabout pursuit. Screaming, they filled the sky with shafts. Racing for cover, Bird's command survived only because the riders stumbled into a nearby ravine, where the riflemen could dismount and shoot from cover. Now they could stand off the swirling horse archers at long range, firing carefully, always making sure they kept a few of their muzzle-loaders charged to repel an assault.

The Comanches could easily have wiped out the whole company, but only at a cost in blood that no Comanche chief would accept. After a desultory, angry siege, the Indians soon went back to hunting. The Rangers could thus claim they had won the field – but it was a Pyrrhic victory. Seven Rangers were dead or dying, including Captain Bird. The bloodied company retreated to the east, and, meanwhile, the aroused Comanches rode on a rampage, carrying fire and death to a wide area of the frontier. ” ^[3]

Horse archers played a pivotal role in the Battle of Carrhae and again in the medieval Battle of Legnica. The Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC was a decisive victory for the Parthian Spahbod Surena over the Roman general Crassus near The Battle of Legnica (Bitwa pod Legnicą also known as the Battle of Liegnitz (Schlacht von Liegnitz or Battle of Wahlstatt (Schlacht bei Wahlstatt was In both cases, horse archers won the day because their opponents depended on direct contact for tactical effectiveness. Due to the heavy armour worn by mediaeval European troops, they had difficulty facing the more mobile, missile-armed cavalry of Eastern nations, as shown by numerous examples during the Crusades and the Mongol invasion of Europe. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The Mongol invasions of Europe, under the leadership of Subutai, centered on the destruction of East Slavic principalities such as Kiev and Vladimir The medieval Battle of Hattin is an example of horse archers contributing to the defeat of armoured troops, via demoralization and continued harassment. The Battle of Hattin (also known as " The Horns of Hattin " because of a nearby extinct Volcano of the same name took place on Saturday July

Technology

The weapon of choice for horse archers was most commonly a composite recurve bow, because it was compact enough to shoot from a horse while retaining sufficient range and penetrating power. A composite bow is a bow made from disparate materials laminated together usually applied under tension North Americans used short wooden bows often backed with sinew, but never developed the full three-layer composite bow. A drawback of horse archery was that the movements of a running horse disturbed the accuracy of the shot. The horse archer needed to time his shots between the strides of the horse. After the invention of the stirrup, horse archers would stand up in their stirrups to absorb the motion of the horse. For the bone see Stapes. For other uses of the word stirrup see Stirrup (disambiguation. The actual aiming and shooting is done at the gallop, in the phase where the horse has all four feet off the ground. The skill required to shoot effectively while performing maneuvers require extensive practice. The Turks and the Mongols were known for the value they placed on this. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family Turkic and Mongol youths took part in frequent training in horsemanship and archery, for this very purpose. For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description Archery is the practice of using a bow or Crossbow to shoot Arrows Archery has historically been used in Hunting and Combat and has To this day, advanced horsemanship and associated skills are practiced in central Asia and are displayed at festivals. Horseback archery has also been revived by modern Hungarians. ^[4]

References

External links

• German Mounted Archery Federation Die Steppenreiter e. V.
• History of Mounted Archer Steppenreiter German Site
• Korean Mounted Archery International Mounted Archery Federation
• Chinese Horseback archery ATARN

See also

• Eurasian nomads
• Horse archer civilizations
• Horse archer empires
• Parthian shot
• Archery
• Composite bow
• Recurve bow
• Hungarian bow
• Turkish bow
• Mongol bow
• Yabusame
• Sagittarii