Mounted Archery has its origins in Asia, where it was already practiced in the Iron Age. The Steppe Nomads like the Scythians, Parthans, Sarmatians, Huns and Mongols used it for hunting and was. Great empires were conquered with the help of mounted archers, until the use of fire-arms made it obsolete.
In the 20th century it gained new popularity as a sport and expanded to Europe and the United States. In Brazil, the first mounted archery clinic was organized at the Desempenho Riding School with Lukas Novotny, the North American Champion and Master Bowmaker in 2006. The clinic was a big success and the first 10 archers from Brazil received their diplomas.
Since then, new clinics with Lukas Novotny and Holm Neumann, have trained our archers and introduced the sport to new archers. Our master archer Massae Hayakawa has represented Brazil in various international mounted archery tournaments in Europe, Asia and the United States
Today, Desempenho offers lessons and short courses with our specially trained horses and bows of different strengths for riders of all ages
The lessons are available every weekend and during the holidays. Lessons include
Group lessons for archery basics (on the ground and on a horse) and riding without reins for beginners
Group lessons for more advanced archers .
For those who are interested in the fascinating history of how man, horses and bows conquered the world, we recommend Bjarke Rink adventure books.
