One does not have to be a horseback archer to see that Robin Descamps has some serious skills.

The 20-year-old from Maulde, France is something of a wunderkind in the world of horseback archery. He has been competing in world championships since he was 15, and has regularly won one of the top three spots in such competitions. This year, he won first place in the 2014 French Championships.

He was taught horseback archery by his father Thierry, an accomplished mounted archer himself.

Bernama met both father and son at the recent International Horseback Archery Championship 2014, held for the first time ever in Malaysia.

Thierry, 46, said his son has consistently performed better than him in competitions.

"He will say that, he is my father", Robin said, laughing.

Yet there is some truth to that. Robin who is the youngest competitor won third place in the Polish style category during the championship, competing against several of the world’s best horseback archers. Thierry on the other hand, did not make the list of winners.

Despite his wins, Robin said he hardly trained.

"My father trains with 500 arrows per session, but I only train when I feel like it", he said.

Thierry, who took up archery 15 years ago, said he taught his son traditional archery from the age of eight.

"I would hold an event where Robin could showcase his skills, just for an hour," he said.

The Descamps own a ranch with 40 horses and a traditional archery school, which helped in perfecting young Robin’s equestrian skills.


From A Young Age

It is quite common for children in European countries to learn horseback riding from a very young age.

Many learn bareback riding from a young age, and races on horseback among children are regularly held.

The father of modern horseback archery, Kassai Lajos, told Bernama that his mounted archery school in Hungary taught children from as young as six years old.

"The horses we have are very calm and trained to be slow and gentle.

Six-year-olds cannot sit as still as you and me on horseback, so it is important to have calm horses", he said when met at the championship, recently.

Lajos won first place in the Hungarian track category in the competition.

He said, he would only start his students on faster horses when they were in their teens or later.

Lajos, who laid the foundation for horseback archery as it is known today, started off his journey as a bowyer (someone who makes bows), before reviving the ancient art in the late 80s. He hosted the first horseback archery competition in 1994.


Good Publicity

Meanwhile, one of the key persons behind the championship, Sheikh Fuad Sheikh Mahmud, told Bernama that the competition gave the organisers an opportunity to publicise horseback archery in Malaysia.

"The guests have asked if we are going to host a championship again next year, that’s a good sign", he said.

Sheikh Fuad is also the founder of Learning Archery through Play (LEAP) programme, the first formal traditional archery programme in the country.

The event that was held at the Selangor Turf Club Equestrian and Sports Centre from Sept 25 to 28 was part of the 2014 International Horse Show, which was launched by Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.

It is the first horseback archery championship held in Malaysia, with 35 participants from 20 countries.

Those interested in learning more about traditional archery can visit the Pemanah website at www.pemanah.net.my. - Sakina Mohamed