This past weekend I had a chance to check off another bucket list item: horseback archery!
Picture this, if you will: mounted on a galloping steed is a poised archer, dressed in Celtic/Mongolian/Persian/Viking/culture-of-your-choice attire, they release their bow, you hear the sharp whisper of the arrow immediately followed by the thud of it hitting its mark, and they gallop on and do it several more times.
Badass; right? For years I've jealously ogled the videos and photos of the dozen-odd pages and groups I follow on social media filled with both fantasy horse archery shoots and modern competitions. Heck, film/movie culture and has ingrained in us for decades that mounted warriors are the very definition of badassery. So in keeping with my self-imposed decree that I pursue what makes me happy, I decided to sign up for an introductory horse archery clinic with Acadamie Cavallo in Langley, featuring clinician Robert Borsos of Borsos Torzs Horse Archery Club, and ride one of their in-house horses.
Our Hungarian archery training started on the ground with a warm-up, lecture, a dry run without equipment, and then finally with bows and arrows.
We learned to shoot sideways, forward, and backward (my aging back thought that last one was SUPER fun, thanks for asking). And after many, many, MANY tries I finally started hitting the target.
Then we mounted up. And then sh*t got real.
Some horses could not care less about the whipping sound of sharp objects flying past their ears, and some REALLY did care. I was one of the lucky ones with a bombproof -- er, arrow-proof sweetheart of a horse (who ended up giving me the absolute best first experience ever), and yet I STILL got the heart flutters every time I loosed an arrow. Because horses. And because you just never know.
Robert was a great instructor, and I was able to try no less than about six different bows that day to get a feel for different sizes, shapes, and weights.
I came home smiling. I knew going in that while I was purportedly there to check off another bucket list item, it was possible that it just may turn into another passion. Aaaaaaand here I am .... passionate about horse archery. Shocker lol.
And as much as I would love to shower you and my social media accounts with stunning photos/videos of me galloping on horseback, dressed in historically accurate Asian warrior clothing, loosing an arrow that obediently hits its target every time, I sadly cannot ... yet.
Because the thing is .... I suck! Like, I REALLY suck! My form is crappy (in fact, I have a huge bruise on my left forearm that is getting more and more colourful with each passing day, proving that string burn is no joke), and I was barely able to advance to shooting competently moving at a medium walk. Forget trot or canter. Don't even think about the gallop yet.
And that's okay! I still love it, and I will keep doing it. I am looking at buying a beginner bow and some arrows to practice nocking and Netflixing at home and attending target practice and more mounted clinics. I expect to suck at this for quite a while, and that's okay too. And maybe someday the memory of this forearm pain will finally teach me to keep my elbow in the right position, for Pete's sake. Or I could get a guard.
I should interrupt here for a moment to explain that not being naturally talented at something was a completely foreign concept to me for virtually all of my childhood through to my late 20s. Ironically when I started riding horses, that was only the second time in my life that I came across something that I wasn't naturally good at (the first being stenography which, ironically again, became my career for many years -- a story for another day perhaps) but absolutely loved so much I couldn't bear the thought of not having it in my life (unlike the stenography career -- I don't miss that one bit).
Another tangent, if I may: I remember taking a sewing class years and years ago, at the time thinking it would be a great complement to my career in hair and makeup to be able to design costumes as well. While my sewing instructor praised me considerably and said that I had a natural talent for sewing, I remember reacting quite nonchalantly because at that point in my life there were few things I was NOT good at. However, I realized two classes in that I really hated sewing, and, much to his chagrin, I told him quite emphatically that I would not be pursuing a career in fashion design.
All this to say that (1) being good at something and (2) loving it are two completely different things. I acknowledge that I am awful at archery (both on the ground and mounted) right now, and that's totally okay. One does not need to be perfect to enjoy it and have fun. Ultimately we get better at things over time with practice, whether we have some natural ability or not. Just as you are not required to continue with stuff that you don't like, no matter how good you are, likewise you are not required to be good or perfect with things you love to do. It all costs something in the end (time, money, energy), so you may as well spend the time/money/energy you have in your life doing the stuff that makes you happy.
I feel like I've said this before, but it bears repeating: do the stuff you love, even if you aren't good at it ... yet ... or ever.
As I work my way through my bucket list, I am gaining so much more than being able to say I'm making progress on my list. I'm making new friends, having fun, conquering some fears, coming home bruised and badass, feeling empowered, and making strides in the way of introspection and self-awareness. The latter alone is worth the price of admission. And maybe one day that historically-inspired warrior photoshoot will happen, and I'll get to share that with you. Until then, I'm happily enjoying the journey and embracing my crappiness.
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