Do you want to learn how to shoot arrows while riding a galloping horse a la Legolas from Lord of the Rings?

Wareham resident Ann Rams has you covered.

“The first thing you need is a horse,” the mounted archery teacher said, standing near a paddock of horses at a Rochester farm.

Rams, 69, has shot arrows since she was in her 20s, she said, and she finds the practice meditative.

She taught her children, John and Brittany, archery when they were old enough to notch a bow.

When her daughter, Brittany Rams, died four years ago, the mother said she had to decide what to do with Brittany’s horse, Topaz. Ultimately, Rams decided to keep Topaz and start riding again.

Last year, a few young riders told Rams they were interested in learning how to shoot arrows from the back of a horse. Rams, already a skilled archer, realized that mounted archery was something Brittany had shared an interest in too.

Jenelle Kutinsky grew up riding horses and has enjoyed archery, but she didn't put the two together until she met Rams.

She said the pair met when she started volunteering at Rams' barn during the early days of the pandemic. Kutinsky said she quickly developed a bond with the horse Topaz: "He just knows things," she explained.
"If he couldn't ride, I'd still be down here," she said.

Combining the riders’ equestrian knowledge and Ram’s archery background resulted in a new club among the riders: the Equestrian Archers.

“It’s not your normal kind of archery,” Rams said.

The sport requires a basic understanding of how to ride a horse, as adding the archery element complicates the ride. Archers stand up in the stirrups to keep from jostling as their horse gallops on, Rams said, and there’s no time to pull arrows from a quiver — they just have to go.

In competitive mounted archery, riders complete a “postal,” or a meet. A postal is generally composed of riders shooting three targets within 300 feet, Rams said. Riders use a horse bow as opposed to more modern bows that have pulleys, wheels, sights and other aids.

Horse bows are simpler. A curved strip of wood, one taut cord and a leather strap wrapped around the bow’s center for handling are all there is to the equestrian bow.

Rams said before archers even mount their horses, they practice getting their steeds used to the pluck-pluck-plucking of the bow. The horses need to stay calm while their riders let arrows loose, so acclimating them to the sharp sound keeps them from becoming spooked later on.

The Wareham resident isn’t offering lessons to new riders right now, as she recently tore a tendon in her shoulder and can’t draw an arrow. But come late April or early May, Rams said she hopes to offer lessons to new archers to spread the sport of mounted archery.

Those interested can email her at equestrianarcher@gmail.com and follow the club’s Facebook page, “Equestrian Archers.”