So, you finally bought a horse bow.

Maybe you’ve been watching Turkish, Mongolian, or other Asiatic archers for a while. Maybe you wanted to learn thumb draw. Or maybe you simply saw one of these bows and thought:

I need one of those.

Now you’ve got it.

So…what do you do with it?

A Horse Bow Is a Different Animal

If you’re coming from Western traditional archery, it’s tempting to treat your new horse bow just like another recurve.

There are similarities, but once you start exploring Asiatic shooting styles—especially thumb draw—you’ll quickly discover some important differences.

Your arrows matter. Your draw method matters. Even something as simple as which side of the bow you place the arrow on changes depending on how you’re shooting.

And getting those basics right from the beginning can save you a lot of frustration.

What About Thumb Rings and Khatra?

Then you enter the world of thumb rings.

Deep hook? Shallow hook? Turkish? Manchu? Leather thumb guard?

And shortly afterward you’ll probably encounter khatra—the distinctive movement of the bow you’ll see many Asiatic archers perform after releasing the arrow.

These are valuable parts of Asiatic archery, but they’re also areas where beginners can make things unnecessarily complicated.

Sometimes learning what not to worry about yet is just as important as learning what to do.

Don’t Make Accuracy Your First Goal

One of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make is immediately stepping back from the target and trying to shoot tight groups.

When the arrows inevitably start going everywhere, frustration sets in.

Instead, your first objective should be developing a consistent, repeatable shot.

There’s actually a traditional training method for doing exactly that, and it’s one of the things I recommend to new shooters before worrying about hitting the bullseye.

5 Things You Need to Know Before Shooting Your Horse Bow

In my latest video, I walk through five things I believe every new horse-bow owner should know before heading to the range.

We’ll look at getting your bow ready, choosing the right equipment, getting started with thumb draw, avoiding some common beginner mistakes, and most importantly—getting you started in the right direction.

▶ Watch: 5 Things You NEED to Know Before Shooting a Horse Bow

Buying the bow was the easy part.

Now it’s time to learn how to shoot it.

— Alan Odinson
Odinson Archery