What our club is all about!
Welcome to Okanagan Khanate Mounted Archery! We are incredibly excited to finally bring Horseback Archery to the Okanagan Valley. This has been a dream that has been long in the making.
The President of OKMA, Rick McCurrach, started his journey by coming across a series of books about Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire which sparked an insatiable desire to learn. Unfortunately, like many aspiring warriors, he found a great deal of diverse material online but little in the way of guidance or support. As a result, he began teaching himself and resolved to develop the skills and resources necessary to support others in their aspirations.
He studied ancient texts, learned from documented techniques and practiced hard on his own, but realized he needed more mentorship and support. By chance he connected with the world-renowned archer, Kenton Miller, of Kaspian Mounted Archery, who took Rick under his wing and helped develop him into an international competitor. Rick has now spent a number of years learning everything from traditional shooting methods, to target building, archery training, and horsemanship.
In 2021 he completed his university studies in Alberta and moved back to British Columbia to start a new career and bring horseback archery to the Okanagan as a martial art. Rick’s humble approach to coaching and mentorship has inspired many fellow enthusiasts who have shared similar experiences and impediments on the path to mounted archery. We are proud to say that many of these committed individuals comprise an exceptionally capable and enthusiastic Board of Directors committed to building this club, the community, and the sport!
With a safe and straightforward approach to this sport, we plan to build a large and inclusive club for all ages and abilities. We encourage you to peruse our site and contact us if you would like to get involved with mounted archery!
‘The Obstacle Is the Way’
History of Mounted Archery
Follow these links for some very interesting history on Mounted Archery!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzatw32j-i4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPbBaKYlsfU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGWFv9UoIq8
https://www.warriorsandlegends.com/mongol-warriors/mongol-archers/
Future of the OKMA
“Study the past if you would divine the future.” [Confucius]
OKMA humbly plays its part in carrying the torch of tradition and warrior spirit passed on from nomadic peoples whose legacy of horsemanship and archery lives on today as a sport and martial art. OKMA seeks to foster the sport’s growth in Canada by developing a thriving community of aspiring mounted archers willing to challenge themselves–grow for it–and use those lessons to bring up others.
In the long-term Canada will be known for producing formidable and sportsmanlike international competitors for the world stage. But in order to get there we must first focus on the critical short-term victories: developing novice archers, helping them get the proper equipment, working on fundamental horsemanship, learning to care for and work with our horses, connecting with like-minded people from around the globe, helping other clubs grow, maintaining humility while persevering through challenges, and much more.
So what does all that really look like, where do we even start? OKMA will, among other things, host a number of regular activities which will populate regularly on our calendar.
Though we are a “mounted” archery club, we welcome people who are only interested in ground archery; the opportunity to expand will always exist. We sincerely hope that you will be a part of the history that has yet to be written of mounted archery in Canada, and we hope that you will be a part of that legacy. Stay tuned!
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Further Reading
(1.) Saracen Archery
- J. D. Latham & W. F. Paterson
(2.) The Way of Archery: A 1637 Chinese Military Training Manual
(3.) Arab Archery, An Arabic Manuscript Of About A.D. 1500
- Robert Potter Elmer (Author), Nabih Amin Faris (Translator)
(4.) Crusader Warfare Volume II: Muslims, Mongols and the Struggle against the Crusades.
- David Nicolle
(5.) Mongols and Mamluks The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260–1281
(6.) The Conqueror Series (Wolf of the Plains, Lords of the Bow, Bones of the Hills, Empire of Silver, & Conqueror)
- Conn Iggulden
(7.) The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan
- Paul Kahn & Francis Woodman Cleaves
(8.) Arms and Armour of the Nomads of the Great Steppe in the Times of the Mongol Expansion (12th-14th Centuries)
- Świętosławski, Witold.
(9.) The Mongol Art of War: Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Military System
- Timothy May
(10.) The Travels of Marco Polo
- Marco Polo
(11.) The Composite Bow
- Mike Loades
(12.) Defending Heaven: China's Mongol Wars, 1209-1370
- James Waterson
(13.) The Mongol Invasions: A Captivating Guide to the Mongol Invasions and Conquests along with the Life of Genghis Khan
- Captivating History
(14.) A Concise History of the Rise and Fall of the Mongolian Empire
- Henry Harrison Epps Jr.
(15.) Toxophilus (1545)
- Roger Ascham