Every style of archery has a pretty loyal following. Compound, recurve, longbow, people generally have a preference as to what suits them best.
Horse bows are ones that fewer people are familiar with, but there are a lot of people that are passionate about them.
What is a horse bow? A horse bow is a compact recurve bow. Since they are shorter than many other bow styles, they were commonly used on horseback. The recurve form generally allows them to hold more power than a straight-limb bow of comparable size.
Why Use a Horse Bow?
Historically, they were used for hunting and fighting on horseback. That’s where they get their name from.
Because they’re compact, they’re less likely to get bumped as a horse or archer moves. They’re also easier to maneuver and reposition.
Another reason why some like them is that they’re comparatively easy to use in dense brush. Longer bows tend to snag easily, where smaller bows are less of a problem.
The appeal of shorter bows exists in the modern archery world, too. Longer compound bows tend to be used at the range because they’re accurate and stable.
Compare that to shorter bows for hunting, which are practical in the woods and in blinds, where there isn’t a lot of free space.
Generally, people that use horse bows use them because they think they’re cool. They’re fun to play around with, and a lot of people enjoy their historical relevance.
The disadvantages of these bows are that they’re tricky to dial in and they’re unforgiving. They’re also really snappy. A longer bow means a smoother shot, and these bows are not long.
Horse Bow vs Recurve
Horse bows are generally a type of recurve. The main difference is that they’re more compact.
You’ll frequently see adult recurves at about 58-62″ long when strung. While preference differs from person to person, there’s a general sizing chart for bow length, determined by the archer’s draw length:
| Draw Length | Bow Length |
| 20-22 inches | 58 inches |
| 22-24 inches | 62 inches |
| 24-26 inches | 64 inches |
| 26-28 inches | 68 inches |
| 28-30 inches | 70 inches |
| 30+ inches | 72 inches |
These sizes capture the “sweet spot” of most recurve bows. In other words, they give you the most stability and power when the right size of bow is used at the draw length it was designed for.
An average adult male will generally use a compound bow around 68″ long.
For horse bows, the optimal power zone isn’t as focused on as much as keeping is easy to wield around things that can mess up your shot. Like horses, for example.
To make up for the shorter length, a horse bow generally requires more labor-intensive craftsmanship to get the powerful results that these bows are known for.
This includes painstaking layering of very different materials, like horn and wood, to get the maximum performance out of a small bow.
Another key difference in the design is that the limbs are generally made to be pulled back much more aggressively than a regular recurve. This allows you to have a similar draw length with a shorter bow.
Horse Bow vs Longbow
These are essentially on opposite ends of the spectrum. Longbows are huge. Horse bows are not.
For example, it’s common to see longbows in the range of 74-78 inches long. This is generally impractical for most hunting situations since you have to be standing completely upright and away from any cover to shoot it properly.
Also, this would be completely brutal to shoot from a horse, although historically there have occasionally been some pretty big bows used with horses.
Longbows are very different from recurves and horse bows. Generally, they’re found at lower draw weights since the bow itself is more prone to deforming over time when the string is under tension. There are tons of exceptions to this, though.
Typically, longbows are very forgiving and smooth to shoot. Pound for pound, they don’t transfer as much kinetic energy as recurves do. This means that they’re not as fast as a well-made recurve (which a horse bow is).
Horse bows work well with lighter arrows, longbows perform better with heavier arrows.
The difference between the two is that light arrows do well at shorter ranges, but heavier arrows can maintain good penetration at greater distances.
While you do get a pretty noticeable amount of vibration from firing a longbow, the draw is smooth, even and a flat line.
Compare that to a horse bow, which quickly dampens vibration, but the draw is generally uneven. It will typically start off really light, and only come up to full draw weight near the end of the draw length. In other words, it has a much steeper draw curve.
That means that the longbow will launch the arrow with consistent force as it releases, and the horse bow will only be at full force at the beginning of the release.
Just to clarify what I mean by the draw curve:
If the bow has a flat draw curve, like a longbow typically has, releasing at an exactly consistent draw length is less critical.
If the bow has a draw curve that spikes near the end of the draw, getting a consistent release can be really tricky. If you’re inconsistent by even 1/4″, you’ll have really awful arrow groupings.
If you’re looking for more of a side-by-side comparison, this is an excellent video to illustrate the differences:
Can You Hunt With a Horse Bow?
If you’re desperate enough, you can hunt with a rock.
Strictly speaking, there’s nothing really preventing anyone from hunting with a horse bow. They have enough power to bring down even larger game.
For an average deer, a 40-lb draw weight will usually be enough to bring it down with a well-placed shot.
This is the main reason why horse bows aren’t typically used in hunting today.
Successful hunting is mostly a matter of being able to precisely place a shot in a critical area.
Since horse bows tend to be more finicky than other styles of bows, they’re not really ideal for hunting by today’s standards. It would require an exceptional archer to be able to reliably take down any kind of larger game with a horse bow.
So can you hunt with a horse bow?
Yes.
Should you?
They’re not ideal, but they do work as long as they’re well made and powerful enough. And you’ll need A LOT more practice to be able to hunt responsibly.
If you’re wanting to get into bowhunting, there are a lot of other, more practical options.
Can You Hunt With a Horse Bow on Horseback?
Again, technically possible, but definitely not recommended, especially for anyone inexperienced.
One of the reasons that people are interested in hunting from a horse’s back is that you can get way closer to animals like deer.
They don’t become as alarmed if a horse makes some noise. At least, not in the same way that they would dash away if they heard your bipedal footsteps.
So you can get really close to a deer while on horseback. There are two main challenges to this, though:
- Shot placement is really hard when you’re on a horse. For a deer, you need to be able to hit a zone the size of a dessert plate. It’s easy enough to do this at 20 yards from a standing position, but extremely hard to do from a horse.
- You can’t shoot with your hands on the reins. This puts you in a really vulnerable position while you’re taking the shot. The bow will make sudden noise, the deer will jump, and the horse is at risk of being seriously startled. Basically, this can be really dangerous.
Draw Types for Horse Bows
One of the challenges with finger-release methods and horse bows is that finger pinching is really common.
This is because the string angle at a fully drawn position is so steep. A consistent, smooth release is really difficult when a short bow is being used.
This means that using three fingers to draw back is really impractical. This makes higher draw weight bows much more challenging to use properly.
Even using the split-finger technique, finger pinching is common.
This is why thumb rings are very popular among those that use short bows, especially with Asian/Eastern shooting styles. They dramatically improve thumb-release.
A ring on the thumb helps to reduce the amount of contact that you need to have with the string as it’s being released. The result is a much more consistent, controlled release.
To get an overview of what this is, here’s another video:
What Arrows Should Be Used For a Horse Bow?
You won’t really find arrows that are specifically for horse bows. You’ll find arrows that meet some general specs, and you pick out the one that’s right for you and your bow.
For horse bows, you’re likely going to need arrows that are a bit lighter than the ones that you would use for a standard recurve.
Since horse bows are much more variable than some other kinds of bows, one of the best ways to find the right arrow weight for you is to go to the range and fire off a few different arrows. Go with the ones that feel the best.
Either way, you’ll probably end up with something in the 7-10 grains per inch range, meaning that the arrow weight for an average adult male will be in the realm of 250-300 grain.
Best Horse Bows for Beginners
Truly traditional horse bows are really expensive. They’re also very rare.
What you’ll typically find on the market today are ones made of bamboo or other types of wood, and fiberglass.
Entry-level horse bows aren’t overly expensive. Keep in mind though that they are generally a bit trickier than other styles of bow. Expect the learning curve to be a bit steeper.
If you think that this is the kind of archery that you want to try, though, there are a lot of good options.
I’d recommend taking a look at this Korean-style horse bow on Amazon. It’s got a good bang for the buck, and it’s a peppy little bow.
I’d recommend getting a 50″ 35# bow if you’re just starting out (and an adult). For youths, it’s best to go to the archery range first to see what kind of draw weight you can currently handle comfortably.
What Is a Mongolian Horse Bow?
A Mongolian horse bow is a traditional bow that’s made with a bamboo core and a laminated horn belly (the part of the bow that faces the archer). They’re made using animal glue, which is a product of animal bone and skin.
Since animal glue dissolves in water, they were particularly sensitive to humidity, as many similar kinds of bows are.
They also have a siyah, or a stiff tip where the string is tied to the bow. Mongolian horse bows typically used hardwood or horn for this. This would reduce the chance of the tips breaking by strengthening the bow.
The Mongolian style of siyah is one of the things that makes it distinguishable from other types of horse bows.
Mongolian horse bows are a little different from most in their use of siyahs and the form of the bow. The string would contact the siyah at the end of the release, which gives the string a bit of an extra pop as it fires.
This is supposed to give the arrow a little extra velocity at the end.
Today, there are many bows that are advertised as being “Mongolian” or “Mongol”, but it’s not very likely that you’ll come across anything that’s made in the traditional way.
Basically, the crafting process for traditional Mongolian horse bows is painstaking and expensive.
What you’ll likely find on the market today are bows that look generally similar to traditional Mongolian bows, but that use more modern materials like fiberglass for strength and ease of manufacturing, instead of real horn.
What Is a Korean Bow?
You’ll hear these Korean horse bows referred to by the name “Gakgung”. This literally just means “national bow” in Korean.
One thing that is crazy about Korean archery is that they generally practice at a range of about 150 yards.
For reference, your average indoor archery range in America is usually 20 yards.
The Korean bow itself is really interesting because it’s really unique.
The shape of the bow is a reflex (not recurve), which means that it looks like a C when unstrung, with the curve moving away from the archer. This gives it a really strong punch when released.
It’s traditionally made using water buffalo horn, a bamboo core, sinew backing, and an oak handle. The glue used is called isinglass, which is made from the swim bladders of fish. The sinew backing is covered by a special birch bark that’s been soaked for a year in saltwater.
The horn that pushes from the belly and the sinew backing, along with the reflex shape, makes this bow extremely fast and powerful for its small size.
The traditional way to use it is with a thumb draw, so thumb rings are extremely common for those that use them. Also, the arrow is placed on the right side of the bow, which is opposite from the Western position.
Overall, this is a really interesting bow because there are so many elements and details to its traditional construction.
What Is a Scythian Horse Bow?
In form, these bows generally look like a smaller version of a recurve.
Some key elements that distinguish them from other horse bows:
- They’re made of a continuous wooden core
- The have “working tips”, which means that they are flexible, unlike siyahs, which don’t flex.
Other than that, these bows are comparatively simple. Modern Scythian-style bows are generally inexpensive and beginner-friendly.
What Is a Hungarian Horse Bow?
These are kind of like the classic medieval bow.
The limbs have a shorter area that flex, and this style is comparatively more forgiving than some other styles of horse bows.
If you want to see a video of a modern Hungarian-style horse bow being used, here’s a good one: