About DWSW

DESERT WARRIORS of the SOUTHWEST is a club Diana Troyk started in 2010.  Team members are all members of MA3, (Mounted Archery of the Americas).

What could be more exciting than running with your horse and feeling the wind in your hair while drawing a bow, only to release your arrow to the dead center of a target? Not only are you one with your horse but you also only hear the beating of your heart in tune with your horse’s hooves, along with the south of hitting the target. 

Today in the US,  Mounted Archery has grown tremendously. We have skilled Instructors, state of the art training courses, and belong to the International Alliance.  We are always looking for those horse lovers fired up into wanting to learn the ancient sport and compete throughout the country and the world.  

In 2002, Lukas Novotny held the first clinic in the US and in 2007, The "Mounted Archery Association Of The Americas" was formed. Lukas is one of the founders of Mounted Archery, and one of the best bow makers in the world for horse archery with the Saluki bow Company.

In 2010, Oregon held the first International Mounted Archery Competition, thanks to Dr. Holm Neumann.  It was a great success having competitors from United States, South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Mongolia, Poland and Canada to name a few. Competitors ages ranged from 14 to 63!

There are different styles of events such as The Raid, The Tower, The Qabaq, and the Mogu. The Qabaq is a 27-foot pole with an 18-inch cymbal on top that you must shoot at. The Mogu is a ball made of sticks covered with canvas pulled by a fellow competitor and chased by two other competitors with two arrows each with paint.  One shooting right handed and the other shooting left (luck of the draw).

Most archers shoot with the old traditional way of the Mongols with a thumb release. However there are those who still favor the three-finger release. We use recurve bows ranging from 26 -35 lbs. for women and 35 – 45 lbs. for men.  Rules allow you to  use a hip, sash or back quiver.

There is no special breed of horse that needs to carry you and there is no gender preferred. The joy is the love of  your horse and your bow. Your horses are your partners and are trained not to be afraid of the flying arrows or bow sounds and are to be ridden without reins.  Horses are trained to keep an even speed down the track. All scores are a combination of accuracy and speed. Horses can be shared among competitors.

For all the riders out there who want a fun challenge, come join the Desert Warriors and help start a momentum in our country of a sport that changed the world.