Flying Hooves Archery

03/27/2023

Thank you so much to everyone who came out and supported us at the the second annual Viking Experience Festival! We had an absolute blast performing each day, even with some weird weather conditions. I am so proud of my student, Luna, for stepping up and riding Woody in the performance so I could handle Flame's anxiety from the ground. Woody isn't always an easy horse to control at a faire environment, but she did a great job of working with him and ending on a fantastic note.
It was truly a group effort to make everything run as smoothly as it did. Thank you to my lovely volunteers for coming out and helping with crowd control and set up/breakdown, even in the pouring rain.
Thank you so much to the The Viking Experience for putting together this wonderful festival! We had so much fun and look forward to more demos in the future!

12/22/2022

Looking for a last minute holiday gift?

I have limited availability for mounted archery lessons starting in the new year! I teach ages 7 and up, no archery experience required. Lessons are held at our barn in Willow Springs, NC.

Our Holiday Special pricing is available through February 1st, 2023, at 4 lessons for $200 (normally $60/ea). After-school and weekend timeslots fill quickly, so please contact me soon to get scheduled!

12/22/2022

Meet the horses of Flying Hooves!

Sheiks Sportster - Woody
Breed: American Quarter Horse
Gender: Gelding
Height: 15.2
Color: Flaxen chestnut with plenty of chrome
DOB: April 30th, 2004
Nicknames: Woodford, Golden Boy, Bean
Favorite treat: Almost anything, except bananas! Woody really likes watermelon in the summer and leftover candy canes in the winter. At renaissance faires, he must have a nice cold beer to perform his best!
Itchiest spot: Woody is a little touchy at first, but once you get to know him, he loves scratches on his withers.
Weirdest habit: Woody knows what a camera looks and sounds like, and will stop and pose in front of one.

Woody is a bit of an all rounder! He has done both Western and English, with a little reining, a little jumping, some ranch work, and dressage before starting archery. He has been in archery/combat training for around seven years. He is super steady and adjustable on the archery track and is perfect for beginner archers. He is a bit aloof at first, but once you get to know him, he loves to work hard for his rider!

12/22/2022

Meet the horses of Flying Hooves!

Dons Jetalito Bar - Flame
Breed: American Paint Horse
Gender: Gelding
Height: 15.3
Color: Chestnut Overo
DOB: April 23rd, 2006
Nicknames: Flameo, Baby Boy, Goober
Favorite treat: Anything he can put his mouth on, except watermelon. He loves bananas and peppermints the most!
Itchiest spot: Don’t worry, Flame will show you! Usually his neck right under his mane and his tummy are his go-tos, but he also likes his withers and chest scratched. He loves pets right on his face.
Weirdest habit: Flame will fall asleep almost anywhere when he’s comfortable and relaxed, even with a rider! If you stroke his face and hum to him, he’ll fall asleep with his head on you. He loves to listen to folk music and snooze the day away.

Flame is a sweet, steady horse with slow, smooth gaits. Unfortunately, Flame has a muscle condition known as PSSM, which limits his participation in lessons. He still makes an appearance every now and then, and his favorite things are trail rides and jumping in the field! He has done some archery but has a few things to work through on the track before he is solid and steady.

07/01/2020

Woody would like everyone to know exactly what he thinks about the heat this week...

06/24/2020

How awesome is this? Gayle is all the way in Germany, sharing her love and knowledge of mounted archery over there! Congratulations!!

Meet and Greet
💼The Teachers - part 1💼
Meet Gayle Placke from North Carolina. Growing up on a Paint Horse farm with a family breeding and showing, she got in contact with horses as early as 4 years old. She enjoyed her time learning as much as possible about horses, participating in classes like barrel race, halter, western pleasure and hunt seat. But most of all she discovered her love for mounted archery. Gayle has an AQHA mare called Arya back in the States. She is as excited to meet you all as we are excited to ad her to the team.

Meet and Greet
💼Die Reitlehrer- Teil 1💼
Willkommen Gayle Placke aus North Carolina. Aufgewachsen auf einer Paint Horse Farm mit einer Züchter- und Showfamilie kam sie schon im Alter von 4 Jahren mit Pferden in Kontakt. Sie nützte die Zeit, um so viel wie möglich über Pferde zu lernen und showte in Klassen wie Barrel Race, Halter, Western Pleasure und Hunt Seat. Am meisten faszinierte sie jedoch das Bogenschießen zu Pferd. Gayle hat eine Quarter Stute namens Arya in den Staaten. Sie freut sich genauso, alle kennen zu lernen wie wir uns über sie als Neuzugang freuen.

06/08/2020

One of our newest archers, Rhiannon! This is her first time shooting from horseback.

01/16/2020

Great read for everyone!!
With all my 💙 from Germany 😘

Congratulations to Anna Minkkinen for completing her thesis! Many thanks to her for making her document widely available in both Finnish and English. It is an excellent resource for our growing sport on how to train effectively and to practise archery with a reduced risk of injury. A must read document for coaches and horsearchers alike.

http://www.esraja.fi/?page_id=310