First horseback archery world qualifier held in El Prado
The first-ever World Horseback Archery Federation World Cup Qualifier held in Taos County took place over the weekend at Wumaniti Earth Native Sanctuary, 71B Lower Las Colonias Road in El Prado.
Eleven athletes competed for a spot in Group 4 of the 2025 World Horseback Archery Federation World Cup Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 10-11). Group 4 includes athletes from across North and South America, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Argentina. However, due to other competitors’ issues with immigration, only Canadians and Americans competed in the Taos County qualifier. The top three competitors from each country will be allowed to compete in the world cup.
Four Canadians and seven Americans competed among the eleven. Representing the Americans were seven archers: Chris Hefferman; Helmuth “Trey” Schilchting; Alex Stover; Sergey Lozovich; Gracelyn LeDoux; Paul Katona; and Wumaniti Sanctuary’s own Kristin DiFerdinando, also known as Gemma Ra’Star.
“I hope it starts off as smoothly as possible,” Ra’Star said, fletching her arrows prior to the tournament. “I hope everything runs gracefully, that everyone is safe and the athletes rides safely on their horses.”
Before the games started, the 42-year-old Stover could be seen practicing his shots and draws unmounted. A scientist by profession, Stover has been a hobbyist archer since he was seven and has been competing in mounted archery for seven years. He said he already knew a few competitors — like Schilchting, Ra’Star, and even the Canadians — from previous competitions. His aim: to set a personal record this year.
“They’re very good friends of mine. I’ve also been up to Canada and competed on their properties,” Stover said. “The competitors all help each other out a lot.
It’s a very tight-knit community, even though it’s atomized worldwide. I want to also support all my teammates and the Canadians.”
It was clear from the athletes’ interactions at the weekend tournament that the world of horseback archery is small, as many were seen chatting and comparing notes prior to the competition.
But there was also rivalry on display with the Canadian team and the Americans, for example, exchanging some friendly trash talk as they set up targets.
“Oh, I think we’re gonna beat these Americans,” Lance Bishop said.
“It’s an ancient skill that isn’t necessarily needed in the modern world,” he added, “and so we get together to celebrate the mutual enjoyment of the sport.”
Bishop is a trail guide from the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, eastward from the coast of Maine. He teaches horseback archery to beginners. Lia Blackett, another trail guide from the province of British Columbia, just north of Washington state, echoed her teammate’s sentiment about the camaraderie among the archers.
“We’re here to win, but we’re also here to have a fun time, shoot and ride with some great friends,” Clarke said.
The WHAF Judge Amali Raschke is from South Africa. She said she’s judged competitions worldwide and had met many of the competitors previously through past tournaments. Raschke lived in America in 1988 but did not get to see the Western U.S. and said judging the El Prado competition was a chance to see the region for the first time.
Raschke explained why horseback archery isn’t as prevalent in the U.S. as supposed to countries like Mongolia, where the art of mounted combat holds ancient roots and was cemented into history through the bloody conquests of Genghis Khan.
“It’s a nomadic sport,” Raschke said. “It’s a sport that is performed by mostly nomadic countries and people. To some, it is still very much their day-to-day lives there: riding, farming and hunting with horses. In our Westernized countries such as Europe, America and to some extent Africa, we have cars. So horses have become more recreational.”
She said she loves what she does. In between events, she helped retrieve arrows from the field.
“I have the best seat in the house as a judge,” she said. “I see everything first, and I’m very privileged on it. It’s a big trust that these athletes put in me because my job is to ensure that everything is fair.”
“It’s a nomadic sport. It’s a sport that is performed by mostly nomadic countries and people. To some, it is still very much their day-to-day lives there: Riding, farming and hunting with horses. In our Westernized countries such as Europe, America, and to some extent Africa, we have cars. So horses have become more recreational.” Amali Raschke, WHAF judge, World Horseback Archery Federation
Results
The tournament started with the track riders follow with three differently angled targets: front, side and back. The track is designed to test the archer’s dexterity and hip movement. All tracks measured at 99 meters in length.
Topping this section was Hefferman with 152.02, followed by Bishop in second with 151.68 and Schilchting in third. Clarke and Blackett took fourth and fifth place, respectively, for the Canadians, while Ra’Star took sixth place — despite a broken shooting finger.
The results repeated in the serial shot section: Hefferman (42.61), Bishop (40.98), and Schilchting (39.52), in first, second and third, respectively. Clarke and Blackett took fourth and fifth again, scoring 32.92 and 24.07. Sixth place went to Lozovich, this time with a 22.06.
Finally, the Qabaq archery course consisted of targets above and below the archer’s waist. For this track, Schilchting scored high for the U.S. with 18.82; Hefferman was right behind him with 14.52; and the third went to Clarke with 12.72. Bishop took third in this track with 11.48; LeDoux placed fifth overall with 10.84; and Blackett placed sixth with 9.01.
All scores were tabulated to determine the three champions for both countries who will qualify for the 2025 World Horseback Archery Federation World Cup. Chris Hefferman, Helmuth “Trey” Schilchting, and Gemma Ra’Star were the top performers for the U.S. Lance Bishop, Sarah Clarke and Lia Blackett will represent the Canadians in the World Cup. The U.S. team took the overall victory over the Canadians with 471.48 points against Canada’s 442.49.
Wumaniti Earth Native Sanctuary will host an open house next Friday (Aug. 23) for horseback archery. Ra’Star said the Mongolian archers will be on hand to teach and assist newcomers interested in learning more about this ancient art.