I thought I understood challenging archery until I attended the 2025 IHAA World Championships in Lewisburg, Tennessee. Watching 50 elite archers from 20 countries shoot instinctively while galloping at full speed completely changed my perspective on what’s possible with a bow. These athletes faced three demanding disciplines: the lightning-fast Raid 235 where riders fire at multiple targets across 90 meters at full gallop, the precision-focused Tower 110 with its constantly changing distances to elevated targets, and the versatile Hunt Course combining jumps, natural terrain, and 3D targets. As a traditional archer, seeing this level of instinctive shooting under such extreme conditions was absolutely mind-blowing.

In my latest video, I break down what might be the most difficult archery competition in the world and explain why horseback archery takes everything we know about instinctive shooting and amplifies it to an almost impossible level. Whether you’re a traditional archer curious about extreme applications of our craft or simply want to see what elite instinctive archery looks like at 25+ mph, this video offers insights that’ll make your ground-based shooting feel a lot more manageable. Watch as these remarkable athletes demonstrate that when you combine split-second decision making, perfect form, and complete focus while managing a galloping horse, you get one of the most demanding athletic competitions on the planet.