By Tania Phillips
It’s tough enough to ride a horse for some of us but Warwick-based horsewoman Kimberly Roberton not only rides she also shoots arrows while cantering and she’s about to find out just how good she is at it.
Robertson is on her way to the Australian Horse Archery Association National Championships at Cheshunt near Wangaratta in Victoria this weekend.
It is the first time she has been able to compete in the Australian titles since taking up the sport in 2017.
“It’s called horse archery or mounted archery,” she said.
“I started in 2017 as a means to meet more people social more and do more stuff with my horses.
“I never really got into jumping or pony club or any sort of other discipline where as this was just something fun and interesting to do.
“I’d done archery before and I thought this was pretty cool, mixing the two together so I started off there.
“We formed a club and we’ve been operating once a month shoots down at Laidley Showgrounds.
“It’s just a really fun community environment but it’s also a developing sport.”
Robertson said this was the first time she had been to the Australian titles she’d been to and admitted to being both nervous and excited.
“The last Australian titles they had last year, I think they were in Canberra and it was quite short notice so we didn’t make it,” she said.
“The time before was pre-Covid – 2019 on the Gold Coast and I wasn’t available to compete.”
Robertson will compete in the canter class.
“Everyone will compete in the same events, the only real difference is the speed at which you do them – either walk, trot or canter,” she said.
“I’m competing in canter, it’s a little bit more fast-paced than walk or trot. You can do it at a gallop if you want to. If you do it at a gallop you get more time points but obviously you might not get as many arrows or score as well on your arrows so all be trying to canter nice and slow so I can get in the best shots I can.
“It’s definitely exciting and a bit scary and exciting the first time you do it at a canter – walk and trot it’s nice and easy – you’re just poking along.”
Robertson is travelling down with fellow club member Stephanie Batterham from the Horse Archery Queensland Lockyer Valley Club taking her horse Chiko and Batterham’s horse Ayra. The pair will compete from Friday through to Sunday.
Once they return Batterham, Robertson and their coach Lyndon Blake are set to host a Horse Archery clinic at Warwick Pony club on the 19 May
