Fifty athletes from all over Europe took to the field to compete in the 2022 European Archery Championships on horseback organized by the IHAA, the international federation of this discipline, in Gauchoux in France.
Archery European Championships, a Saronnese among the Azzurri
The best horse archers gathered in Gauchoux for a competition that includes three specialties: tower, raid and hunt.
The Tower, a trial in which galloping riders must shoot as many arrows as possible at three targets placed on a tower while traveling at full speed on a 90m long track.
The Raid, where speed and precision are needed to hit the targets placed on the 150m long track, in the shortest possible time.
The Hunt, a 1.5 km long country course in which archers on horseback gallop to hit targets and three-dimensional shapes of game, even by jumping obstacles and facing sudden changes in slope.
The national team participated in this event with three athletes from all over Italy.
“The sporting performance was more than positive for the riders – commented by Francesina – who were able to live a unique experience thanks to the comparison with the best archers on horseback from the old continent”.
Saronno was well represented by a junior athlete who lives and trains in Saronno at the La Francesina horse racing association, one of the few schools that offers this discipline in Italy. Under the guidance of Frederik Durandriding instructor and expert in horse archery, Silvia Beans participated in the European Championships obtaining a good overall performance and resulting the best of the blue team.
Anyone who loves nature, outdoor sports and horses should try their hand at this challenging and fun sporting activity; at the Francesina every day there are children, teenagers and adults who train to hit the target. In mid-October the next sporting commitment of the Francesina competitive team, at the 2022 National Championships which will take place in Rome.
