I think you'll get a universal response of starting on basic recurve where you can build up in weight and develop your technique BEFORE grabbing a horsebow.

 

I went that route and ended up selling my brand new "horse bow" within 1 month. I'm happily shooting bear recurve now. but you might have different experience.

 

An Asiatic ("horsebow") bow is really not much harder to shoot than a modern recurve. It is a bit harder to string safely. I shoot both. The only real difference is that you have to be very careful about consistent placement of the bow hand, because it's your rest and if it moves around that's going to have the same effect as the shelf wandering on a modern bow. You'll probably need much lower spine arrows with an Asiatic, because your arrow won't rest anywhere near center. There is a dynamic spine calculator mentioned frequently around here that will get you in the neighborhood before you spend a lot on arrows. Make sure to use feathered arrows. And finally, you really need a bow hand glove. A simple leather work glove will do, but you will notice that they usually have a tendency to bunch inconsistently right where the arrow rests. Booo, hiss. I use a Legacy Leather bow hand glove when shooting Asiatics, inexpensive and it gets the job done.

Asiatics really aren't a bad place to start, if you like that kind of thing. I do. You can get some good deals on Chinese and Hungarian bows online. The ~$100 Asiatics you see on Ebay are just fine. My first Asiatic was a Chinese hundred dollar special. Well made, reasonable shooter, and it's still with me. They have solid glass limbs, so they're a bit slower than the laminated bows you start seeing as you approach $200. Most of the Kassai bows are solid glass. Rule of thumb - if the description of an Asiatic bow does not explicitly include the word "laminated", it's got glass limbs.

I'd go the cheap route first, a Chinese special, then skip past the glass limbed models to something laminated if I decide I like it. My personal experience a bit higher up the price curve is with Grozer and Flagella Dei bows, both Hungarian, both still quite reasonably priced. It seems hard to go wrong with either one.

 

They're very fun bows but bow hand grip is critical vs on conventional recurves - got my first bow in March to sort out the bugs then moved to a heavier weight pricier one after that - i haven't shot anything other than Korean bows as they're touted as the fastest design & I wanted to go with lighter weights - I've placed a few posts under Kaya KTB here on AT but other options are to search under the horsebow, Grozer, Kassai & Hwarang tags ... if you're interested in Chinese style bows the Ming era series produced by Cinnabar bows have been well rated but there's a year long wait ... have fun - M

 

KTB's should be fast, with those carbon limbs. I'm thinking about picking one up. I haven't seen many chronograph results though. The only test I found was with a KTB 45#, drawn to about 30 inches (so effective weight was a bit higher than nominal) and 330 grain arrows - about 205 fps. Quite respectable, if not shattering - though I'd be really nervous shooting 330 grain arrows from a draw in the low 50's...

The solid glass limbed low end bows are rather slow - but good enough to let you know if you like the style. My first Asiatic, a Zhang Li (66# @ 30") only manages 161 fps with 467 grain arrows. I still like that bow - just have to loft a bit.

On the other hand, some of the inexpensive laminated Asiatics are quite competitive. My Flagella Dei Hun (pretty much a garden variety "c" shaped Asiatic, 55# @ 30") pops 444 grain arrows out at 193 fps. Most laminated Asiatics shoot perhaps 10fps slower than quality modern recurves.

Moving from the low end up to laminated Asiatics, if speed is important, look either for explicit Fastflight capability (like the KTB, very rare otherwise) or make sure the string nocks are horn or phenolic reinforced. A low stretch string really helps these things, but isn't safe for most of the simple wood siyahs you see on many - even high end - bows. I had to rebuild the siyahs on my Hun after one shattered with a low stretch string. Phenolic inserts now, and horn reinforcements. I lost 4fps (originally 197fps) after the rebuild, but it's solid as a rock with a Fastflight string now.

 

Archery is hard enough when you aren't fighting the equipment. Stick with a modern design take-down recurve for your first bow.

And yes, I've owned/shot some of the best horsebows in the business. Fun if you know what you are doing, but not comparable in accuracy to even the cheapest standard recurve.

-Grant

 

They’re fun, and very challenging.

If you’re tolerant and easy-going about not shooting well, and if you can learn for your mistakes, it’s a great style, but if you want instantaneous results, look elsewhere.

 

Grantmac and Dao are correct. You will not have the accuracy of a modern recurve when using an Asiatic bow. And yes, it's easier to start with something like a Samick Sage (which I started with), but it simply isn't _that_ different using something like an Asiatic. If it's what tickles your fancy - go for it.

We all do this for different reasons. Asiatic bows appeal to some of us regardless of that fact that they are somewhat more difficult to use. They truly are - somewhat. Any traditional recurve user who's tried both will understand this, but anyone who chooses any recurve over a compound is already choosing to forgo ultimate accuracy and hitting power.

Asiatics are not all that much harder to use than modern recurves. They have three real issues: Asiatics are lighter, particularly in the grip area, and will always exhibit some shock compared to modern recurves. That makes things harder. The fact your hand is the arrow rest means you have to be more careful with hand placement. That makes things harder. Finally, they tend to be short - so they are unforgiving of release issues. That makes things harder.

Yes, they're less accurate. Yes, they're harder to use. But these issues simply aren't as bad as some comments might lead one to expect. Expect Asiatic groups to be about half again as large as with a modern recurve. That's what I experience. Just expect it, and you won't be disappointed. I go back and forth between modern recurves and Asiatics. I enjoy both. I have absolutely zero interest in the most accurate, powerful choice - the compound. I don't own one, have never tried one. Compounds simply do not interest me.

If the aesthetics of an Asiatic are important to you, as they are to me, - go for it. Use the bow that makes you happy.

 

Nothing but fantastic advice from everyone above.
I count myself a good horse bow shooter as compared to the local traditional shooters I've seen.
I started with a cheap take down recurve that I added components to as I could afford. Went to compound to do some advancement in skill and knowledge. I enjoy 3D and paper competition. Then explored pure basic archery from my Sammick SKB horsebow. Trick shots are fun shots! Understanding archery will help you excel, however one need not understand what they're doing in order to be a naturally good archer.

Take in all the great advice, follow your heart and then go stick some bales.
It's hard to go wrong when you grow into the sport from there.