Use of kalkan shield, part 2 – shield on a full length loop

I will now describe various ways of using kalkan shield while it is hanging on a full length loop worn across your shoulder.
It is important to remember, that this shield was part of warrior more or less complete system of defenses, typically consisting of aketon and helmet of some kind, possibly chainmail, vambraces etc. etc. On our photos we present kalkan placed over a white shirt, but this is only to show clearly how the loop is worn. Description is for a right-handed person.

1. Kalkan hanging freely:
you put fully extended loop across right shoulder, so the shield is hanging at your left hip. It is convenient to position the loop’s connection point (knot or buckle used to make a loop out of rope or thong) in the bottom, between rings – it will be used later as a kind of tag. You have to hang the shield with the wider of its two side grips facing upwards.
No matter what evolution we do with our shield, we never remove this loop from the shoulder, so it is not possible to lose the kalkan, even if we drop it by accident or release it to have both hands free – it is extremely important especially to the mounted warrior. The shield hanging on your left hip will not disturb you when using reins, shooting a bow or fencing, and only slightly interfere with drawing a saber from its sheath or a bow from bowcase, which will be partially covered.

Say hallo! to the reins extender - MUSTA'AN

I would like to show you a little gadget, which most of modern horse archers never used, or even never saw. This is because most of modern horse archery competitions are held on straight, fenced track, so basically in a controlled environment, in which it is not necessary to touch the reins in between subsequent shots. Rider will lead his horse into  the track, usually holding his bow in left hand and reins in right hand, start canter/gallop and then, just before starting line he will drop those reins loose onto horse’s neck, start shooting and only after the last target he will reach for reins, assuming that the slowing-down part of the track is long enough to find them, even if entangled in horse’s mane.
The reins are shortened by means of a knot or a mobile slider to prevent them from hanging too low and often, especially if the horse is galloping with its head low, their free end is tied to saddle front, or hooked over the pommel, if it is high enough. In this way we have our hands completely free to use bow and arrows and it seems to be the best way indeed to ride during this type of competitions.