With a six-foot English longbow made of seasoned heart of red yew, which was so valued that it was protected as a war material, a skilled archer could shoot as far as four hundred yards. From the time of William the Conqueror, archery was encouraged by English rulers and every adult male was required to own a longbow; in village archery contests every man strove to set a village record with the most accurate long shot. Thus long shot may have entered general speech as a synonym for any unusual or impossible feat, from a long archery shot that hit the mark dead center to a horse that won a race against great odds.