by Rick Smith
Cowboy mounted shooting wraps its arms around several things near and dear to our hearts: family, horses, guns, and the romance of the old west. Even though it’s considered the fastest growing equestrian sport, so many horse folks have never heard of the sport. As of this writing, there are over four thousand members spread all over the country that trailer their shooting horses to different “shoots” competing in the exciting sport of cowboy mounted shooting.
One reason for the accelerated growth centers is sport offers something for the entire family. Since the riders are competing in their respective classes according to their gender, skill level and age, each participant has the opportunity to win their class and take home some cash or a prize buckle.
For someone who has never seen cowboy mounted shooting, the closest comparison would be to imagine a barrel racer shooting at balloons while running the course. The riders are running their horse in this timed event through a course that has been setup according to a layout in the rule book. The rider is dressed in “old west” period type clothing and has two holstered .45 caliber single action revolvers. Each revolver is loaded with five rounds of blank ammunition. The ammo is loaded only with coarse black powder which will burst the balloons up to about 15 ft. The rider is looking at 10 balloons when he breaks the timer, hoping to shoot all 10 balloons while navigating through the course as quickly as pony and pistol allow. It’s a 15 – 20 second ride that is more exciting than a litter of spring puppies. The wrangler class, which is 12 and under, does not actually fire the revolvers, but are encouraged to point their revolvers at the balloons during their ride.
The courses or “stages” as they are called, are changed after all the shooters have run that stage. There are over 50 different stages in the rule book. A lottery drawing at the beginning of the shoot determines which stages will be run. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the sport. The horse and rider are not running the same stage all the time.
Safety is of utmost importance in cowboy mounted shooting. Each shoot begins with a safety meeting with all the riders attending and reviewing all the safety rules. Every precaution possible is taken to assure riders and horses are competing in a safe environment.
The people involved in the sport are some of the friendliest helpful people you will ever meet. The family atmosphere offers new shooters the perfect environment to get involved with much needed coaching and assistance. When I first decided to try the sport, I was amazed how many shooters offered to help with guns, tack, clothing, and even their horse. It is truly a wonderful group of people that will do everything they can to help a new shooter. The national association is the “Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association” or CMSA. The local clubs across the country are members of the CMSA and abide by the published rules. Most states have at least one club with several states having multiple clubs. All affiliated clubs across the country can be found at www.cowboymountedshooting.com. under “find a club near you”. I’m a member of the Tennessee Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association or TNCMSA. We are fortunate to have one of the largest clubs in the country with excellent leadership. The shooters are just everyday folks with regular jobs who love the sport. Any one interested in learning more about the sport can contact our club at tncmsa.com. We have practice shoots where anyone can attend and learn what all this excitement is about.
The South Central Regional Championship Shoot is being held at Calsonic Arena in Shelbyville, TN Oct 15 th and 16 th. The TNCMSA is having a “warm-up” shoot on Friday night Oct 14 th at the same location. This would be a great opportunity to check out this fast paced exciting sport.
