Cowboys......Guns...........and Horses

I was going to post shift three in the horses finally getting out in the snow but since there was so much meltdown yesterday followed by freezing temperatures overnight, this place was not safe for high spirited horses to be getting their first taste of freedom since the big storms hit.

Instead I thought I'd do an informational post about an up and coming equestrian sport that I've had just a wee bit of exposure to over the last few years. Not that I've actually seen this sport but I've heard enough about it to be a bit curious. It is fast growing, not just in our country but across the world. AHA (the Arabian Horse Association) even did an article in their magazine The Modern Arabian Horse in their late summer edition. That sport would be Cowboy Mounted Shooting.

I have to admit when I first heard of this new sport at a Region 5 mini convention, I thought that it was just a few of the locals from eastern Washington getting together and goofing around a bit. I had no idea there was already a national organization,Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association or that the first organized competition had been back in 1992.

The AHA article The Ride to Bear Arms states new members are joining at the rate of about 5.5 per day. There are currently over 7,000 members. The organization needed to hire translators to field questions from such countries as Italy, Spain, Pakistan, New Brunswick, Iceland, Finland, China, Denmark, Switzerland and Holland with more new clubs forming in Canada, Sweden, Australia and Germany. Who knew? Certainly not me.

What I did know was onlybecause our mini convention hosted a luncheon that featured a fashion show with some selections suitable for the dress code for this sport as well as the usual horse show fare. That code consists of western wear from the late 1800s into the early 1900s. Also the revolvers used were in the style of the single action Colt revolver used by the cowboys of the old west. Contestants rode their horses over a timed, obstacle course where they shoot out balloons for score.

I can tell you the six page article in the AHA magazine had a whole lot more details than my first exposure. The informational video I've posted here explains about the sports and features a look at contestants riding actual courses.

Contestants have two, six guns loaded with five shots apeice. The weapons are carried in leather holsters. Riders have to be able to draw, empty one gun, holster it and draw the second weapon and empty that in the process of running their course. They are even beginning to have courses set up for contestants to fire rifles as well.

From the sounds of it this fast growing sport is worth looking into if you have a love of fast horses, guns and the old west. Mounted shooting affords the ability to combine these into an adventure designed to entertain the entire family.

There are divisions for beginners and old timers, youngsters and retirees and everything in between. Competitors compete for prizes at the shows. They also earn points that accumulate over the season for big prizes at the end........as their website says, points are important, you could win a Ford Truck!

The sport has its own magazine, Shoot! Magazine I found google listing for Mounted shooting lessons and training in Texas.

There is even a Hall of Fame So far only six horses have been inducted. One is an Arabian gelding, Witez Dynasty, inducted in 2001. The "beloved teammate and companion" of the founder, Frank Turben.

For more information on cowboy mounted shooting visit history Their major events in 2009 They also offer a stallion incentive program


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