Cowboy Sport Catching On Fast

Cowboy Sport Catching On Fast AG WORLD 26-4-24 One of the nation's fastest growing outdoor sports is Cowboy Mounted Shooting. Just about everyone who sees it gets hooked and many go on to become competitors, says Frank Turben, Scottsdale, Arizona. Turben is a competitive shooter and also president of the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, Inc. (CMSA), a corporation created to develop rules and guidelines for the relatively new sport. As the name implies, the sport involves shooting targets from horseback. Contestants, both men and women, compete in timed events using two .45 caliber single action revolvers. Each revolver is loaded with five rounds of specially prepared blank ammunition to shoot 10 balloon targets. The first half of a course consists of five white balloons. It requires the horse and rider to stop, turn, change directions, and accelerate rapidly. The second half (five targets), called the "run down", is a straight course with targets (usually red balloons) set at 36-ft. intervals. While the ammunition used is blank, the black powder residue will pop the balloons. "Specifications for ammunition require that it must break a balloon at not less than 10 ft. and not more than 20 ft.," Turben says. That assures that targets are broken, but spectators in the stands aren't endangered. Typically, a competitor begins by crossing a timing beam at a full gallop. He or she then engages the first five targets, which can be set up anywhere in the arena. When they've fired the fifth shot, they return the empty revolver to a holster while galloping to and around a barrel. At that point, they race to the far end of the arena while drawing their second revolver. At the far end the horse and rider turn another barrel and then engage the five remaining targets of the run down at full speed. Scoring is based on elapsed time plus a five-second penalty for each target missed or barrel knocked over. An average course of fire normally takes a contestant between 30 and 35 seconds to complete. "Well-trained horses are important. You need a horse that doesn't react to the noise and will go where you tell him," Turben says. "While speed is important, it's not always the shooter with the fastest horse that wins." He says most mounted shooters ride quarter horses but adds, "the best horse I ever had for mounted shooting was an Arabian." Because the horse is such an important part of the team, CMSA also certifies shooting horses. Owners of these special horses are allowed to use the designation "CSH" following the horse's name on pedigrees and other breed documentation. Dress is also part of the competition. Contestants must wear clothing styles that were worn in the 1800's. At present, there are some 70 to 80 local and regional CMSA chapters. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Frank Turben, 29317 N. 154th Place, Scottsdale, Arizona 85262 (ph 480 471-0485; fax 480 471-0467; E-mail: president@ cowboymoutedshooting.com; Website: www.cowboymountedshooting.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.