Cowboy Mounted Shooting

Jim Rogers and Tom Neuman of RevitaVet

The history of this sport began in the 1990s. Jim Rogers of Scottsdale, AZ invented the idea of the sport, and a group that called themselves the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association formed. They enjoyed creating games that combined shooting with riding their horses. 

Cowboy Mounted Shooting has become a popular equestrian sport. It involves the negotiation of a challenging fast paced pattern where galloping riders shoot using an old fashioned single action revolver, at ten balloon targets with blank ammunition that is specialized to break the balloon within twenty feet, but not beyond. Each rider is allowed two revolvers with five blank cartridges. Penalties come in the form of barrels that are knocked over, missed targets, or going off of the patterned course in the arena. The fastest time with the least amount of penalties, determines the winner.

In the beginning, the mandatory competitor’s outfit, consisted of early styles of clothing of the American West. Now, modern cowboy clothing with a long-sleeved shirt, cowboy hat and chinks or chaps is all that is required.

Safety is emphasized and overseen by a Mounted Range Officer. This person must be educated in good horsemanship, firearm safety, and event organization. This person’s job it to make sure that the safety of everyone involved, including competitors, mounts, spectator and volunteers is ensured.

 Other events include: Mounted Rife. Mounted Shotgun, Extreme Cowboy, Team and Cart Shooting. Competitors move up into higher levels, according to winnings, in order to preserve a level of fairness. Divisions according to gender and age are also available and each division pays out in Jackpot competitions.

Western Shooting Magazine is a national publication that is dedicated to this sport and is published seven times per year.

So what does it take to become involved in Cowboy Mounted Shooting? Good horsemanship skills and the ability to hit a target  while shooting a blank filled gun are all that are needed to become involved in this fun fast paced sport.

To find out more contact: The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association http://www.cowboymountedshooting.com/home/

 

 

 

Winter Tips for Your Horse

In many parts of the country it is bitterly cold this year. Here are some tips to help your equine friend make it through.

Although normally cold weather planning begins earlier in the year, especially the fall, there are still some cold weather management tips that can be put into practice now.

 There are two types of cold to consider. Acute cold weather is the type that comes on suddenly, like in a cold snap. Chronic cold weather stays in a locality for a long period of time. Often it is the acute weather that is the most hazardous because the horses are not used to it and owners are not as prepared.

No matter which type you are experiencing this winter season you need to make sure that your horse has suitable shelter, dry bedding, good quality feed, and access to clean water. During the cold winter season your horse should eat between 1.5 to 2 percent of his or her body weight daily in order to maintain a good weight. What is known as the lower critical temperature is the point at which a mature horse, having had time to acclimate to the cold, can tolerate a drop to 5 degrees fahrenheit. Anything below this, the horse must increase calories in order to produce more heat or reduce heat loss to retain their core body temperature. A good rule of thumb is that when the temps drop to minus 5 degrees add another 2 to 3 more pounds of hay per day. Extra forage is great for those cold snaps; however, if the hay is limited, a concentrated feed may be gradually added to their diet.

Horses going through an acute cold weather condition need to be watched carefully. Remember it is always easier to add some weight to a horse to help them get through those cold winter months earlier in the season, such as the fall, rather than try to keep their weight up when the cold weather hits and the calories start dropping off of them. This practice is known as “bulking up for winter.” If you have any questions about doing this, contact your veterinarian.

If you choose to blanket your horse during the long winter months, be sure that the blanket is both waterproof and windproof.  A blanket that allows your horse to get wet and cold can greatly affect their ability to maintain their core body temperature, so be sure to repair any small holes with tape used for repairing tents and other heavily used outdoor equipment.  This kind of tape can often be found at sporting goods stores. It’s always a good idea to keep an extra blanket on hand in case your horse rips his blanket so badly that it cannot be repaired. Once you start blanketing during the cold weather it is important to continue doing so until the weather warms up.

If possible, keep a heater in your horses’ water, and add some loose salt to their diet. Most feed stores sell loose salt; it is relatively inexpensive, and even a small amount of table salt will do. These things will encourage your horse to drink and thus stave off the dreaded cold weather colic.

Using some of these tips to help your equine friend during the cold winter months will give you peace of mind and keep your horse happy and healthy.

How to Keep Your Barrel Racing Horse Calm Going to the Gate

Many barrel racing horses get highly agitated as they approach the gate into the arena. This type of agitated behavior can also be seen on many racehorses. They are anticipating the fun and excitement, the “high” of running the pattern and racing home to the finish line. However, this agitation can become a dangerous propensity for rearing and after a time the horse may become so difficult that the horse and rider must be led into the arena. Not only is this behavior hazardous and unsafe, it is also difficult to sell a horse that acts in such an unruly manner.

It is important to stop this type of behavior long before it gets started. Here are some ideas that you might consider doing with your young barrel prospect.

1.    Use the arena to work your horse in other stimulating exercises that keep him mentally and physically engaged. Don’t always just go to the arena just to run barrels.

2.    Change up your barrel racing practice by just walking into the arena, trotting or loping around it, and then going on a trail ride one or two days a week.

3.    If you are already having problems, walk your horse in circles by the entrance of the arena. Be sure to ride in a relaxed manner. Ride so that you continue circling closer and closer to the gate. If you need to ride with two hands to keep your horse more relaxed, then do so. Once the horse is relaxed, walk quietly into the ring. Be sure to stay grounded and quiet yourself as you do this so that your horse does not react to tension in your body. Once inside the arena, stand the horse in front of the barrels. Repeat this as many times as is necessary until your horse stands calmly. Then simply leave the arena. Repeat these steps until the horse can go through the gate and be in front of the barrels without getting upset and agitated. Only after the horse has learned to stay cool and collected should you begin running your pattern again. Remember, running the barrels is the reward for your horse. They become addicted to it; therefore, changing their routine and doing other things with your equine friend is a great way to keep him or her mentally and physically grounded.

4.    Using the a RevitaVet pad over the poll area for 10 minutes on # 7 about an hour before showing, will generally calm a horse down dramatically, and in most cases, will remove the nervousness.  This method is applied currently for Event horses, Dressage, Barrel Racing horses, and in Thoroughbred racing.  Also a self contained PollCap works very well.  See the link attached or go to the pollcap page on the RevitaVet website:  http://revitavet.com/Pages/PollCap.html