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/