KENDAL, Sask. — It’s a sport that makes riders feel like outlaws from the Wild West.
Cowboy mounted shooting comes complete with revolvers, horses and gunpowder. However, the guns are loaded with black powder blanks with a range of three metres and the bandits are in the form of balloons.
“Every kid wanted to be Wyatt Earp or Billy the Kid and in some small way, this gives you a taste of what that might have been like,” said Cain Quam, a member of the Saskatchewan Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
Cowboy mounted shooting combines the sports of barrel racing and revolver shooting as riders race through a course at high speed, shooting at 10 mounted balloons. Black powder blanks are shot from single-action .45 long Colt guns, with five seconds being deducted from a rider’s time if a balloon target is missed.
The sport has been popular in the United States for many years, but a Saskatchewan chapter wasn’t formed until 2009 when a small group of enthusiasts led by Dean Dahlstrom formed the SCMSA. The association, led today by Frank Bullin, has 58 members and three district clubs at Regina, Saskatoon and Paradise Hill.
“A lot of it is getting your horse really broke because if you can’t get that horse exactly where you want him, it’s going to be hard to hit your target,” said Quam, a professional horse trainer.
In Canada, it is illegal to shoot a gun from the back of a horse. However, cowboy mounted shooting is an exception to that rule because blanks are used.
“The horse will definitely jump the first few times you shoot off of them, but if you’ve prepared them well and they have a good amount of confidence, they’ll handle it quickly,” said Quam.
Gary Charnock, a recreational horse enthusiast, recently took up the sport.
“It’s instant gratification because even if you miss the balloon, you’ve still just shot a gun off your horse and that alone is exhilarating,” he said.
Charnock and Quam said more competitions and a provincial championship are expected in the future as the sport gains popularity.
Safety is paramount in the sport, with all participants requiring a Restricted Possession and Acquisition Licence.
Anyone participating in the sport must be older than 18 years old and a member of the SCMSA for insurance purposes and must ride at an accredited arena.
“You need to be able to ride a horse, but you don’t need to be a professional horse rider.”
With six approved facilities in Saskatchewan, Charnock said more people are hearing about the sport.
“I think awareness is growing and the other thing that is going to help is if a few trainers get involved.”
Quam started the sport both for fun and to teach others. He has offered a cowboy mounted shooting clinic at his Kendal, Sask., arena and hopes to do more in the future.
While the technical aspects of the sport, like the 65 different courses, are of interest to Quam, he said mounted shooting is also about riding like the cowboys did in the movies.
“When you get on that horse, you have visions of being the wildest cowboys around.”
