Found the horses to be at least as impressive as the riders/shooters.

The fastest growing equestrian sport in the US...I just might have to join the CMSA!

Note that the contestant at 1.50 in the video, doesn't appear to care if she's Amelia Earhart / or not.

I like to see talents that can be used in the real world, like this, good stuff.
;)

Obviously not standard firearms in use - so what are they? Airsoft specials? Note how in some of the shots at the end of the runs, the balloons are higher than the shooters, it seems. Just because the balloon is hit, doesn't mean the lead bullet suddenly stops flying, yaknowhutimean?

maybe they are "Annie Oakley " loads which I read somewhere were wax with pellets embedded in them, good for spread and therefore accurate within an inaccurate shot and good in an arena too.airsofts dont smoke.

Were I not married already I would be on the hunt. Something about a girl, a horse and a gun...

Here is the details. How long before this sport comes to Canada?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iihCQlPFIMk&feature=player_embedded

Urban skills training? I know of a couple of streets that would be safer even with wax pellets.

Easy Jay, there are HRC's out there listening and watching, and you are beginning to sound just a little too normal.

Now that's talent, those people are fantastic.

If that's a growing equestrian sport then that's just great!! The anti-everything weenies are losing.

@ cal: This sport is already in Canada IIRC. Cowboy Shooting Sports is also pretty popular here in Ontario and NE U.S..

@ROBYN

Can you back up this claim?

Also where is this and how the hell can i do this?

Sign me up anyone got some contact information i am in airdrie alberta.

I bet it would be FAR more popular if they were to have some specific politicians take the place of the balloons. Even if it IS only black powder blanks...

Thanks, Kate, for showing us these beautiful animals, people, and guns! Guts and grit are what we need, not pantywaist posturing. Yeehaw, indeed!

They must use small shot or sand as some of the shooting is in an arena and therefor cant carry very far or it would injure spectators.

The tip-off that those guns are mini shot scatter guns is that there absolutely no kick when fired and there is a lot of smoke to indicate some sort of low intensity load.

That doesn't take away from their riding skills and I suppose it does take a bit of practice to consistently hit the targets, but I believe there is about a two foot spread on the shot, it's hard to miss once you have some experience.

Also, I seriously doubt that real .45, .41, or .44 cal. loads which are common to those single action cowboy guns would be safe for the audiences. Not to mention the 30.30 cal rifle.

This is a bit of Naascar in a coral.

It's a neat spectator sport that requires specialized riding skills, not to mention "gun shy" horses are out.

Neat stuff. The Cowboy Action shooting is with real bullets and is shot in a range facility made to look like the old west and is neat as heck.

My dad retold my grand-dad's witness of Buffalo Bill's visit to England...prior to dad's birth.
Buffalo Bill on horse back was shooting overhead , with his pistol, glass balls thrown by a following rider.
Dad was somewhat deflated when I reminded him that fine birdshot was a common load for those SA's.
However he brightened up to recount the account of one of the show's mounted "indians" swiftly stopping a run-away team. The "indian" was bare-back.
The runaway was not staged and injured several people. The runaway was not associated with the shooting....Runaways were/are a common hazard.
The Queens state carriage is drawn by mounted teams.....for genuine safety reasons.
Modern parade equine features such as the brewery "hitches" feature at least one walking groom for every horse in the hitch...and a heavily ballasted wagon equiped with modern hydraulic truck brakes as an anchor.

But would the guns be useful in the back of a pickup mounted with Night lights?

Mounted skill at arms may sound quaint and antiquated, but where terrain denies access to powered vehicles, this may still be a useful skill. Maybe we should train a few small units and send them to afghanistan. They can then acquire mounts from local sources and REALLY chase the Talibunnies into the ground. The will to do whatever it takes to get the buggers (as opposed to just holing up in bases and shuffling convoys around on the roads) would really make an impression on them.

These folks should be patrolling Toronto. The homeless urine capitol of the World. Vancouver comes in a close second.
This group would clean em out in a thrice.
JMO

Cowboy action shooting: http://www.coon-n-crockett.org/cowboy.htm
The guns are regular revolvers and lever action rifles of the late 1800's replicas. The gunpowder used is basic Black, that is a saltpeter and sulfur combination, or more likely one of the many modern substitutes such as Hodgeon's 777. They must be shooting some type of fine shot such as #9 bird shot or salt.

Hey Kate, was that you?

If you folks are interested in Cowboy Action Shooting or Mounted Shooting go to "sassnet.com"
Most mounted shooters load walnut shells as the projectile(s)'
Paul in YYC, go see the folks at Pro-line. If any of you folks ever get out to the "Island" come and visit us at Boomtown.

Slim

Just as a reminder, until about a 100 years ago a similar competition was an actual event in the Olympic Games!

These guys and gals are good but the best were Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in the Saturday matinee movies I attended as a kid (admission 10 cents). They could shoot from the waist from the back of a galloping horse and knock revolvers from bad guys' hands without drawing a drop of blood. And their targets were not static balloons. Then they could haul out guitars and accompany themselves in a song. Now that was riding and shooting.