I've been exposed to a bad influence
About 3 years ago, I was introduced to the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting by Anthony. It was the Single Action Shooting Society's annual "End of Trail" and he was competing at the event. At the time I was just learning how to ride a horse, so I was hardly in a position to try it out, but I was fascinated by the sport - and by the wardrobe. You see, to participate, each person dresses in clothing of the Old West (like photo at left, taken at End of Trail 1999). You also choose a shooting alias, hence the name "Cajun Fire" in honor of my heritage (Thanks, Dad!).
What in blazes is Mounted Shooting?
For those of you who might not know what mounting shooting is, I'll give a very brief description: think of barrel racing with guns - with blanks, of course. Now that is a very simplistic description of this high-adrenaline sport. Each competitor, carrying two single-action .45 caliber pistols loaded with blanks, rides a course that contains 2 sets of 5 balloons. The first set of balloons is set in a pattern that usually tests the competitor's control of the horse - serpentines, gates and barrel turns (or like the photo at right, an arrowhead). The second set of balloons is usually set in or near a straight line that tests the competitors ability to quickly work his guns (this is called the run-down).
Now, the first time I heard this I thought: "These people are crazy!" How can they shoot balloons and not hurt the spectators?" Well, depending upon the loads, the blanks carry for a distance of 4-8 feet, and it's the debris (usually ground shell and black powder) that pops the balloon. So, all you people thinking you might want to come and watch a competition, be assured that you're safe from the ammo.
Now that I've described the sport, you're probably thinking, "This sounds pretty easy, right?" Well...... it is and it ain't.
What the heck am I doing with these guns?
One of the fun challenges of the sport is that everyone uses single-action .45 caliber pistols. This means, for every shot you fire, you have to first cock the hammer. You can only shoot as fast as you can thumb the hammer. And remember, this is happening on a horse that is moving - sometimes at, as my friend Colin says, "good speed."
In each stage, there are only 10 balloons, so we load 5 rounds into each gun, leaving one chamber empty. This allows us to carry the guns on the empty chamber for safety purposes (no accidental shots), and gives us only one chance to hit each balloon - 5 rounds for 5 balloons. The blanks are supplied by the club sponsoring the event, so all loads are theoretically equal (nobody is coming in with more power than another), and the brass is returned so they can be reloaded for the next event (recycling is definitely part of the sport).
When I became interested in the sport, Anthony taught me how to shoot using live ammo, so he impressed upon me the gun safey protocols that should be followed. I also joined the The Single Action Shooting Society, which has been hosting live ammo Cowboy Action Shooting for 20 years without mishap. They have a series of rigorous gun-handling rules, all found in the Shooter's Handbook that comes with your membership. If you are interested, please write to them or visit their website. Many affiliated regional clubs have local shoots and clinics to teach you the basics. I highly recommend learning all you can about firearms on the ground before taking them up on horseback. You could say it's just good horse sense.
Mounted shooting, because of the nature of the targets, the movement, and the fact that blanks do not carry far, does not hold to the 180-degree rule. And since the blanks do not carry far, guns are carried either up in the air or pointed to the ground. But I always check upon loading to ensure I'm on the empty chamber. After all, when you're flying down the speed run, you don't have time to try twice for for one balloon.
I've got the guns, what about this horse riding stuff?
Before December 1997, I'd only had about 6 months of riding lessons when I was 12. I was quite a bit older when I got back into the saddle, but I was determined to learn how. I am still learning how. I've only been riding for 3 1/2 years, and what I don't know about horses could fill an ocean, but I'm enjoying the process and improving.
I started with some lessons (English and Western), graduated to include hair-raising trail rides with Anthony and Colin to up my learning curve, and began to slowly develop a "seat." Colin has a special "night ride" method of teaching riding confidence. He takes you out at night into the hills of Malibu and chases along the trails, which means you have to keep up. I'm here to tell you, when you can't see, you learn to paste your butt into the saddle. Colin and Anthony coaxed me to grow, little by little, and learn new skills. I couldn't count the number of times I wanted to chicken out on something and both of them said, "Come on, you can do this."
Not having a horse of my own, I've learned to compete on borrowed horses; they have been some wonderful horses owned by some generous members of the community. Thanks to Colin Dangaard ("Taipan") for Kelly, Lee Brown ("Gun Doc") for Buster, Joe Whiteley ("Gentleman Joe") for Hollywood and Sundance, and Melanie Brooker ("Retlaw's Dulcie Pie") for Dolly. Hats off to ya, fine cowboys and cowgirl!
Now, I think I'll try to put the guns and the horse together.
I first tried out the sport in September 1999, after joining the California Desperados Mounted Shooting Club. I got to run two practice runs at the Grizzly Summer Shootout in Simi Valley, CA. Colin loaned me his Arab Kelly, who he was competing on at the time. I wasn't good, but she was patient and I had a great time. What a rush! That put me on the road to my first real competition in November, 1999 at Five Dogs in Bakersfield, CA. Lee generously loaned me Buster (photo at right), a fuzzy Quarter horse that was ridden with a hackamore. He was faster than I could shoot (after all, it WAS my first event), so I spent much of the weekend trying to slow him down. I also learned some of the pitfalls:
If you don't keep balanced in the saddle, you will get thrown forward where your sash will catch on the saddlehorn and try to kill you.
If you pay too much attention to your gun change, your horse will do whatever he bloody well likes out there.
If you don't get that hammer back, you won't be able to do a durn thing with that gun.
Once you cross the beam a second time, you are done. There is no going back for any balloons.
I survived my first competition and was definitely looking forward to trying the sport again. A month later, Cowboy Christmas was held at the Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville, CA. The previous year had been blistering cold (so much that some friends had nicknamed it Victorchille), but this time, the weather was reasonable and I got to ride Buster again. This time, I handled him better and managed to work my guns a bit faster. I still was missing balloons, but I was definitely having fun. I even got 3rd place in the ladies' novice division (with award at left). I was tickled to no end by that.
And you know, the best thing about having a good experience with something is that you want to do it again. Well, The Battle at the Border, in Blythe, CA was just around the corner in January, 2000. It was the first time that this shoot - a joint California Desperados / Arizona CMSA match - was held. It had not only individual competition, but also a team competition. At that time, I became a member of the national organization, Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association.
Now, it's one thing to just be out there for yourself. It's a whole 'nother animal to have your own performance affect the standings of your friends and fellow club members. But nobody held it against me that I was green; they gave me great support. Club president, Joe Whiteley, brought along Hollywood for me to ride, and we were a great match (photo at right).
Hollywood has been at this game for many years, and has helped many new riders get into the game. Even Anthony's ridden him a few times. Hollywood loves to burst across the beam like he's coming out of the box; he kicks in the engine and wants to run, and having two competitions under my belt helped me to go with it. By the end of the weekend, I even found myself urging him faster on the speed run, which prompted Anthony to come up and ask, "Who are you and what have you done with Mary?"
Travel and work schedules have kept me from participating regularly as a mounted shooter (only twice in all of 2000), but I keep trying to get into the saddle whenever I can. In 2001, I managed to compete at the End of Trail, the California Desperados' Jurupa Valley shoot (photo at the top is me riding Sundance at that event), and their Roy Rogers' shoot (where I finally won my division!), 5 Dogs Desperados and the Northwest Regionals in Tooele, Utah. I managed to make the top 20 women there and qualified to attend the the Invitational Mounted Shoot held during the 2002 Winter Olympics!
Where to from here? Visit Page 2 of Cajun Fire's Mounted Shooting Adventures.
Copyright 1998-2003 Mary Gallien. All contents, unless otherwise noted, are the property of Mary Gallien or used with permission of the copyright owner. All text and photos herein may not be reproduced or distributed without the express written consent of Mary Gallien, her official representative, or the copyright owner.
I would like to express my special thanks to Barb Green, B.J. Neale and Vicki Rorke for generously supplying me with photos for this page.
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This page last updated January 21, 2003
