History
Cowboy Mounted Shooting® is one of the nation’s
fastest growing equestrian sports. Mounted contestants compete
in this fast action timed event using two .45 caliber single
action revolvers each loaded with five rounds of specially prepared
blank ammunition. Courses of fire are set in a variety of patterns.
The first half (5 targets) of a course of fire will vary with
each go and requires the horse and rider to stop, turn, change
leads and accelerate rapidly. The second half (5 targets), called
the "run down", is a straight course with targets
set at 36 foot intervals. Typically, a competitor crosses the timing beam at a full
gallop and engages the first pattern of five targets. After
a shooter fires the fifth shot, he or she returns the empty
revolver to a holster and proceeds to and turns around a barrel
and then races to the far end of the arena while drawing a
second revolver. At the far end the horse and rider turn another
barrel and then engage the five remaining targets of the run
down at full speed. Scoring is based on elapsed time plus a five second penalty
for each target missed or barrel knocked over. An average
course of fire normally takes a contestant between 15 and
25 seconds to complete. The CMSA wants you! The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association,
Inc. (CMSA) is a corporation created to develop rules and
guidelines for the equestrian sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting®.
The CMSA also produces major championship competitions, a
national newsletter and provides a central communication point
for its nationwide membership. |
