Cowboys take aim while riding horses
Staff photo by Don Himsel^^Ron Murray, Sutton NH Enlarge
On May 31, riders with the New Hampshire Mounted Cowboy Shooters met at the 4-H fairgrounds in New Boston. Riders and shooters across New England brought out their horses, chaps, hats and replica revolvers for an afternoon of riding and shooting.
The group follows the rules and guidelines of the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association. Riders use single-action pistols as they run on any one of more than 50 available courses, pulling back on the hammer of the .45 caliber pistol to fire the gun one shot at a time as they run up on a balloon attached to a wooden stake. It's the discharge from the pistol - burning black powder - that blows the balloon. Since they're firing blanks, no projectile leaves the gun.
"It's like barrel racing with guns," says New Hampshire Cowboy Mounted Shooters President Dick Moody.
They're scored on accuracy and speed. Shoot the most balloons out of a 10-balloon run in the least amount of time to score the highest possible points.
