Cowboy Mounted Shooters compete this weekend
Cowboy Mounted Shooters will gather in Iowa Falls at the Ellsworth Equestrian Center to compete at the NCR First Points Border Challenge this coming Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27-28. Free to the public, the most exciting equestrian cowboy action sport in America today brings contestants from Iowa and surrounding states together with authentic old-time cowboy costumes, six guns a blazin’ and champion horses competing for Montana Silversmiths buckles, cash paybacks, and the title of Champion Cowboy and Cowgirl!
Hosted by the Iowa Cowboy Mounted Shooters Association, competitors are entered in the main match. The rifle competition and shotgun competition are adding excitement to the event. Action begins Saturday at 1 p.m. with the main single action pistol match, which should last the afternoon.
The rifle competition will conclude the Saturday activities. Sunday morning will begin with cowboy church at 9 a.m., which will be followed by the shotgun match. A second main pistol match will happen on Sunday afternoon.
Cowboy Mounted Shooting is one of the nation’s fastest growing equestrian sports in America. Mounted contestants from 47 states and Canada travel to compete in this fast action timed event using two .45 caliber single action revolvers each loaded with five rounds of specially prepared blank ammunition. Six 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, requiring expert horsemanship. The second half (5 targets), called the “run down,” is a straight course with targets set at about 36 foot intervals. The main criteria for the run down are that top riders can run it at a full gallop without rating their horses back to shoot. An average course of fire normally takes a contestant between 15 and 35 seconds to complete. For this competition, 6 stages run over 3 days are totaled to determine the winner.
Adding to the excitement, participants all dress in authentic turn of the century costume. Their horses and gear are also consistent with period cowboy dress. Be in the audience to witness the awards being handed out in the arena as each final stage is completed on Sunday.
For additional information or photos, visit the Iowa CMSA website at www.iacmsa.org or call Carl Watson, President of the Iowa CMSA, at 515-290-6509 or email at watson.ranch@yahoo.com.