25 Nov 2017 (posted on Jan 11, 2018)
SKP Saguargo RV Park, Benson
Tombstone Livery
Happy Birthday Delores! We asked our friends if they wanted to go watch Cowboy Mounted shooting at the livery. Once I explained myself, we are all up to seeing something new and certainly very “Americana” in cowboy country.
As we turned off the road through the metal gate into the Livery, there was no doubt we had entered the “Wild West”. There were more Cowgirls, Cowboys, Wranglers, horses, and cowboy hats than I have ever seen!
It was about 85 degrees at 11am, and luckily there was a small canvas covered grandstand where we watched a lot of talented riders maneuver the course in front of us.
After a short time there, our “saloon friend” recognized us, said hello, and welcomed us to the event. Then she mounted her horse and got ready to ride.
Mounted shooting requires skill in both horsemanship and shooting that is measured in the form of competitive events. The object of the sport is to shoot ten balloon targets while riding through a variety of challenging courses using specially loaded blank cartridges fired from Old West-style single-action revolvers. It is a high-speed, timed spectator sport in which the competitor who rides the fastest with the least amount of missed targets wins.
The typical event requires two single-action revolvers, each loaded with five blank cartridges. Ten targets are arranged in a horseback riding arena. When the competitor is given a go-signal, indicating the arena is clear of people and hazards, the rider guides his horse across a timer line and engages the ten balloon targets. When all ten targets are engaged, the rider returns across the timer line and his score is determined and recorded.Shooters enter the arena one at a time.
The raw time of the rider is computed and penalties are added for missed targets or failure to follow the specified course or procedure or knocking over barrels or target stands. To level the field, different levels of competition exist for riders and shooters.
A “fast time” on the course was around 10 seconds with many times between 13-20 seconds once the penalty times were added. These Cowboys and Cowgirls were very talented as they rode their graceful and fast horses around the barrels firing off their black powder guns.
We had great time, and witnessed the locals in their “Cowboy” way of life in Cowboy country.