Discuss the when's and where's of the next range trip.
 #54197  by Sodbuster
 
Went to see my first Cowboy Mounted Shooting match yesterday. It was the DE state championship.

For those that don't know, CMS involves riding a horse in an arena while shooting balloons with a single action revolver loaded with black powder blanks.

I quickly realized these were horse people first and shooters second. Now, I like horse people in general, I sell hay for a living after all. Heck, my girlfriend is a horse person. But, I saw more questionable gun handling and dropped guns at this one match than I have on any range.

They had a youth group replacing targets between runs. After one run, the competitor realizes he's lost one of his SAA's. The announcer shouts for the target setters to "Freeze, don't move!" while the adults search for the gun. That was reasonable, but then she warns them " they don't want to step on it because it might blow their foot off!" :shock:

These are handguns, not landmines, people.

Anyway, it was interesting, but I won't be rushing out to buy a horse.
 #54339  by dave_in_delaware
 
Sounds interesting, except for the poor gun handling.

I think it takes a special horse to be "bomb proof" enough with firearms AND letting someone ride it at the same time.
 #54408  by WPCatfish
 
dave_in_delaware wrote: I think it takes a special horse to be "bomb proof" enough with firearms AND letting someone ride it at the same time.
You should see them at reenactments when there's shooting and swordplay going on!
 #54423  by Sodbuster
 
dave_in_delaware wrote:
I think it takes a special horse to be "bomb proof" enough with firearms AND letting someone ride it at the same time.

As I heard one of the competitors say to one of the spectators " You can shoot off the back of any horse..........once."
 #54425  by dave_in_delaware
 
Very true.

I was hiking with my kids about a month ago and they each had a grocery bag (crinkly plastic kind) in their hands for collecting rocks, etc during our hike. We came upon two people on horses walking down the trail towards us. The owners yelled ahead to have the kids "bring in" the bags so they don't make any noise in the wind because it was freaking their horses out.

I wanted to say "Are you kidding me?" but I had the kids hold their bags quiet. Then the riders steered their horses at least 25 feet away from us through a field instead of the trail.

So, nevermind gunfire, these two babies were afraid of bags making noise. WTF?

It's rare to find a "bomb proof" horse.
 #54427  by NormH3
 
Watched a Civil War reenactment a month or so ago down in Maryland. The one group was representing 1st Maryland Cavalry,CSA . They were firing all sorts of weapons..including a shotgun while mounted. I was really surprised how well the horses were trained. Afterwards they did explain how Cavalry would position their horses broadside to the target so that they would never shoot directly over the horses head. Made sense.