A two-day instructional session on the rising sport of cowboy mounted shooting takes place at the D-Bar-K Ranch in Oliver on Oct. 12 and 13, 2019.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK / Cowboy Mounted Shooters Association of B.C.
September 27, 2019 - 6:00 PM
PENTICTON - There’s a new equestrian sport on the rise in British Columbia that involves revolvers, cowboy hats and horses.
An Oliver area ranch is hosting an introductory clinic with a two-day informational session on the sport of cowboy mounted shooting. The Thanksgiving weekend session takes place Oct. 12 and 13 at the D-Bar-K Ranch located at 5621 Sawmill Rd. in Oliver.
Event coordinator Susan Downs-Saunders says two instructors from the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association of B.C. in Creston will be attending to provide information about the sport, expose riders and horses to gunfire, and explain the rules and regulations of mounted shooting.
Downs-Saunders says the sport requires licenses for competition, and participants will need a restricted handgun license.
“It took the RCMP some time to figure out a plan for us. The arena has to be certified and licensed. We also contacted the regional district to ensure we were following noise bylaws,” Downs-Saunders says.
The guns used in competition are modified black powder single-action revolvers, requiring cocking each time the gun is fired. The guns fire blanks that are designed to travel only a short distance to break a balloon target. Hearing protection is provided for both rider and horse.
Riders are judged for their horsemanship as well as shooting skills.
Downs-Saunders says the sport is big in Alberta and the U.S. and is just now gaining a following in B.C. Once a club is up and running in the South Okanagan, she says competitions will draw participants from Alberta, Idaho, Montana and Washington state.
The clinic begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 12 at the D-Bar-K Ranch. Cost is $150 plus a daily $10 audit fee for the two-day event.
Participants should be able to walk, jog, trot and lope with a stable body position, so as not to shoot the horses’ ears off. No firearms license is required to participate in the clinic.
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