July 2007
Rootin’ Tootin’ Championship Horseback Shootin’

By Don Linker     Jill Parrish, Eldridge, takes aim as ‘The Duke’ looks on. Do you love western movies, cowboy sports, like to dress in period dress or like your favorite western actor, guns, horses, action or all of the above? Then you need to be in Fayette on July 21 and 22 for the Alabama Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association’s (CMSA) State Championship. This will be the first Alabama State Championship and it will be held at the Fayette Multipurpose Complex Indoor Arena. The Fayette Complex is a new facility and has a large indoor arena with plenty of seating, camper hook-ups, ninety-six Equestrian World box stalls by Tarter Gate purchased by the county from Fayette Co-op, outdoor warm-up arena and concessions on site. What is cowboy mounted shooting? It began in 1992 in Arizona and has become one of the nation’s fastest growing equestrian sports with new members joining almost daily. Contestants in this fast paced event dress in period attire or clothes of the silver screen era, carry two single action revolvers and can ride any breed of horse or even mules to compete. The targets in this action event are ten balloons set in a variety of patterns. The first five will vary with each go and will require the rider to stop, turn, change leads and accelerate to the last five that are set in a straight line thirty six feet apart (also called the run-down).   Sharon Sullivan, Winfield, enters the arena at the beginning of her rundown. Sullivan is the president of Alabama’s Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association.   The competitor is timed with an electronic timer like the one used for barrel racing and other timed events. The mounted shooter enters the arena at a full gallop, breaking the timer beam which starts the timer and engages the first five targets with one pistol, then holsters the pistol and starts the rundown with the other pistol. The pistols, usually Colts or Colt clones (i.e. Ruger Vaqueros, Beretta Stampede or others), are 45-caliber single-action revolvers loaded with specially prepared blanks, five in each pistol. There is also a rifle class in which the first five balloons are shot with a pistol and a rifle is used for the rundown. The rifle can be a pump, lever action or revolving carbine as long is it was produced prior to 1900 or is a reproduction thereof. The caliber for the lever action or pump can be 45 LC, 44/40 or 44 magnum, while the revolving rifle must be 45 LC. Cowboy mounted shooting is a fast paced action sport in which the whole family can compete with classes for every one, as well as being a fun spectator sport as you watch your pick run and gun for the win. Your local Quality Co-op store invites you to attend this event and have a great time. The fun starts Saturday, July 21 at 9 a.m. with shooters expected from around the nation to compete. Cowboy church will start the competition Sunday morning, July 22 at 9 a.m. in the arena, with shooting action beginning at 10 a.m. Admission is free to the public, so be sure to attend and have a great time. Coming up in October will be the Alabama CMSA Desperado Trail. This is an outdoor cross-country timed shoot in which mounted shooters compete on a cross-country course designed to resemble an old west bank robbery or similar scenario. Let me tell you this is fun, fun, fun, especially if you like timed events. The dates for this event will be released later in the summer.   Tony Tucker, Winfield, heads down the trail to his next target.       Bobby Johnson, Tennessee, with his winning rundown in the rifle class at the Stars Over Alabama Sanctioned Shoot. For information about the Alabama State Championship including stall or camper hook-up reservations, please call Sharon Sullivan at 205-412-0684. Remember to shop your local Co-op for all your equine needs. If we don’t have it, we will be glad to order it for you. Your Co-op carries quality Co-op horse feeds as well as Tiz Whiz, supplements, Futurity Precise minerals, Stabylyx and also tack. Any shooting irons you might need can be bought at Winston Farmers Cooperative in Haleyville by contacting Darrell Rowe at 205-486-3794. We appreciate your business and strive to earn it. Don Linker is an outside salesman for AFC.