Keeping mystique alive
Saddle up your pony because the West is alive and well in North Idaho, where Northwest Mounted Shooters are re-creating a hero from the past – the cowboy. Although the heyday of the cowboy was only a small piece of history, lasting from 1850 until the early 1880s, cowboy folklore and spirit live on in events such as mounted shooting.
The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association says mounted shooting is the fastest growing equestrian event, and Post Falls is the home for two world-class shooters, Rachel Peters and Terry Irwin. Irwin returned last week from a competition in Arizona with a prized belt buckle.
The group was founded in 1999 by John “Blue” Bunch who saw a story about the event and was so impressed he started the Northwest Mounted Shooters. “Blue” is not just a skilled shooter but he also has a remarkable performing horse, Patch, as his partner.
The image of the cowboy hero, toting a .45-caliber pistol, or even a cowgirl in her gingham dress, sitting astride a 1,200-pound horse, six-guns a’ blazing while galloping through a patterned course can evoke images of the legends of Annie Oakley or Wild Bill Hickok. Competitors wear period dress, including shirts without collars, high-waisted pants with no zippers, and of course, a hat.
“It represents everything in the early era of cowboys and Westerns we grew up with, the thrill of speed and something else we can do with our horses,” says Bunch.
Mounted shooting has elements of the old-time Wild West Show exhibition and includes elements of barrel racing, reining and other equestrian skills. All this at a gallop while the rider fires two .45-caliber single-action revolvers, loaded with five rounds each of black power blanks, to shoot 10 balloon targets. Targets are set in random pattern or Old West type “staging.” After a shooter fires the fifth shot, he or she holsters the empty revolver and proceeds to the next set of five targets. The shooter who completes the course in the fastest time wins. Other guns are sometimes used – a carbine or a double-barreled shotgun – depending on the event.
A key factor in being a champion is having a “bomb proof” horse that not only can handle the tight turns but won’t buck, shy away or spook when the guns are fired.
Live loads of ammunition are prohibited at these events. so although the Wild West may have been a time of danger, mounted shooting is a safe and fun event. Bob Peters, a Post Falls veterinarian, and his wife Rachel have even enrolled their two children in the events, but they use cap pistols instead of real guns.
And everyone involved in mounted shooting plays the part, keeping alive the cowboy mystique and calling themselves “Blue,” “Oatmeal” or “Idaho Jack.”