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Friday, January 8, 2010

Pistol Packing MaMa’s At Ag Center

Unique horse competition is held last weekend

By Sid Riley

The sound of pistols firing and horses running filled the arena at the agricultural center on Highway 90 on Saturday and Sunday. The occasion was a major competition for the “Florida Mounted Shooting Association”, which had drawn over 80 competitors and their trusty mounts from locations throughout the South.

The scene looked like something out of the old West, with the contestants fully outfitted in Wild West wearing apparel, complete with holster and 45 cal. pistols. Volunteers from the Sneads High FFA were at the arena to fill and replace the target balloons after each contestant rode the course and busted their balloons.

The competition involved riding at full speed through a ten balloon course, leaning from the saddle at full gallop to aim and fire at each balloon as it was passed. The event required that the contestant reload during the run of the course, since there were ten balloons and the pistol holds six shells. The shells used fire a paper wad with an effective range of around ten yards. However, it sure looks and sounds as if they are firing a real bullet at the targets.

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