From the beginning

For the last several years a good friend of mine (Brad Abrams) has been after me to try Cowboy Mounted Shooting. I have until this January turned him down as I was very involved with my favorite type of riding sidesaddle.

I grew up learning the art from my Great Grandmother and had been riding aside from the age of 11. Brad kept telling me that I could ride aside while shooting and that if I would just give it a try I would love it.

Growing up as a kid, barrels and poles were not something that was allowed with my father as he always stated my sisters and I would ruin his saddle horses by chasing cans (barrel racing) and what good was pole bending for a cowhorse.

So with all this talk trapped in my head from my dad, the thought of running stages with poles, pylons, and barrels complete with 2 colt .45 loaded with black powder blanks wasn't to appealing to me. Until I got to watching some videos on YouTube and watching Annie Bianco-Ellett in action. I was hooked and Brad got his wish.

So this year I began on a journey with my show horse A Saber Salute who is now converted to CMSA and we both had allot of learning to do. Prefecting our neck reining, learning to shoot on a moving horse, cleaning guns, and Saber had to learn to be alone in the arena and trust me that the balloons were not out to get him!

I remember my first stage in Cloverdale, Indiana at the Grand Am hosted by the Indiana Rough Riders and the Illiana Rangers. I forgot that I had to pull the hammer back after each shot. After the first balloon burst and I just kept squeezing the trigger and nothing was happening. Then it dawn on me after I blew past the last balloon before the rundown barrel what I forgot. I was laughing so hard when I crossed the time line that Brad wanted to know if the gun had jammed? All I could do was explain it isn't semi automatic is it?!?