Mounted shooting is the fastest growing equine sport in the country according to Lisa Grimsley, representing the Wyoming Desperados club who is hosting their annual event this weekend at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.
The event will take place this Friday and Saturday, August 23-24 and is free to the public. Competition starts at 7 p.m. on Friday night and resumes at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
•What is Mounted Shooting?
Riders fire a .45 caliber single-action revolver at 10 balloons as part of approximately 90 different patterns. The shots are certified loads of black powder with a range of 15-20 feet.
“The name of the game is to be fast and accurate,” Grimsley said. This year’s title sponsor is Bridger Animal Hospital and we are so pleased to have them as our sponsor this year out of Thayne. We have $3,500 in added money to help draw more riders and we have this beautiful facility at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.”
The Wyoming Desperados have been hosting the event since 2016.
According to Grimsley, riders are split into genders and also division classes with 12 and under, 13 to adult and then a senior segment.
“Riders can bring as many horses as they’d like and it’s family friendly,” she added.
Those who come to watch will be witness to what makes the American West still such an appealing concept; the merging of a horse and rider with high skill and faith in each other.
“Rider and horse have to be a united team and have all of their cues down and hone in on that,” Grimsley continued. “You are going at top speed so there’s a lot of trust there.”
She also pointed out one segment, the shotgun competition, requires a rider to come in at full gallop and drop the reins to get their shots off.
Some of the top riders in the country and the region will be coming to Afton for this event.
“The Cowboy Mounted Shooter Association (CMSA) just finished our western championships down in Las Vegas and JD Casperson won the men’s overall and he and his family is coming,” Grimsley said. “Tyler Johnson is coming up from Utah and Rick Johnson, Tyler’s father, is coming. We are partnering with the Utah club so we’re honored to be able to have that partnership with them and a lot of their riders are some of the best in the country. Taylor Call and Faith Yarbrough; they are very accomplished so you’re going to be seeing some very successful riders.”
Grimsley also said the association prides themselves on exceptional sportsmanship and horsemanship.
“At the end of the day we’re all friends,” she concluded. “We treat each other with respect and dignity and we’re incredibly proud of that.”
