COWBOY MOUNTED SHOOTING SPRINGS INTO ACTION! Springtime brings plenty of Cowboy Mounted Shooting excitement In Tunica, Mississippi and Guthrie Oklahoma!
By Phil Spangenberger
Never let it be said that the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association (CMSA) doesn't have many matches to attend. With around 500 local club and national championships held annually, there's a competition to attend somewhere in the U.S. virtually every week of the year. For information on the many local club or national matches, simply go to www.cowboymountedshootingassociation.com, then click on EVENTS, to find information on dates, places, clubs, how to sign up for a match, and other pertinent information on competitions. Among the major matches coming up in the next couple of months are the CMSA Jeffers Equine National Championship, to be held April 13-20, at the Tunica Arena & EXPO Center, 3873 Highway 61 North, Tunica, MS. Deadline to sign up or this exciting competition is April 13. Even if you're not a member of the CMSA, and you'd just like to catch the action in this adrenalin-packed sport, highlighting some of the nation's best Cowboy and Cowgirl Mounted Shooters and the finest and fastest horses in the sport, you'll be treated to some exciting viewing. If you haven't seen, or participated in Cowboy Mounted Shooting, you'll be amazed a the shooting and riding skills shown during these western contests. As an alliance partner of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), some of the world's finest bred and most athletic animals will be working under saddle as their human teammates race them through specific courses faster than you'd think possible. Riders will be firing arena-safe, black powder blanks from .45 Colt caliber, pre-1898-type sixguns, at reactionary balloon targets that provide an exciting Wild West show for both spectator and the competitor. By the way, this might be a good time to take a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, as Tunica is only about a 30-minute drive south of the Birthplace of Rock 'N Roll, and such interesting places to visit like Elvis Presley's Graceland home, Sun Record Studios, Beale Street, the Memphis Zoo, and several other colorful things to do and see--and let's not forget great barbecue! If you find yourself in the Oklahoma City area in June, you may want to head over to Guthrie, June 5-8, for the CMSA Central US Championship, held at the world famous Lazy E Arena, Lazy E Drive, Guthrie, OK 73044. Again, some of the hottest Cowboy and Cowgirl Mounted Shooters will be vying for top honors of the region. June 5 is the deadline for members to sign up for this match. Like other CMSA events, this CMSA Central Championship offers both competitors and spectators a match they won't forget. The best part for spectators is that all of these competitions are free admission every day! CMSA is the premier national organization that governs the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting. Dubbed by many as the “ultimate western shooting and riding challenge,” head on out to one of these competitions, and witness today's Wild West come to life through the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting! It’s an exciting sport the entire family can enjoy watching or taking part in. CMSA’s Championship Series are held with the competitors riding to bring awareness of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, and its fight to cure cancer with courage and grit. For more information on Cowboy Mounted Shooting, contact the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, P.O. Box 157, Roswell, NM 88202, or call 1-888-960-0003. www.cowboymountedshooting.com. 34 • NRA CLUB CONNECTION • Spring 2019