Mounted shooter from Quebec

[Yakxie]

Hi to all,
I intoduce myself,I live in a remote area 60 miles (100 Km) north of montreal.I am vintage firearms user's and a fan of cap and balls and blackpowder cartridges,and I do as hobby with my horses, "Mounted Shooting",unfortunately I am the only person that I know who do this discipline in eastern Canada,I have to go in New Hampshire ,Maine and Massachusetts to do this discipline.My second and third hobbies ; shooting big bore rifle,lead bullets,and flying airplanes.If somebody else do this sport(Mounted Shooting) or interested in doing it,let me know!

[10Ha.Wood]

Hi to all,
If somebody else do this sport(Mounted Shooting) or interested in doing it,let me know!

Mounted shooting is something I'm 'aiming' to do. Ultimately, I'd like to hunt from horseback. It's amazing how close you can get to a deer when you approach it on four feet instead of two!

I recently read on a forum somewhere that any horse will let you shoot off his back, the big question is - Will he let you reload? :D

I figure I'll start out with my bow though, taking a chestnut horse into the bush during rifle season probably not a good idea.

I'm near Ottawa, a bit too far away for a casual get together

Chris

[Yakxie]

Mounted shooting is something I'm 'aiming' to do. Ultimately, I'd like to hunt from horseback. It's amazing how close you can get to a deer when you approach it on four feet instead of two!

I recently read on a forum somewhere that any horse will let you shoot off his back, the big question is - Will he let you reload? :D

I figure I'll start out with my bow though, taking a chestnut horse into the bush during rifle season probably not a good idea.

I'm near Ottawa, a bit too far away for a casual get together

Chris

I never hunted deer from a horseback but I l go for partridge late in november when deer season is over,that's a good physical excercise going up and down to pick up your birds.For deer,I don't think it's a good idea,unless that you cover yourself and your horse with a red fluorescent blanket.I shoot bow from my horseback,I practice on 3D deer target with a 25 pound recurved bow,compound need sighting and on a running horse it's impossible..The mounted shooting sport is different,it's like barrel racing with the addition of firearms,we use two 45 colt loaded with blank ammunition, 10 balloons are displayed on the course,5 balloons are set in a random fashion and 5 are set on a rundown in straight line, 36 feet between each balloon and the horse going full gallop.
The blank ammunition can blow the balloon at 25 feet and at the muzzle it's a firearms,it make a hole in a 1/4 inch plywood,you have to manipulate the guns like if they where loaded with live ammo,you can injure yourself or your horse baddly,the ammo is loaded with black powder in a crimped 45 Colt brass,in a competition, only approved ammo supply by the match director are approved.
You can visit these web site for more info and photos:
http://www.cowboymountedshooting.com/
http://www.cowboymountedshooting.com/
http://www.MASIXSHOOTERS.com
http://www.snowdeo.com

[Soli]

Wouldn't shooting that rifle right next to the horses ears cause serious damage, or am I not fully understanding the concept of mounted shooting?

[mommabear]

Welcome to the Nutz House Yakzie! Have fun and play safe!

[bearhunter]

If you have the time and patience, and start the horse off slowly with low noise muzzle blast, you might get it to stand for you. The best I've been able to accomplish, is dismounting and shooting from a couple of meters away. When a horse will put up with that, it's doing very well. As far as shooting from its back, a modern magnum is extremely hard on a horses ears and even if you do train it to trust you enough to shoot from its back, there is the ethical problem of injury and hearing loss to the horse. When we shoot gophers in the pastures, or ducks and geese from blinds, it's not uncommon for horses or cattle to be a few yards away. Other than a quick shying movement from surprise, there is vey little reaction and haven't seen any runaways. After the first volley most of them don't even raise their heads from the graze. Usually they will stick around to watch just from curiosity, darn good outlying camouflage when sitting in a blind beside a farm pond waiting for the birds to come in. I dropped in on a cowboy shoot in Washington, the state, just out of Yakima and they had a fake horse to shoot from as well as a live horse mounted rider event. There were only 4 people in the live horse event and they were useing shotguns and pistols, shooting at 90 degree angles to the side of the horse. First shots were a walk by and the second string were on a gallop. The horses were very well behaved and I only noticed them flinch on the walk by. Bearhunter

[10Ha.Wood]

Wouldn't shooting that rifle right next to the horses ears cause serious damage, or am I not fully understanding the concept of mounted shooting?

Yes, the potential to damage a horses hearing is as great or greater than your own.

There are a number of things you should do to minimize the risks to the horse.

Don't shoot directly over or beside the horses head. You don't want burning powder in their eyes either.
Don't use full loads for practice. Minimize the number of high power shots they are exposed to. (you don't wear hearing protection while hunting either do you?)
Use earplugs in the horses ears. Yes, they do sell them, and people make their own as well.

[Soli]

Ah, that's awesome then!

[Kid Java]

Welcome Yakxie!

I remember reading one of the late, great, Elmer Keith's stories about this one horse he had that loved to hunt coyotes. When they spotted one the horse would run after it while Elmer blazed away with his sixgun(s) until they got it or the pistolas ran dry. Sounds pretty "hairy-chested" to me !!

[9mikemike]

I used to dismount and put my rifle right across the saddle, he was a damn good horse, I could get off 2 shots before he started getting pissed. It took my grandfather 2 years to get him to do that, it was a sad day when we had to put him down, 26 years of good times and lots of game.

Welcome to the board