Monday, November 16, 2009

Old West shooting contests returns to city

Leather creaks as cowboys lean on fences, chat quietly, and lope their horses to warm them up. At the table, they slide blank rounds into the cylinders of their revolvers. Kathy Hollmann trots her horse around in circles at the end of the arena, then charges. Her horse kicks up dirt as she draws her first revolver. She fires, bursting three balloons mounted on poles. She yanks the reigns with her left hand. Her horse knocks over a target, as she fires right handed, popping two more balloons. The crowd falls silent. Undeterred, she draws her second revolver as her horse digs in, circles a barrel and charges once more. She plugs the fallen balloon and the remaining three targets in rapid succession as cheers overcome the echo of gunfire. At 16 years of age, Hollmann is a world champion mounted shooter. A mounted shooting competition is being held this weekend for the first time in Carlsbad at the Eddy County Sheriff's Posse Arena. The event is being hosted by the New Mexico Territory Cowboy Mounted Shooting association...read more

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