Last weekend, the Polson fairgrounds were dotted with big, fancy horse trailers and shiny pickups. Those trailers disgorged good-lookin’ horses, and people slipped from the pickups, strapping on holsters filled with single-action .45 long pistols.

The cowboy (and cowgirl) mounted shooters were in town, dressed in western clothing, heavy on chaps and hats. They held a jackpot on Friday evening and competed on Saturday and were supposed to on Sunday, but thunderstorms and rain chased them away. 

A 10-year veteran shooter, Dennis Alverson, vice president of the Montana Cowboys Mounted Shooting Association, talked about the sport. He began shooting when a friend introduced him to the sport and also to ski-joring.

“We come to Polson every year; it’s a great venue,” he said. 

The association has 102 patterns to choose from, he said, and they used six over the weekend. The patterns are tacked up where shooters can see them. A rider, packing two single-action revolvers, needs to shoot the balloons attached to poles and barrels in a certain order and go as fast as they can get Ol’ Sorrely to go. 

Participants don’t use live rounds. Alverson explained that manufacturers take a .45 Long Colt shell, drill out the primer hole, and then fill it with black powder. The black powder blanks have a 20-foot range, so riders need to get close to their target. Scores are based on accuracy and time.

“We’ll go through 40,000 rounds a year,” he said.

Alverson said competitors need to have a calm, flat running horse that’s not too hot. 

Several people introduced horses to the noise and commotion by holding or tying their horse next to horses that were quietly hanging out. 

A lady with a buckskin mare said their next step would be to take her into their home arena when they were shooting at the far end, taking turns shooting and standing next to the newbie on their horses.

Visitors from Wyoming, Idaho and North Dakota joined the Montana shooters. Alverson said, “This is number 11 and 12 of our buckle series; this is the finale.”

Cowboy mounted shooting is a quickly growing equestrian sport, and it’s attracted sponsors such as Wrangler, Cinch and others.