Features

Sometimes The Best Cowboy is a Girl!

 

The Women in Cowboy Mounted Shooting

 

Let’s see.  The editors of Western Shooting Horse want a paunchy, middle-aged guy from the Midwest to find out about the young, athletic cowgirls of mounted shooting.  They expect me to plumb the mysterious depths of the female mind and spirit to find out what makes them tick—er, ride and shoot.

 

Right.
But I figure if these women have the drive and guts to ride hellbent-for-leather around some barrels, shooting targets as they go, well, I might as well put my ego on the line to tell something about them.

 

First, the basics.  Women have been competing since the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association started in 1992.  At that time, most of the members/riders were men.  But especially in recent years, the trend has shifted—now, about 40% of the nearly 7000 CMSA members are women.  And that percentage is growing.

 

They Do It Because…

 

But why? 
Okay, guys have an excuse.  We grew up watching Westerns, seeing cowboys aboard their trusty steeds, Colt .45s in hand, gunning down any bad man that got in their way.  In our minds, in our daydreams, we became legendary cowboys.  And if we got the chance to do that in real life…well, mounted shooting shows what happened to some of us.

 

But women?  Clint Eastwood and John Wayne don’t exactly project the feminine mystique.  So why are so many ladies jumping in the saddle and picking up pistols?

 

“It’s the love of horses,” says world champion Andra Olson.  “Always wanting to have a horse, always wanting to ride, always looking for something to do with their horse.”  Top mounted shooter Kenda Lenseigne agrees: “Most of the women you see are riders first and gun handlers second.  That’s kinda opposite from the men.”

 

Most of the women we spoke with were experienced riders long before they heard of mounted shooting.  Several had competed in other disciplines.  Most never picked up a gun before trying the sport.

 

When cowgirls talk about the relationships with their horses, they often use the word “nurturing” (definitely not a cowboy term). They speak of a bond, of a special unspoken communication.  Lenseigne says, “Women tend to think of their horses as pets.  Men tend to think of them more as machines.”  And it’s not just some touchy-feely thing, according to Olson.  “The goal is to be so connected to that horse that I can get them to turn at any time in the arena.”

 

World champ Annie Bianco-Ellett agrees that the relationship between rider and horse is vital in mounted shooting: “Our sport is 75 to 80% horse, and the rest is shooting.”  And to be successful, she says, the cowgirl and the animal have to spend a lot of time together, working on each detail of rounding a barrel or turning right and left.  Those long hours of practice only serve to bring the two closer.

 

Now there is a downside to this.  A mounted shooting horse has to be very disciplined and precise to maneuver the course and maintain speed.  If the owner spoils the animal, it just won’t perform that well.  Kenda Lenseigne also trains horses:  “Ninety percent of the horses I see with behavioral problems are spoiled.  And most are owned by women.”  And when that happens, some retraining is necessary—as much for the rider as the horse.

 

More Relationships
Cowgirls have other relationship reasons for being in the sport.  Lily Rodgers, the First Lady of Mounted Shooting and wife of CMSA founder Jim Rodgers, says competitions are great family events—whether participating or just watching.  Tammy Sronce and her husband Matt both compete (and have won individual and dual championships). 

 

And there’s a sense of camaraderie between the competitors, a feeling of “we’re all in this together.”  Ellett points to a competition that she led last summer—and then her horse went lame.  One of her top opponents, Theresa Cox, immediately offered her own animal so Annie could finish. “In other sports, that just wouldn’t happen,” says Ellett. Okay, not everybody would have been as generous, even in mounted shooting.  But the cowgirls we spoke with feel a responsibility to their sport, to each other, and to younger participants. They’re comfortable with terms like “role model” and “mentor.”

 

But don’t get the wrong idea—the women in mounted shooting don’t compete just to be with their horses, or their families, or people of a similar bent.   World champion Tammy Sronce speaks for all of them when she says, “I am very driven, no matter what I’m doing.  I totally understand it’s a game.  But if I do something, I want to win—and I’m prepared to put in the work to get there.”  Lily Rodgers says, “Women like the challenge.  More than just riding your horse, there’s also the challenge of being a good horseman.”  Then there’s the thrill of it all, the adrenaline rush of riding fast and shooting straight.  “It’s very addicting,” says Andra Olson.  “You do a run and you’d love to do that run one more time.”

 

Battle of the Sexes
If you haven’t noticed, there are differences between cowboys and cowgirls (please, this is a family magazine).  The  men are bigger, physically stronger, and tend to be more aggressive. They’re often more experienced with firearms.  But there’s the other side of the coin.

 

A smaller rider—like a jockey—puts less weight on the horse, allowing the animal greater speed and maneuverability. Advantage: women.  And most of the cowgirls believe that they are technically better riders.  Advantage: women.

 

And the strength factor doesn’t have to be a big obstacle.  Annie Bianco-Ellett carries three to five pound weights whenever she hikes or exercises; after that, a pistol “feels like nothing.”  Advantage: push.

 

Technically, men and women don’t directly compete against each other in mounted shooting (Annie Bianco-Ellett won the overall championship in Single Action Shooting Society competitions in 2001 and 2002).  But let’s face it—women look at the men’s times, and men look at the women’s times.  And there are times when some of the cowgirls are faster than some of the cowboys.
So how does the male ego deal with that?

 

Ellett says they usually take it with a bit of humor, at least outwardly.  “They say things like ‘Well, the girl beat me again,’ or ‘ I got beat by a girl,’” says Kenda Lenseigne. “They have a little grin on their faces, they may kick the dirt.  But they’re never vindictive.”
Teenage MSA World Champion Faye Leerssen has a different take: “By now, they’re used to it.”
[Note to Faye from a much older male—guys never get used to that. Ever.]

 

But they may have to get used to the idea of going head to head against the ladies. Ellett predicts that overall competitions will start cropping up in the next few years, as the top women continue lowering their times.  Plenty of the cowgirls can’t wait for that to happen. 

 

This paunchy, middle-aged Midwestern guy is getting out of the way to let them go through. They’re catching up with the cowboys, but quick.  The only mystery to that is when it happens.

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