Theresa Cox Getting Her Groove Back

Theresa Cox is one tough lady.

And if you doubt that, ask her husband Roy. He found out some six years ago, when the two were getting married (in a barn, on horseback).

Let Theresa herself tell it: “When the preacher asked me to say ‘I do,’ I stopped the whole wedding. And everybody just froze. And I said to Roy that there’s one stipulation: ‘If you ever get a horse faster than mine, then it belongs to me. And if you agree to this, I’ll say I do.’ And he agreed to it.”

If that’s not tough, what is?

But given Theresa’s life story, that’s to be expected. In her 39 years she’s faced much adversity. But nothing has kept her down or prevented the L6 from becoming one of the top riders in mounted shooting.

Theresa was raised on a 300-acre farm outside of Branson, MO. She grew up working horses, as well as doing some pole bending and informal competitive trail riding. Her mom disapproved, fearing her girl would get hurt. But Theresa’s dad was a horseman, and he passed that passion on to his daughter.

It was a good life, but everything changed when her father died of cancer. Theresa was just 18 at the time, and she had to take over things. When her mom decided to move to town, the teenager bought her own spread near Galena, MO (where she resides to this day).

Not long after, she married Joe Wilson, who owned a shingling company in the area. The two of them started mounted shooting in 2001: “I actually got a horse from Roy when I got into it. His name is Woodrow, and he’s still in it today.”

The Cox horse served her well; within 60 days, Theresa moved from an L1 to an L4.

And then cancer hit again—this time husband Joe, who died in 2002. Theresa was left with two girls, ages 11 and 13. She took over the shingling company and focused on real life. Mounted shooting went on the back burner.

She returned in 2003, with a vengeance. Riding Joe’s horse Dollar (another Roy Cox trainee), she took top cowgirl honors at the CMSA Easterns and Westerns. Theresa was moving up fast. Until the next year, when Dollar got into a fence and broke both front legs.

But then came her marriage to Roy Cox. As he says, the two were familiar with each other: “We’d been friends for a long time.  I used to supervise for a company that she roofed for. And I sold them every horse they ever owned.”

When Joe died, Roy came around more often, seeing how he could help the 30-year-old widow and her kids. “Roy came into our lives just at the right time—you know, sort of like a post to lean on,” Theresa says. The relationship blossomed, and they managed to get married—in spite of her demand in the middle of the ceremony.

She not only gained a husband, but Theresa also got a new horse—as a wedding present, Roy gave her a top-flight mount named Biscuit (we’ll have much more on this remarkable horse in the next issue). And her mounted shooting hit the heights, with plenty of big time championships (see Theresa’s Triumphs).

You can already guess that there’s a “but” at this point.

A couple of years ago, they sold Biscuit.  Theresa explains, “Roy thought I was getting lazy on my riding, because Biscuit was an ‘automatic’ horse. All you had to do was sit up and ride. So he said ‘you’re going to see what I go through,’ and he put me on a new horse to start training it.”

That new horse is a seven-year-old Appendix mare named Aesop who used to run on the racetracks in Oklahoma. The horse knew how to go fast…but not much else. So Theresa took on the task of training Aesop, teaching her to rate and control. It’s been a lot of hard work, and frustrating as Theresa has seen others win the buckles that she used to claim on a regular basis. 

On the plus side, the cowgirl says she’s become a much better rider. She’s seen improvement in Aesop, and there’s pride in Theresa’s voice when she talks about what she’s accomplishing with the horse.

They’re not there yet.

When we spoke at the CMSA Nationals in April, Theresa and Aesop had been to only two shoots in 2010 (mostly due to a dramatic increase in construction jobs back home). And at both matches, the mare dumped her, resulting in a lot of sore bones
and muscles.

But Theresa, just as you might expect, got back on board and rode again. She is a tough lady, as even she admits: “I’ve had a hard life, I’m not going to kid you. But the good Lord has blessed me in so many ways…”

Blessings that include her two grown daughters, two young grandsons, and a devoted husband in Roy (“She’s a real cowgirl. She’s not bling-bling—but she’s as pretty as any of them.”). She’s got a lot of friends in mounted shooting. Her faith in God is strong.

They’re things that make the tough times a little easier—and the tough lady a success.
 

Shanda Masterson

What is the distance between a Western pleasure class and a mounted shooting stage? Just ask Shanda Masterson. The Ladies level 5 has done both—and more. And she can tell you about those experiences in her quiet way.  But don’t let that soft-spoken image fool you. Shanda Masterson can tear it up in a shooting stage.

At 23, this young woman has already accomplished a lot in the CMSA. She was the 2008 L5 World Champion and has been a top shooter at the national and regional levels. She is also one of the top competitors in Superhorse Championships, where she shoots, runs barrels, and ropes.

“Some people may not know of her abilities to rope and run barrels,” says friend and Ladies level 6 Diane Purcelli. “She isn’t just a mounted shooter. She’s an all around cowgirl.” Purcelli has watched Shanda grow from a teenager to “the accomplished horsewoman and trainer that she is.”

Shanda Masterson has been around horses her entire life. She grew up in Athol, Idaho, riding the horses in her family’s outfitting business, packing, and leading camp trips. In the summers, she often helps with summer youth camps held on the family’s property. The family raised mules, but got more into horses as they began mounted shooting.

“My main horse that I used to shoot off of, the black horse (Cody), he was a pack horse first,” Shanda says. He packed for the outfitting company for ten years before becoming a shooting horse, an experience that made him an ideal partner for Shanda. 

She got her competitive start in Junior Rodeo and horse shows. Then around 2000, her dad, S4 rider Bat Masterson, heard that a local shooting club was putting on a demo and went to check it out. To Shanda, mounted shooting was the next logical step in her competitive life.     

“He went to one of the practices and then we just started shooting,” she says She started on a little Paint mare, which she rode through her first World Championship in Scottsdale. Over the years, she has had several mounts. Out of the four or five horses she has ridden in mounted shooting, the former pack horse Cody was her mount for the longest period and the one with whom she’s had the most successes.    

The mare she rides now was the futurity winner in 2008, ridden by M6 (and long-time boyfriend) Charlie Little. Shanda has been shooting off the registered Quarter Horse, who she calls ZZ, ever since.     

“With this horse [my goal is] just getting consistent,” she says.  

Other Pursuits    

Shanda’s life on the shooting circuit sounds like it might be fun and carefree. She travels to many shoots with Chad and Charlie Little, often for several weeks at a time as they cover the country from one end to the other. 

Shanda says that “as far as horses go,” shooting is her number one priority right now, but she plans on going back to college, taking a few summer classes and then starting full time in the fall.

When she first started to college, right in Coeur d’Alene, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do and didn’t want to waste her time with classes that might not have value to her later. In the interim, she went to real estate school and holds a real estate license today. But things have changed, and now Shanda knows exactly what she wants to study.    

“I’m going back to school to study something along the lines of a vet tech or vet assistant,” she says. “We’re always on the road, and I think a lot of it would be beneficial for my own horses.” She likes the idea of being available to help people at shoots with hurt or colicky horses. Her friend Diane Purcelli says she will be a natural.

“The mare [Shanda rides now] had gotten loose one night in Arizona and had gone through the cactuses,” Purcelli recalls. Shanda picked each sticker out by hand with tweezers. The people who know her will tell you, she gives that level of care to her horses behind the scenes all the time. Her care for the people and horses of the sport will probably mean she will be much in demand once her college days are over.

Into The Future

Shanda Masterson will find a way to balance her new college life with her shooting and the friendships it affords.  

“I like it and I like the people,” Shanda says, “so yes, it is something I want to do long term.” But she knows that finishing her education is going to be the step toward a career that will help her continue “shooting for a long time.”

11 | “Hollywood Guns” Debut At NRA Museum

11 | Circle Y Teams With John Wayne Saddle

12 | Denny Chapman Lands “Top Shot” TV Role

14 | Outlaw Annie Shoots For U.S. Troops

16 | Shooting Horse - Purcelli’s Paints

All Arenas
What moves and shakes the Shooting Horse world

19 | Competition  Oregon Trails Brings Outdoors­­–In
 

24 | People  Bob & Jana Morris - Building Ben Avery

26 | Horses  Dentistry For Your Gifted Horse

28 | Guns  Colt’s Offers A Hard Chrome Finish

29 | Gear  Fashion Meets Function With SuperMask

30 | Training  No More Excuses For Cross Shots

33 | Craig Cameron  The One Rein Method

Sidekick
Information for the best shooting horse experience

35 | Techniques  Rating For The Short Course

36 | Gear Rx Oiling Tips For Your Saddle

37 | Road Tips  How To’s For The Long Haul

38 | In Season  Horse’s Summer Cooling Needs

Features
Stories about people and places we care about

40 | The Perfect Mounted Shooting Horse

48 | Into The Sport  Shanda Masterson

52 | On The Cover  Theresa Cox - Getting In Groove

58 | Into The Sport  Zane Chunn

62 | Side Tracks  Hunting By Horseback

Best Guide
Information to help you make smarter purchases

69 | Buyer’s Guide  Compact .380 Pistols

72 | Editor’s Picks  Performance Supplements

73 | Buyer’s Guide  Midland XTC Mini Video Cam

80 | Parting Shot  Clay Walker

Toby Keith

When country superstar Toby Keith was a kid, his family bought an Appaloosa mare. Sugar was expecting and the baby was Toby’s first experience raising a foal. As he got older, Toby rode a lot of ranch horses and rodeo stock.

“For a long time I thought all horses were created equal,” he said. “I clearly remember the first time I climbed on a competition horse.

It was a barrel horse that responded with just a touch of leg. This horse was so fast he could mow anything around.

I thought how amazing it was that a horse could be so quick and smooth. I had no idea.”

The experience opened Toby’s eyes to the many possibilities horses could present, both in business and as recreation.

“I didn’t realize it then, but the seed for what I am doing now with horses was planted that day,” he said.

What Toby is doing is balancing a fast career in country music with Thoroughbred breeding, training and racing.

“There is nothing like the thrill of hearing the announcer call your horse’s name as he crosses the finish line. And,” Toby added, “it’s not just racing. Researching pedigrees is exhilarating. I love finding the right mares and the right stallions, naming the foals, weaning them, watching them grow, sending them off, and finally seeing them fly down the track and cross the finish line. The whole process is such a high. In May, when all the babies have been born, what a great thing that is. Watching the younger horses, knowing the promise they have, and then the excitement of seeing that fulfilled . . . that gets me going.”

Toby spends a lot of time pouring over pedigree books, charts, and analyzing workout times and race results.

“I also get a kick out of naming the babies something meaningful to me,” he said, “especially if it’s a horse we’re going to keep.”

For example?

“Well,” said Toby, “When we were kids we lived in this old apartment building called Reagan Court. We named one horse Reagan Court and I loved hearing the announcer call that name in a race.”

Toby tagged his first big winner Big Hubie, after his father, Hubert “H.K.” Covel.

“When I decide my time as an entertainer is over, I have something that excites me,” said Toby. “It’s horses. If I retired tomorrow, I’d be happy. It’s hard to replace that high you get from the fans, that thrill you get on stage, but I’ve found it. The only thing I like as much as performing is horses. They’ll always be it for me. Horses are my future.”

Toby Keith, with Trace Adkins, kick-off the American Ride Tour June 19 in Holmdel, NJ at the PNC Bank Arts Center. Thirty-nine dates are already on the books through late September.
 

Natalie Johnson

“MY GOAL THIS YEAR IS TO WIN   all four of the majors: Westerns and Easterns, the Nationals, and the Worlds.”

For most mounted shooters, this sounds like nothing more than a pipedream. But when Natalie Johnson exclaims it with such breathless joy, one can only believe it is truly her heart’s desire—and she just might be able to pull it off.

Like many young people in sports, Johnson has set high goals for herself and is willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to achieve them.

Girls and Horses

Natalie Johnson grew up in Arizona, a typical little girl who longed to have horses. She began taking English riding lessons when she was 10, but the English form wasn’t for her. She wanted speed!

“I wanted to be a barrel racer,” she says. “When I told my dad that, he kind of laughed—picturing ‘little Natalie’ being a barrel racer. But that was my goal.”

Johnson rode with trainer and barrel racer Audrey Hensley, who was also involved in the world of mounted shooting. Her dad, Don Hensley, was a CMSA Board member and was inducted into the CMSA Hall of Fame in 2003. Johnson’s feelings following her debut will be familiar to many in the sport: “The first time I did mounted shooting, I looked at my mom and said ‘I don’t want to be a barrel racer any more!’”

She started shooting when she was 12, taking lessons from Annie Bianco-Ellett. She continued to barrel race a little bit, and when she later competed in High School Rodeo, Johnson added pole bending and breakaway roping to her repertoire.
Her senior year, Natalie won the title of Arizona High School Rodeo Queen, and participated at the National High School Rodeo Finals in 2008. She placed 13th, and speaks of those days as one more learning experience on the road to her real dreams and goals.

During those years she went through “a lot of horses,” selling her best breakaway horse. She ran poles on “Millie,” the horse she now shoots on.

On the Road to Success

In 2005, about the time she got really serious about shooting, she began training with Dan Byrd. His philosophy of “smooth and efficient” has become her mantra.

“I never have had the fastest time on a stage,” she explains. “It’s just being clean and being smooth and holding it together for success.”

Those smooth rides add up to very fast matches. As the Reserve World Champion Ladies shooter in 2009, she lost by exactly 1.5 seconds. One missed balloon was the difference. This year she is concentrating on improving the small things.

“The last couple of months, I try to do cardio twice a week and I’m doing a little bit of strength training, like arms, legs, abs,” she says.

Johnson has completed a year of college, but decided to take some time off to pursue her mounted shooting dream. While she says that she is “just traveling,” the truth is always a bit more complicated. To help pay for the travel, she’s waiting tables in a local restaurant. The rest of the time, her five horses keep her busy.

She hopes that Millie, her 18-year-old number one horse, can go all the way with her to the four wins she dreams about.

“I can’t give her time off because it takes so long to get her back up again. I always have to make sure that she stays in shape. She gets out just about every day,” Johnson says.

She does understand, though, that she should have a secondary horse in place. Right now, that second choice is a mare she calls Wicked “because she’s pretty mean.” Fortunately the mare is also “wicked fast.” She was formerly used for polocrosse. Natalie has also started shooting on a third mare named Kippy.

The other horses in her life have other purposes, but Johnson hopes that she will someday reach the point of being able to give lessons and train horses.

“I feel like I should be able to finish my own horses first,” she says. “I don’t want to take other people’s horses until I’m sure I know what I’m doing.”

Johnson wants to be a force in the sport for many years to come, She is encouraged by how many women of every age are becoming involved. Eventually she will go back to school, but shooting will always be a part of her life.

On the Radar

Natalie Johnson has been on the radar for quite some time now and her performance at the 2010 Desert Classic only reinforced that. She won the overall title in Globe, but she’s not about to relax.

“I’ve never been ranked in the Top Ten,” she says, “and I want to do that.” Still, her win at Globe has moved her from #5 to #4 in the point standings for 2010.

While she isn’t sure if she’ll make it to her ultimate goal this year—in a more thoughtful moment, she admits it is a long-term goal that she has had for some time—she is prepared to run for it flat out. Johnson will be at six of the eight major CMSA matches this year if nothing unforeseen happens.

“My parents wouldn’t let me go to Westerns [in 2009] because I had a concussion,” she says. She admits that a somewhat foolish riding accident was the culprit and she is determined to ride safely in the future. Making it to the “Big 4” shoots is paramount to reaching all of her goals this year.

No matter what, Natalie Johnson has big dreams and goals. She’ll blaze through the next six months with her signature smile and good nature, and she’ll work for every win.

Diane Holmes-Purcelli

Diane Holmes-Purcelli’s college dream came true—and then some.

It was back in the ‘80s, and a young lady from the Midwest was competing in the College National Finals Rodeo in Bozeman, Montana.

“And I told my girlfriends, ‘Someday I’m going to live out here.’”

So remembers Diane Holmes-Purcelli, the Ladies 5 shooter who has been a major player in the sport for more than eight years. And, oh, yeah, she now lives in Darby, MT.

How she got there is one interesting road trip.

Diane spent her early years in and around Madison, WI. Her grandparents owned a farm outside town and had lots of horses. Her mother had a dressage background, her father was into rodeo. And her family hosted a rodeo at the farm for more than 40 years.

Some of Diane’s earliest memories come from that event: “I had my first horse when I was about three, and it was a big white horse named Meadows. My parents got me a beautiful white saddle with a silver horn, and they would introduce the families back home at the rodeo we all would ride a lap around the arena.   Meadows only knew one speed—and that was loping. So maybe that’s where I acquired the desire for speed.”

That desire didn’t diminish over time. She competed in barrel racing, breakaway roping and was an Intercollegiate Goat Tying Champion through college, and when she graduated in 1987 Diane turned to team roping. She kept her day job as an accountant.

She married Ernie Purcelli in 1993, and owned a place northwest of Chicago where they could ride horses and live a quasi-Western lifestyle. But Ernie shared the dream about moving West.  And everything fell in place. In 2005, Ernie sold his printing business, giving the couple a bit more freedom. They found Darby, MT, on a vacation and fell in love. A realtor approached them about selling their Illinois place—and it sold in just two days.

But true to their natures, Ernie and Diane’s move was more than just traveling from point A to point B. “We stopped in Rapid City, South Dakota, to compete at the Nationals while we were moving. We had two trucks and trailers, six horses, two dogs, two cats and were trying to stay ahead of the moving vans.” She won L3.

Let’s backtrack a bit. Diane and Ernie discovered mounted shooting back in 2001 via a demonstration in Wisconsin. And like so many others, they were quickly hooked. 

Unlike many others, Diane had almost immediate success, winning her first World L2 championship in 2002 aboard a big grey horse called Grey.

The Purcellis like to compete in a variety of events (not to mention their involvement in equine assisted therapy for people with disabilities). That means they demand a lot from their horses. “All our horses rope, run barrels, and shoot,” she says. “We compete in Super Horse competitions. We work them on the ranch as well as trail riding in the mountains.  Also all of the horses are used for the therapy riding programs with the kids. We believe that diversity helps the horses keep their minds balanced.”

Diane has a bit of versatility in her competition horses as well. Her main mount since 2004 has been Dottie, a 10 year old registered Paint. Diane’s success with Dottie has been nothing short of remarkable. But when Diane tore up her knee in 2006, Dottie had to adjust. The Purcellis asked Kenda Lenseigne if she’d ride Dottie. At 2006 Worlds, they placed in Pro Class and won the SIP Maturity. In 2007, the pair won the Easterns Pro Class and set a new record in the Eliminator. 

Diane now finds herself transitioning to another horse—Dottie’s half-brother Slider, also a 10-year-old registered Paint. Slider now goes to most of the major events (with the same kind of success enjoyed by his half-sister).

And just to make sure, Diane has got another shooting horse in the wings. She’s ready for the future.

Diane Holmes-Purcelli is one busy person. Pretty much everybody in mounted shooting knows that. But what you might not know is that for the past 20 years, she’s done everything in the face of multiple sclerosis. Occasionally, she goes through what she calls her “spells”—general fatigue and numbness on the right side. Several of her CMSA friends help out when she’s not feeling well. And she’s used her own experience in a positive way with her WAHL Dare to Dream shootouts across the country.

So she’s living that college dream, residing in the West (now part-time in Arizona) and riding horses. Sometimes, wishes do come true.

Dan Byrd

Dan Byrd is one of the highest profile shooters in the game. He is recognized not only for his outstanding performance in the arena, but also for his stellar success stories outside. Byrd is one of the game’s prolific trainers of both horses and riders and is known for sharing advice with any shooter who asks during competition and after the arena is closed. Dan Byrd is an equine Renaissance man.

Dan Byrd stands at the gate of the arena at the Desert Classic at Globe, Arizona. He is flanked by students, and he watches every run.

A Senior Ladies 3 competitor rides in, and he turns with a smile and says, “This is gonna be a smokin’ run!” The rider has wintered at Byrd’s place and anyone who has watched her shoot before can see the improvement. Yes, she misses a balloon, but her 16-second ride and the increased confidence in what she and her horse can do follow her throughout the competition.

Later, when one of the Wrangler Junior riders enters the arena, Byrd slips away. His student leans over and says, “He always does that.”

“Does what?” I ask, looking around. Byrd has stationed himself in the gap where horses come out at the end of the run. It stays open, and can pose a hazard to an unwary or less experienced rider.

“He always stands in that opening when the Juniors ride,” she says.

An Equine Renaissance Man

Dan Byrd seems to be a fixture at the gate of most matches throughout the West, and he is counted on by students and friends alike for advice about the course. But Byrd is a relative newcomer to the sport, having only become really serious about mounted shooting in the past five years.

He started out in other competitive fields that range from reining to western pleasure to hunter/jumper and more. A native New Mexican, Byrd started riding his first pony when he was five. He broke and sold his first finished horse at the age of twelve. During his teenage years he tried everything, including roping. Then at age 18, he discovered polocrosse.

Much like its European relative, American polo is a fun, competitive game. The Australian game of polocrosse, on the other hand, can be “a very aggressive sport,” according to Byrd. As an international competitor and coach of the American team, Byrd traveled extensively with his polocrosse team.

“It’s called the ‘king of the one-horse sports’ because you’re only allowed one horse for the whole weekend,” he says. The horse-and-rider teams play two games a day, seven minutes on and seven minutes off. “Those horses have to be double fit. When someone asks me if it’s OK to run six stages a day, I think ‘Your horse has worked a minute. Yeah, it’s OK.’”

At one time, Byrd was the highest rated polocrosse player in the US.

“So that puts you in the position to become the clinician, the trainer,” he says. As coach of the US team, he was sent to Australia for a time, and even played in New Zealand.

Byrd returned to New Mexico in the ‘90s, where he lived on a ranch for a time, then moved to Santa Fe where he served as the polo manager and oversaw the facilities and events at the Santa Fe Horse Park. The owner of the park, Charlie Kokesh, encouraged him to try mounted shooting.  

A New Challenge

In his first year, Byrd qualified for Worlds in just a couple of matches, won the Men’s Level 1, and was the first Level 1 shooter in the Top 10.

“When I first started, I made a couple really nice horses,” he says. He qualified for Worlds again the next year. This time, he ended up seventh overall. Unfortunately, life intervened and Byrd spent about three years away from the sport. He left the Horse Park and planned to move to Texas to ride polo horses.

But Dan Byrd couldn’t get away from the mounted shooters.

“The phone started ringing and somehow I ended up in Arizona,” he says. He started working a number of horses for people in the sport. As he built his business with shooters, he found that his vast background in other equine sports helped him quickly become one of the most sought-after trainers.

Byrd’s Arizona location has helped, as many shooters from colder climates move there to shoot through the winter months. It’s his thriving training program that keeps him standing at the gates, he says.

“I’ve been lucky enough to ride a good majority of the horses that are out there. You can’t give somebody advice if you don’t know what’s underneath them.”

Mounted shooting has been good to Dan Byrd. His business continues to grow even in spite of the recent economic downturn.

“With the economy the way it is, more people have been coming to the workshops, which is two days of intense riding,” he says. “What’s rewarding about that is that they can take that and go to their clubs, and then start instructing their people. The sport can evolve because more folks can learn the proper techniques.”

The Horseman at Work

Byrd’s own run often seems to be an afterthought, but it is always as smooth as silk. I notice something as Byrd completes his rundown in Stage 3 of the Desert Classic—his cadence in the rundown resembles a jumper’s stride—-and I ask him about it.

“Jumping probably taught me more about shooting than anything because you are always picking your line and where you have to be next,” he says.

Byrd brings the different elements of his horse knowledge from all the sports he has participated in to bear on this one. His easy successes are proof that this rider is a true horseman. According to Dan, those successes are “all a blur.”

When he returned to the sport in 2005-06, he quickly moved up to Mens 4. In 2006, he was 3rd Overall at Worlds. He also trained that year’s Reserve Women’s Champion horse, Slapshot. In 2007, several of the horses he trained won the Worlds and the new SIP Futurity.

Byrd himself was moving up in the sport, achieving M6 quickly. By 2008, he was ranked #1 CMSA Cowboy based on his wins at the Big 4 events. In 2009, he was unable to make it to the Easterns at Murfreesboro, TN, and he slipped to #8 in the rankings.

This year has started well. Byrd has already won the Southwest Regionals, and was the Champion Cowboy at the Desert Classic. He was Reserve Overall Champion, beaten only by his student Natalie Johnson.

The horse he rides today, Hossley, originally belonged to Jim Rodgers. Byrd took the horse to work on him, and decided he wasn’t a good match for Rodgers.

“He can be brilliant or he can be bad. He has his buckskin moments,” Byrd says. “You have to kind of pick his moods and figure out what his flight plan is afterwards.” In those moments of inspiration, though, Hossley is one of the best mounted shooting horses out there: “When he’s flawless, he’s flawless.”

Byrd is straightforward about his successes, but also a bit uncomfortable talking about them. At the end of the day, his students are his number one priority.

“At my clinics, we always talk about setting your goals,” he says. “I think that my goal is to help people succeed. I like to make the impossible possible.”

So ride in to that arena with confidence. Ride hard, and shoot fast, and come out knowing you will hear an encouraging word. Dan Byrd will be standing at the gate.

News for the shooting horse community 

11 | Royce W. Anderson Arena Inaugurated

12 | Road To The Worlds High Stakes Runoff

13 | PRCA Rodeo Features Mounted Shooting

14 | Double Down Puts Money Where Mouth Is

All Arenas
What moves and shakes the shooting horse world 

19 | Competition  Superhorse Hits High Country 

24 | People  Brady Carr - The New Model Carr 

26 | Horses  Two Shooting Horses Into Hall of Fame 

28 | Guns  Taylor’s Runnin’ Comanchero Rifle 

29 | Gear  Cactus Saddle Pad Is Gellin’ 

30 | Training  Beginners Guide: Seat Improvement 

33 | Craig Cameron  Transitioning To Control 

34 | Shooting Horsemanship  Brian Bausch 

37 | Sidekick

Information for the best shooting horse experience

37 | Techniques  Art Of The Gun Change

38 | Gear Repair  Beware The Broken Billet

39 | Road Tips  10 Trailering Safety Tips

40 | In Season  Grooming From Nose To Tail

42 | Features
Stories about people and places we care about

42 | Spring/Summer Fashion  Kickin’ It Up!

50 | Into The Sport  Diane Holmes-Purcelli

54 | On The Cover  Dan Byrd - Equine Renaissance Man  

60 | Into The Sport  Natalie Johnson

64 | Side Tracks  5 Great Horseback Destinations

Best Guide

Information to help you make smarter purchases

69 | Road Test  Xtensor - “Bowflex For The Fingers”

70 | Editor’s Picks  Cordless Clippers

71 | Buyer’s Guide  Portable Barbeque Grills

Parting Shot

80 | Willie Nelson talks horses

Royce W. Anderson Family Arena Inaugurated At Ben Avery

Top mounted shooter makes commitment for the future.

The first publicly owned mounted shooting facility in the United States has been renamed the Royce W. Anderson Family Arena after its new patron, mounted shooter, Royce W. Anderson.

With a contribution that will insure the construction of a cover for the first arena as well as future improvements, Anderson has taken the title sponsorship with a mission for continued growth. A conversation a little more than a year ago has turned into a significant contribution with a perpetual goal.

When asked what prompted his commitment to the project Anderson responded, “My love of mounted shooting and the friends that I developed through mounted shooting have had a lot to do with that. Last year I had a couple real significant things in my life that caused me to reexamine what’s going on and it kind of motivated me to move forward with this. I think that mounted shooters creating a home for mounted shooting aside from any national organizations or any business strategies has really created an energy here in the sport in Arizona and for the whole country.”

What’s in the name?

“I consider mounted shooters my family,” states Anderson who talked about his commitment with Western Shooting Horse at the arena in March. “Last year I spent some time in intensive care in the hospital and that caused me to realize how close mounted shooters were to me. They were the people that came to me. They were the people that called me and prayed for me and basically saved me.”

Anderson added that he is in discussions with organizers Bob Morris and Susan Turner about the possibility of a charitable foundation for a national mounted shooting center with the Anderson family name on it.

Located on 15 acres at Ben Avery in north Phoenix, the Royce W. Anderson Arena has held numerous shoots, practices and clinics. For the past two years cowboy mounted shooters from around the country have participated in fund raising projects which include the buy-a-brick program, private donations, auctions, garage sales, t-shirt sales, bumper stickers, and raffles. Over $65,000 has been raised to date.

Because the facility receives no funding from the State General Fund, donations, volunteer work, and facility fees will finance improvements. For more information go to the Ben Avery Development Committee website www.bamsd.com or personally call Susan Turner (480) 575-7307 or Bob Morris (480) 563-9015.

BAMSD Committee Pours On Fund Raising With Big Prizes

The Ben Avery Mounted Shooting Development Committee has initiated a yearlong opportunity drawing with support from industry hot shots.

Contributing to the fundraiser are Circle Y Saddle with a Kenda Lenseigne Mounted Shooting Saddle, Cimarron Firearms with a pair of single action .45’s in an El Paso Saddlery holster rig, JW Brooks with a custom fitted hat, and Earthwalker Footwear with boots for both man and woman.

Five winning tickets will be drawn at the 2011 EXPO Shoot at the Royce. W. Anderson Family Arena.
$20 tickets can be purchased online at www.bamsd.com.

Western Shooting Horse Road To The Worlds Features Saturday Night High Stakes Competition

Event to take place at Curry County Events Center Indoor Arena in Clovis, NM.

The Annual Western Shooting Horse Road To The Worlds competition that takes place October 16-17, the weekend prior to the CMSA Worlds, will add a special High Stakes Runoff competition on Saturday night in front of a live audience to be filmed for future broadcast.

The three-stage match is open to all competitors CMSA level three and above and limited to 20 shooters. The single open category entry fee is $250 and will pay back 80% to the top four overall, with first place receiving a winner’s buckle from Gist Silversmiths.

Colt Firearms and AJ Horses have contributed $2500 added money that brings the first place paycheck to more than $3000 with 20 spots filled.

The three-stage High Stakes Runoff features 20 competitors who will run stage one with the top five advancing to stage two. The remaining 15 competitors will then repeat stage one with the top three moving to stage two. The eight semi-finalists run stage two with the top four moving into the finals. The top four then run stage three to determine the winner.

Payback for 1st place is 50% of entry payback and added money, 30% for 2nd, 15% for 3rd and 5% for 4th. Payback is based on 80% of total entry.

Road to the Worlds and the Saturday Night High Stakes Runoff will take place at the Curry County Events Center Indoor Arena in Clovis, New Mexico. The new arena features state of the art equestrian facilities with covered stalls, full RV hookups, indoor concession and professional sound system. With approximately 96,000 square feet, the climate-controlled, indoor arena includes spectator seating for approximately 3,300 people and is only a one-hour drive to the Amarillo National Center.

Western Shooting Horse Road To The Worlds is a standard CMSA six-stage double points competition that takes place on Saturday and Sunday. Also included is an Eliminator and Rifle match. Entry for Road to the World is $175 with a 50% payback. Rifle and Eliminator entries are $50 with a 70% payback.

Contestants for both events can register online at www.westernshootinghorse.com.

For more information about the Curry County Events Center visit www.curryeventscenter.com.

Palm Springs West Fest Makes Mounted Shooting Part of PRCA Rodeo

Twelve shooters from southern California’s Roy Rogers Rangers competed during the 3-day Palm Springs West Fest PRCA sanctioned rodeo held in March. The rodeo, produced by legendary stock contractor Cotton Rosser of the Flying U Rodeo Company, plugged in the mounted shooting competitors each of the three days just after the bronc riders.

The three-day festival was produced in honor of the late Frank M. Bogert who was a prominent Western icon in Palm Springs and around the west. More than 9000 spectators attended the rodeo which was part of the festival that also featured live music, children’s events and dozens of Western vendors.

Western Shooting Horse Magazine sponsored and produced the mounted shooting portion in association with the Roy Rogers Rangers mounted shooting club.

Plans for the 2011 West Fest are already underway and Western Shooting Horse plans to bring mounted shooting back next year.

Kenda Lenseigne Wins CMSA Nationals Overall

Kenda Lenseigne, the reigning CMSA World Champion and first woman to hold that overall title set another record by becoming the first woman ever to win the overall National title as well.

In a tightly contested competition held at the Paul Battle Arena in Tunica, Mississippi, Lenseigne beat out a field of the game’s top shooters, besting the next closest competitor by nearly two seconds.

The Ellensburg, Washington mounted shooting horse trainer and clinician, rode her quarter horse, Justin into the winners circle by running a calculated and very fast strategy with zero missed targets.

Coming in second overall was John Clark, who also took the top spot in the men’s division. Elizabeth Clavette and Jim Hanson took the reserve champion spots.

CMSA Double Down Proves To Be A Success When Shooting For Money
Big payouts at two Classics put money where mouth is.

The CMSA’s new Double Down concept is proving to open the eyes of all shooters who desire to bring home the bacon at the big CMSA events.

At the past two Classics alone, the Atlantic Coast and Desert, more than $33,000 has been handed out to the shooters who plopped down the additional entry fee for a sixth and determining stage.

After overcoming some skepticism when first introduced, it appears the new program is delivering on more levels than was first expected, especially for those who choose not to enter the Double Down finals.

What makes it great is now class payback is a straight 50%. Overall and Reserve Men’s and Ladies are no longer be paid 30% of the payback portion. All of the money any contestant puts in a class stays in that class.

In the Double Down Incentive Finals the top ten in each Division who entered and paid the additional entry fee came back for a final stage to run for the added money plus 70% of the Double Down entry. All money stays in the respective Divisions with the 1 and 2 Divisions being paid 20% of the added money, 3 and 4 Divisions being paid 30% of the added money and the 5 and 6 Divisions being paid 50% of the added money.

Bringing bigger money into the sport also brings incentives for active competitors in other disciplines to join the sport. In addition, the bigger money also offers bigger opportunities to the CMSA and the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting by elevating the stakes and bringing a higher level of attention to the sports and its high dollar winners and events nationwide.

Mounted Shooter And Pro Rancher Mark Marley Joins CMSA Board

Mark Marley was elected to the CMSA Board of Directors during their annual meeting this past February.

Marley, an avid Level 4 mounted shooter and a 5th generation cattle and sheep rancher from Roswell, NM, was introduced to cowboy mounted shooting by his daughter Kate, when she started shooting in the summer of 2006.

Mark was persuaded to try on a borrowed set of holsters and sixguns and ride a course. As Mark recalls, “From that time on I was hooked! I realized that my horse wasn’t just a ranch asset but also a lot of fun.”

He feels that mounted shooting is much more than just a weekend sport. It has created a bond that helps keep the family together, even with having his children, Kate and son Taylor, hundreds of miles away in college.

Mark also feels that the diversity within the CMSA is one of the organization’s biggest assets; however it also creates one of its biggest challenges.

“I’ve learned quickly that there are dynamically opposing forces on many issues, and that the Board of Directors’ work hard to take all views into consideration,” says Mark. “It will be my goal to keep encouraging the Board to continue to look at our sport through the eyes of the shooter, as it plans for the future.”

The Scoop

The hottest news on the products and people of mounted shooting

Stores often have an unexpected impact on the fashions they carry. Gunslinger of Bandera, one of the most influential western apparel stores in the country, is making their mark by engaging in the design process.

“I’m working with designers to get what I want,” says owner Melissa Benge. By sending sketches or making fabric recommendations, Benge insures that the clothing in her store, while still showing designer labels, is one of a kind.

Paul Rerich of Cave Creek Cowboy Company, who often supplies western apparel to magazine fashion shoots, most recently dressed Kenda Lenseigne for Cimarron Firearms’ upcoming national advertising campaign. The year after the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series, he was able to dress an entire fashion show which benefitted the ball team’s favorite charity.

“We outfitted a number of the ballplayers and the players wives,” he says.

Sometimes just being there is enough. American Cowboy Supply in Concord, NH, might seem to be located in the wrong part of the country, but owner and mounted shooter Karin Page says, “We have a really large country-western music venue nearby and we get a lot of people who come in on their way there. People come from all over New England [to buy western clothing] because really there isn’t another place!”

IN RELATED NEWS, the economy is looking up for our friends at Cavender’s. The company has just opened two new stores in Oklahoma—one in Bartlesville and one in McAlester—just in time for the CMSA Lazy E Classic in Guthrie.