Cowboy Stuff

Do you remember the TV show Gunsmoke???? Could this be Miss Kitty.
The cowboys came to town for the weekend for some riding / shooting competition. In this competition, five white, and five red balloons are attached to the top of cones as in the picture below. These cones are positioned in a specific pattern whereas the riders have to shoot the white balloons first then the reds ones while being timed. The riders carry two six shooters and must use one pistol for the white balloons then switch to the other pistol for the remaining red balloons. The guns are loaded with blanks but the muzzle blast is enough to shot out the balloons.

There were male and female riders waiting there turn and I must admit that in my opinion, the women dominated.

One of the competitors sitting in the stands waiting for his turn.

During the show, the freight trains continued to pass by. These trains were running by at the rate of one about every fifteen minutes. The trains consisted of over one hundred cars per train. Nice scenery in the background!

After the pistol competition, came the rifle competition in which they had to use their pistol for the white balloons, then their rifle for the red balloons. This meant that they had to use both hands for the rifle, and one of the riders lost his balance and fell off his horse.

In between the different competitions the field had to be groomed. I guess you'd call this the "Cowboy Zamboni".

Video of Balloon Shoot-out