By ANDREA MCCANN
Indiana Correspondent

JASONVILLE, Ind. — The “cowboy way” appeals to Bob Chattin, who regularly dresses himself and his faithful steed, Rocky, in authentic Western-style gear and competes in Cowboy Mounted Shooting events.

At one time, the Jasonville man was ranked seventh in World Points. He was the first Kentucky State Champion, and has done well in other state and regional competitions.

“In 2002, I competed in the rifle competition and placed seventh in World Points,” Chattin said. “I was Reserve Champion in the state for three years, but I’ve backed off ... I lost my competition horse and had to start over.

“You get a big ego and think you’re doing well, then find out it was the horse. You have to swallow your pride and start over.”

Cowboy Mounted Shooters must dress in authentic pre-1900s attire and burst balloons with blanks from a fixed-sight, single-action, .45-caliber revolver of the same period while galloping through a pattern of barrels astride a horse or mule. Points are collected at the year-round events based on speed and accuracy.

Any breed of horse or mule may be used, according to the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association (CMSA) rules, as long as they’re healthy, in good physical condition and conditioned to the sound of gunfire.

“Rocky is fun to ride,” Chattin said of his palomino Quarter Horse. “He’s showy ... my other horse took to barrels ... he was fast and smooth. Rocky’s not as smooth. It’s hard to hit the balloons sometimes, but I’ve done well with Rocky.”

Chattin said there are 50-70 different patterns available that competitors may have to navigate, and one is chosen by drawing from a hat prior to each match. Every competitor then rides the same pattern for that match. There has to be a minimum of four patterns, or stages, at each meet, and there are usually six at the larger meets.

“Some stages are real short, and some are real long,” Chattin said. “Twenty-five to 30 seconds is average, but nowadays we have people run in the teens. I ran a 10 once.”

He described that pattern as a cross shape, which he rode like he was drawing a number four. “Ten-point-four-one-two seconds,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s the fastest I ever ran. I got a standing ovation ...”

He said there are 10 targets – balloons of two different colors – mounted on PVC pipe between barrels. In a match, the rider must shoot out one color in the first half of the course of fire, which is usually random. The other color of balloon is shot out in the second half of the course, which is generally a “rundown” – a straight run. A different gun is used for each leg of the course.
“The name of the game is speed, and I don’t take time to switch hands,” Chattin said, explaining he wears one holster strapped to his right thigh and a cross-draw holster on his left hip so he can use his right hand to switch guns.

“One time, my horse ran fine and turned fine, but I couldn’t find the cotton-pickin’ holster to put the gun away.”

Other riders have different styles, but hanging on to their firearm and maintaining their speed is key, because seconds are deducted from the ride for certain penalties. Dropping a gun is a five-second penalty, as is missing a balloon or knocking over a barrel. A rider who is dismounted gets a 60-second penalty, which is considered a disqualification from that stage, according to Chattin.

Since the ammunition is blank, it’s the coarse, burning powder that breaks the balloons. The ammunition is certified to go no further than 20 feet, Chattin explained, and the pattern is fairly narrow, so the average shot is taken six to eight feet away from the target.
“The host club provides all ammunition so nobody has any advantages or disadvantages,” he added.

A range master oversees everything that happens in the arena, Chattin said, including distributing ammunition and assessing penalties.

He said range masters must be certified and have to take a recertification exam annually.

Chattin doesn’t practice much for meets unless he has an issue with his horse. “Some people practice a lot and do very well,” he said. “I spend more time conditioning my horse by trail riding than anything else.

“Some horses take to this like a duck to water. My first horse was shy of the barrels, but not the gun. Rocky was scared of the smoke and the concussion and balloons. It took him a little longer.”
Chattin also owns Rocky’s brother, Ranger, whom he said looks good for the sport. He said mounts needn’t be registered to participate in Cowboy Mounted Shooting.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of horse or mule you use,” he said.
Nor does it matter who you are. “It doesn’t matter what your age or gender is,” Chattin added. “There’s going to be a class for you.”
There are two “Wrangler” classes: Open and Limited. The Open Class is for youth ages 10-11, who ride, but shoot from a standing position on the ground. In the Limited Class, youth ages 7-9 may ride only.

There also is a Junior Class for young people between the ages of 12-15. Senior Class is for women over 48 and men over 55 who have never earned a national or world title.

The Junior, Senior and regular classes are divided into six levels based on skill. To move up, a competitor must have a certain number of wins and a certain number of people in their class. For example, to move from Level 1 to 2, there must be at least three people in the class and the individual must have two wins.

“Juniors ride, shoot, compete just like adults,” Chattin explained. “Everybody starts out as a ‘one.’ Men don’t compete against women, except in the overall.”

At the state, regional, national, eastern, western and world events, he said, there’s a champion and reserve champion at each level. Otherwise, the top of the class is simply called a “winner.” The World Championship is the only meet riders have to qualify for, according to Chattin.

“You compete for world points,” he said. “It takes a minimum of 200 points for a man to qualify for the World Championships. I’ve qualified every year since I started.”