Tens of thousands people attend the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The main event is the rodeo. Cowboys get on powerful horses that try to throw off their riders. Cowboys also ride on bulls or male cows. Cowgirls compete in barrel races. They ride their horses as fast as possible while making very sharp turns around markers placed in the race field.

This year, a new event fills visitors with the spirit of the Wild West of America’s imagination. It is called Cowboy Mounted Shooting. The riders race around, firing guns at balloons. However, no bullets are flying. The guns produce a little fire and smoke. It is burning ash that bursts the balloon.

Cowboy Mounted Shooting requires horsemanship more than strength. This appeals to women riders like Annie Bianco.

ANNIE BIANCO: “It’s definitely an equestrian sport. And so, eighty percent is riding. You have to be a really good rider to do this sport. And then the rest is gun handling.”

In truth, shooting while on horseback was not common in the Old West. But Hollywood westerns have led Americans to connect the two. Competitor Denny Chapman admits the activity seems to capture a moment in time.

DENNY CHAPMAN: “Its loud, it’s smoky. It’s wild. It’s wild west.”

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo lasts three weeks. It ends on March eighteenth.

(MUSIC)

Bruce Springsteen “Wrecking Ball”