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Shooting off'n a dummy horse


Mustang Gregg

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I built our SASS shooting hoss out of a water heater tank several years back. He has pretty short legs. In fact, you can have your feet on the ground just fine as long as you ain't too short. We don't use a saddle, but put a horse blanket down to keep your ass butt from being burned.

 

So how tall is your horse? Do you need steps?

I been pondering building a more realistic (and taller) one, but I don't want to introduce any tripping/falling risk.

 

BTW: Do you shoot only rifles off of the horse? Or do you shoot six-shooters from it too?

 

Much obliged,

Mustang Gregg

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So how tall is your horse? Do you need steps?

I been pondering building a more realistic (and taller) one, but I don't want to introduce any tripping/falling risk.

 

 

 

And therein lies the problem. Alas, what with the age and physical condition of many SASS members, props that require climbing onto, hopping over or crawling under can be unsafe.

Best to use something like a buckboard seat rather than a cayuse.

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Before you build a taller one, I would look at the club members, are they capable of straddling the taller horse, you have to keep everything safe so as not to injure anyone or fall off with a gun in hand. Are your shooters young, middle or old, are they skinny, middle or heavy, that all plays in the setting of the horse, we don't have anything like that at our club or any of the clubs I shoot at, most of them are in the upper age group and I will leave it at that, don't want to get into trouble if I go further in detail, now me, I'm old, bad back, so I for one wouldn't want to try and straddle a homemade horse, sorry if that offends you, but our clubs like to be safe, not to say this couldn't be done and be safe, there are alot of factors in play here.

 

 

 

All for now JD Trampas

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Guest Winchester Jack, SASS #70195

our horse is made from an old 55 gallon drum and a chair. We used it at our nnual and it worked great and there were no complaints. One of the ladies though dropped her skirt and climbed up on old paint in her bloomers. Shocked the heck out of the TO!

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Howdy Mustang Gregg:

My home club has an almost full size horse made from wood. Name: SPLINTER. First time they used him someone shot the ears off him. He does have a holster on each side and a scabbard for the rifle so you can put in your guns before you mount up!He weighs a ton and is hard to move from the storage area to the range. Since I've been at the club (5 years) he has been used only a few times and honestly less and less shooters choose to climb up on him for reasons Utah Bob mentioned. This year myself and a couple of pards of taking over running the matches and we are thinking he won't be used to get up on but maybe to shoot from behind him across the saddle. Now even that presents problems for those vertically challenged and using a "stool" also brings to mind it being solid and big enough so no one falls off it. I don't want to be disheartening on this but those are facts. We will come up with some ideas on how to make use of a great prop. I know you'll be thinking safety on this and whatever you decide "Good Luck!"

Colt

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And therein lies the problem. Alas, what with the age and physical condition of many SASS members, props that require climbing onto, hopping over or crawling under can be unsafe.

Best to use something like a buckboard seat rather than a cayuse.

I agree, don't know of any clubs that use a horse anymore. Most were designed for average hight males, Heather's feet never came near the ground, even with progressive blocks there is always the problem of ladies costumes, some dresses just ain't made for some of the horses I've seen. With my limited mobility I could barley get on the last one I saw, that was the end for me, if there is a horse or prop I have to climb on or stradle I'll just stand beside em now. I like the idea of a buckboard seat, that would make a good prop without having to build a wagon. Any seating prop should have adustable footing platforms so everyones feet can touch comfortably.

 

Jefro :ph34r:

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Thanky kindly, Pards!

 

The ENGCowboy's IRON HORSE of which I'm speaking is only about 16" in diameter and his legs are only about a foot long.

He's pretty stable and short enough to get off and on easily.

Ladies in skirts sit sidesaddle and the elderly fellers just take a standing position beside him to shoot.

 

We don't much use him but maybe once a year. I have noticed other clubs have dropped their nags for other props lately too.

 

Mustang Gregg

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Howdy

 

One of the clubs around here used to have a terrific horse. We would jump on it after robbing the bank and disappear in a blaze of glory over the hill while clearing the streets of all the pesky citizens with out rifles. At least that's what we were doing in my mind. I used to love it, it was one of my favorite stages.

 

Unfortunately, too many cowboys were not able to jump on the horse and it disappeared from the bank robbing stage.

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I built our SASS shooting hoss out of a water heater tank several years back. He has pretty short legs. In fact, you can have your feet on the ground just fine as long as you ain't too short. We don't use a saddle, but put a horse blanket down to keep your ass butt from being burned.

 

So how tall is your horse? Do you need steps?

I been pondering building a more realistic (and taller) one, but I don't want to introduce any tripping/falling risk.

 

BTW: Do you shoot only rifles off of the horse? Or do you shoot six-shooters from it too?

 

Much obliged,

Mustang Gregg

Just be aware that many shooters refuse to shoot off of props like a horse. There are a whole lot of silver seniors and older that are very afraid of falling and will not do it, so have an alternate for them. those are just the facts!

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Just be aware that many shooters refuse to shoot off of props like a horse. There are a whole lot of silver seniors and older that are very afraid of falling and will not do it, so have an alternate for them. those are just the facts!

 

Yep!

Personally I have a bad knee that doesn't put up with a lot of stuff. Local club had one of those drums suspended from heavy springs (visualize kids horse in a frame thing only adult size) with saddle bags and saddle. With my size when getting on or off would sometimes buckle the knee under it. Rode it 3 times, hurt my knee 3 times. Don't think I'll do that again.

 

Regards

 

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Gateway Kid

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our horse is made from an old 55 gallon drum and a chair. We used it at our nnual and it worked great and there were no complaints. One of the ladies though dropped her skirt and climbed up on old paint in her bloomers. Shocked the heck out of the TO!

 

 

Some clubs have all the fun..... :lol:

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PCCSS has a “Horse” and you can view several photos by scrolling down at the following link.

http://www.pccss.org/shooting/photo%20gallery/MayJune%2009%20pics/index.htm

 

There are two steps up to the platform beside the “Horse”. Shooters can shoot from the “Horse”, the platform or the ground. The best view of the targets is from the “Horse”.

 

ALL GUNS are staged, and re-staged, on the shelf in front of the “Horse”. All guns are staged prior to the shooter climbing in the saddle. The shooter dismounts the “Horse” before collecting his guns and heading to the unloading table.

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Just one question.....

 

What is your insurance company going to say when someone gets hurt using your horse?

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Gregg:

 

I have shot from horses made of old 55-gallon barrels (too wide!) and one club that actually had a real, coin-operated horse like you saw outside the five-and-dime store back when. They were fun but as mentioned have fallen out of favor.

 

There is however, one horse prop that just about everyone can use -- the stick-horse.

Stick horse

 

They are never too tall or too stout for a shooter. And watching your fellow shooters "gallop" from one shooting position to the next is a real hoot! Obviously long-guns must be pre-staged at the next firing position, as carrying a rifle or shotgun between positions while handling the stick may be a bit much for some folks.

 

And if a shooter has knee or back trouble, they can still just walk between positions as normal, but carrying the stick horse.

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We used to shoot off 55 gal barrel horses but that was 2 captains back. One was on rails and at the beep, you jerked the chock out from holding the wheels and "rode" (rolled) into the saloon thru the swinging doors. A big bungie cord limited travel and at the end of the rails the "horse" would bounce back and forth making aiming hard. Someone decided to move it to another stage with more slope to increase the horsey speed. A large-ish pard hit the end of the bungie and kept going over the horse's head. Destroyed his shoulder. That was years ago and to this day he ain't been back. We also quit riding the horse on rails that day.

 

Lots of things we don't do anymore. We don't sit in the cell and reach for the keys with the broom. Don't lay on the bunk in the cabin. Don't have stories. Not since the big and close fast and furious none of that goofy stuff cabal took over. I miss that stuff meowndangself.

 

That's at Canadian River Regulators down in Clarendon. Here at Pampa Cowboy Shooters we rode a static horse last Saturday. Old style matches aren't completely dead but are dying out. We had 7 shooters total. Of course the weather was really nasty.

Average is 9 or 10.

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I had a match that I almost went clean on save one target. One target shot of a dummy horse made out of a 5 gallon pickle bucket with a kid's saddle on it and supported by car coil springs. It was flimsy as all get out and not secure by any means. I shot late in the posse and after all of the ladies shot off it and most all of the seniors (older than I at 50) shot off it, I felt compelled to also shoot off it as well. I needed help to get up on it and almost fell off during firing and also while trying to get off the horse. I'm 6' 1" and my feet did not touch the ground at all. My 34 years of diabetes has caused some complications that has caused me to fall at inappropriate times so I did not feel safe by any stretch on top of that prop and I feel the following to be a very true and accurate statement. Smithy.

 

And therein lies the problem. Alas, what with the age and physical condition of many SASS members, props that require climbing onto, hopping over or crawling under can be unsafe.

Best to use something like a buckboard seat rather than a cayuse.

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Lots of things we don't do anymore. We don't sit in the cell and reach for the keys with the broom. Don't lay on the bunk in the cabin. Don't have stories. Not since the big and close fast and furious none of that goofy stuff cabal took over. I miss that stuff meowndangself.

 

That's at Canadian River Regulators down in Clarendon. Here at Pampa Cowboy Shooters we rode a static horse last Saturday. Old style matches aren't completely dead but are dying out. We had 7 shooters total. Of course the weather was really nasty.

Average is 9 or 10.

 

 

A club doing things the old way gets 7 shooters, and averages 9 or 10?

I would think that would tell you everything you need to know.

 

And it aint just old folks that don't like those stupid horses.

I played football for 7 years (3 junior high, 3 high school and 1 college - I wrestled for 8 years, survived an extra year of that in college),

my ankles are shot, my knees sound like a bowl of rice krispies and I take a lot longer to heal now then I did 25 years ago. It aint worth the risk.

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A number of years ago (8) a local lady shooter fell off a rocking horse. The club used a large rocking horse and actually rocked the damn thing.

 

She suffered a compound fracture requiring a number of surgeries and lots of recovery time and therapy.

 

She did not sue.

 

Hey Colt..glad you and the boys are putting ole Splinters out to pasture.Most shooters will agree.

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It's been awhile but I have shot off of a dummy horse quite a bit. In fact one club I used to shoot at used one once a month. To be honest it sucked. When I still actually attended that club I was 20-24 years old and in good shape. It was uncomfortable for me and the look of pain and discomfort from other shooters told me I was not alone in my discomfort. This is supposed to be fun and safe right? Things change in this game just like people do. All the guys that helped me get started 9 years ago are that much older and worse for the wear. The lack of physical activity on stages has been demanded by the general population of shooters, at least around here.

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Howdy Again

 

Looks like I was the only one who enjoyed jumping on the horse and riding off in a blaze of glory blasting my rifle.

 

Let me just add that we ALWAYS gave shooters the option of standing next to the horse to shoot that portion of the stage if they had safety concerns about getting on top of it.

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We have one of the ppppurdiest horses you have ever seen complete with steps and a real live saddle. It hasn’t left the stable though. The guys who built did a GREAT job and it really looks awesome. As the match director though I understand using it will create issues just like you hear in this thread. Some folks love it others hate it and women in dresses seem to shy away from it as well……to our displeasure (just kiddin’ ladies). Then you have the issues of folks mounting and dismounting it on the clock and it opens another door where safety “could” be an issue especially for older folks.

 

IMO I can’t win either way because some folks (especially the one that built it) don’t understand why I haven’t used it and the other are dreading the day I do……so it’s a classic case of you can’t please everyone.

 

I think the answer for me at least is to make a bonus stage or warm up stage for fun and make it optional…and sit and deliver..then it may be a win win….sounds good anyway.

 

Driftwood, is SC too far to come and relive the good ol days…lol

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Driftwood, is SC too far to come and relive the good ol days…lol

 

How much snow do you have? We have about two feet on the ground here and I could use the change. :)

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I don't miss getting cramps in both hips from having to contort the whole upper body around ka-ka to shoot the targets that are located to the far left/right while trying to sit on a 55gal barrel horse. Amazing how cramps can take hold in 5seconds or less.

 

I don't miss trying to retrieve and put away pistols and long guns from crappy barrel mounted holsters/scabbers that will not stay open, or you loose them in the slop, or the actions close while drawing them out, or the butts of the long guns in the scabbers are up in your face while shooting pistols. Or retrieveing SG shells for a saddle bag while on the horse....

 

Just a bad scene.

 

Other than that.... they are fine.. :unsure:

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PCCSS has a “Horse” and you can view several photos by scrolling down at the following link.

http://www.pccss.org...0pics/index.htm

 

There are two steps up to the platform beside the “Horse”. Shooters can shoot from the “Horse”, the platform or the ground. The best view of the targets is from the “Horse”.

 

ALL GUNS are staged, and re-staged, on the shelf in front of the “Horse”. All guns are staged prior to the shooter climbing in the saddle. The shooter dismounts the “Horse” before collecting his guns and heading to the unloading table.

 

The Texican Rangers have a similar set up, but the "horse" moves downrange on a trolley arrangement. They just used it for side matches when I was there so only those that really want to ride, can. It takes a team of three plus to do a complete cycle and reset. They shot the rifle while sitting still then the shooter tripped the lever to get the thing rolling, the pistols were in holsters on the pommel, no shotgun in the one I saw.

 

I have shot from many types of trolleys, roller coasters and cars over the years but I prefer to be firmly rooted to the ground nowadays.I truly hate swinging bridges and platforms!

 

Olen

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I have shot from many types of trolleys, roller coasters and cars over the years but I prefer to be firmly rooted to the ground nowadays.I truly hate swinging bridges and platforms!

 

Olen

 

I'm with you. I don't mind shooting at a moving target but when you start moving the shooter and his guns the potential for an accident increases significantly.

 

(Didn't say it wasn't fun) ;)

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We have a horse made from a 30 gallon barrel and it sits on the ground. The saddle is an old army "McClellen" thats screwed onto the barrel. Virtually anyone can step over or around prop and get on. All guns are staged on the horse or next to it where they require no standing up to retrieve them. Handguns are staged on a platform on the horses neck and long guns are either shot and restaged before getting on the horse or shot and restaged usually from a bale of hay after getting on the horse. You are never required to get off the horse to shoot another gun. It's worked well for us and if someone can't get on the horse, they are welcome to just stand beside it and shoot. I'm pretty beat up physically, but am able to mount the horse with no problem. Nobody's complained about it yet.

 

MTJ

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Mule Town Jack:

 

That is almost exactly what we use for the horse (other than the McClellan saddle).

I feel that is pretty safe. And sitting on the horse ain't mandatory for anyone who don't wanna use it. But a whole lot of Pards surely got no use for a horse, it looks like by this here thread.

 

Mustang Gregg

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Mule Camp had a Ele horse, like tha one in front of tha 5 an dime that everyone shot pistols an rifles off of while it was running!!! Yes it was fun. Tha best was a box spring with plywood on top ya shot pistols from after running up on it, in I think???West Virginia

 

 

RRR

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DJ, ya overlooked me. I love to mount up and ride and shoot and very few are any more stove up than this ole broke down cowpoke.

 

Creekster, of course I expected that response from someone -- just didn't know which of the usual suspects it would be. Ya know, I really think it's more a factor of too many shoots nowadays and low local population. Pampa only has a dozen or so cowboy shooters out of a population of 13,000. If somehow Clarendon, which shoots 2 and 3 times a month, were to get shut down, then you would see the turn-out at Pampa go way up.

 

I like variety. There's room for all kinda shoots but most are becoming more and more cookie-cutter same o same o. It gets boring after a coupla years. I especially decry the way the rifle targets have creeped way in way too close for rifle targets. I like big and close for pistol, but rifle should be big and at least twice as far away, not just a yard or two farther out.

 

Olen, ain't that horse on a rail at Texican Rangers a hoot? I could ride that thing over and over.

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