If you’ve never heard of Cowboy Mounted Shooting or Jessica Amos, today’s the day! Cowboy Mounted Shooting is a fascinating and unique shooting sport in which competitors shoot balloon targets with blackpowder blanks from horseback, and Jessica Amos is the woman who just took multiple top titles at the 2022 Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association (CMSA) National Championship held in Tunica, Mississippi. She—and the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting—is poised to be “the next big thing” in competitive shooting.
CMSA is the fastest-growing equestrian sport in America, and it's easy to see why ... it's almost as fun to watch as it is to do. Mounted contestants compete in this fast action timed event using two .45 caliber single action revolvers each loaded with five rounds of specially prepared blank ammunition. The CMSA has a variety of levels of competition for everyone, ranging from novice levels to the seasoned professional.
Jessica didn’t take those titles alone, of course. The other “next big thing” in the Cowboy Mounted Shooting equation is, of course, the equine. Amos’ favorite horses are T-Bone, Joker and Bo. As far as the equipment she uses to bust those balloons, Amos relies on Taylor’s & Company historical “Runnin Iron” guns. In fact, this college sophomore has already secured a spot as Taylor & Company Pro Shooter staff.
Cowboy Mounted Shooting may have its roots in the 19th-century West, but it’s the nation’s fastest-growing equestrian sport all over 21st-century America. It’s all about speed and accuracy at a distance, so one must be as good a rider as a shooter. Jessica’s challenge was to beat 197 entries in the main match event. Jessica competed in the main match, eliminator, shotgun, rifle, cavalry and “double down” for a total of 17 stages across a week of competition. In shotgun, there were a total of 47 entries across 21 classes.
The results? Jessica took home the overall shotgun title. In the ladies open eliminator, Jessica showcased in the 3rd place spot and won the showcase run by 0.453 seconds. She also won the “Ladies Open All Around Champion Cowgirl” title. Jessica credits her Taylor’s Runnin Iron pistols and Yildiz .410 shotgun for her win.
“Taylor’s & Company firearms never let me down and always helps me to compete to the best of my ability,” said Jessica. “As a level six competitor in the CMSA riders’ class I have to take long shots and shoot quickly to be competitive. My Taylor’s Runnin Iron pistols make it easy to succeed in this sport.”
