Jennifer Key's Blog (10)

Now that it was settled and my son had been doing so well competing on my little mare, it was time to begin thinking about a new shooting horse for me. Where does one look to buy a shooting horse? And what does one look for? There should be a list out there somewhere of instructions on how to go about shopping for shooting horses. Hmm.... Color? Yeah! Gotta be eye catching out there shooting, right? Speed? That should be considered, too, shouldn't it? Age? I didn't want another young horse. Ath… Continue

The Elk River Outlaws recently took advantage of the Eastern United States CMSA Championship bringing one of the stars of cowboy mounted shooting to this side of the country. On August 31 in Shelbyville, TN they hosted a day-long clinic by Kenda Lenseigne, world champion cowgirl, four-time world point champion, and holder of six world records. The fact that attendees came from every level of mounted shooting and some even traveled as long as two days to attend was a testament to the expectations… Continue

So less than a week after my son shoots at practice for the first time off my just sort of finished shooting horse we take him to his first match. What I want to know is, why did I still have to get up at 6am to throw on rumpled clothes and tromp to the showbarn looking like Medusa without makeup to feed horses I wasn't riding? I did my best to convince myself that no one recognizes me at that hour of the morning in that condition and that I will be rewarded in heaven for letting my family get a… Continue

Did I mention I lost my saddle, too? Yep. That went with the horse. I had it specially made and fitted for her last fall because I never could get a saddle to fit right on her. So my new bear trap shooting saddle is gone, too. Talk about wondering what happened! A week ago I was on top of the world convinced my horse had turned the corner and was on her way to becoming a top notch shooting horse. Now I'm left searching ebay for a new saddle while I chant growth incantations over my two year old… Continue

I had to go and say it. I had to question what I was going to write about now that my mare seems to have FINALLY turned the corner and taken to the shooting. I had to tempt the powers that be by commenting in public (in response to Marty) that I didn't know what I would write about now. I should have known better. I never in my wildest dreams thought that what has happened would result. I have lost my newly "finished" shooting horse. No, nothing bad has happened. She is perfectly healthy, and… Continue

Finally! Although I've been riding at home over the past two weeks, it had been that long since I shot off my mare. The family complications that prevented us from getting to go to practice last week had resolved themselves, so I was excited to get to shoot again. I had been so encouraged by the progress she had shown the last time I shot off her. I so wanted her to do well this time. So off we went to practice! Just for good measure, we took along the two year old filly of my husband's that I'… Continue

Hope springs eternal. That and I never know when to give up, so I just don't. For the first time in two weeks... or was it three?... I took my mare to shooting practice. She hadn't been ridden in all that time, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I finally had a chance to go, so I was going. This spring/summer has certainly not gone like I planned. Practice was attended unusually lightly which gave me more opportunity to try some things. My girl warmed up like a pro; I love riding her. The… Continue

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll tootsie pop? Remember how we used to try to answer that question as kids. I don't know how many tootsie pops I tried to count the licks on only to be faced with that final line of the commercial every time. "The world may never know". That's how I feel about my mare sometimes. How many shots does it take until my horse just doesn't care about the shooting any more. Sometimes I think the answer is the same... "The world may never… Continue

Another day of mud only this time it comes with a chilly wind. So it's another day without practice, another day without progress. I'm starting to suspect my preoccupation with settling my horse to gunfire is beginning to take on symptoms of an obsession. And today, since I've got nothing better to do thanks to the weather, I let my mind ponder... Why is it no one warns you when they introduced you to cowboy mounted shooting? No one tells you, but they all know it. It's like a deep dark secret… Continue

Saturday and it's raining again. I haven't been able to ride in two weeks thanks to the rain and mud. The last time I rode, I just did circles in the arena while dry firing and randomly shooting. My horse (who I started shooting off of last year, and that's another long story) still wasn't taking any of it too kindly. She seemed convinced that waving my arm around was even worse than waving it with a gun in my hand. Dry firing caused her to jump, if anything, higher than the actual shots scatter… Continue