When she's not in the salon or teaching compute classes, nail technician Tricia McMaster can often be found astride her horse participating in cowboy mounted shooting competitions.
“You run a course of action carrying two guns, each loaded with five rounds. I keep one of my saddle and one on my person,” explains McMaster. “We ride and simultaneously shoot balloons – first randomly, then in sequence. In between halves, we change guns while doing a sort of barrel racing. Of course, the whole thing is timed.”
McMaster and her husband own two horses that had to be specially trained not to react to gun shots. “We made earplugs for our horses out of kitty play balls,” says McMaster, who has been riding since she was three. “It’s an addiction,” she says.