CBC – by Adrienne Lamb, John Robertson, Sam Martin
Lindsey Baranyk hurls herself around the dirt ring at Northlands, her pistol spraying black powder and sparks snuffing the life out of balloons perched on t-ball-like stands, all from the back of her horse, Eugene.
Baranyk is demonstrating the latest equestrian sport, cowboy mounted shooting.
The 26-year-old from Slave Lake says she been riding since before she could walk.
“You think you know how to ride a horse until you’ve got a gun in one hand and the reins in the other,” she says. “It’s a rush!”
The sport of cowboy mounted shooting began in the United States about 20 years ago, moving north in the last five years to capture the imagination of Albertans.
It’s not completely wild west. It’s governed by anational association which issues a rule book and ranks the 200 athletes into various levels and classes.
“After a certain amount of wins you move up a class” explains Baranyk who’s riding high at the top of the standings.
In the video, Baranyk explains her enthusiasm for her sport as she demonstrates her horsemanship and shooting abilities.
To see more from Northlands, watch this week’s edition of Our Edmonton. The weekly magazine show airs on Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. on CBC TV.
She’s cute…. and she would make a perfect “Wrangler Jane” when they do a re-make of “F-troop.”