The Royal Bandit

2008 Accomplishments in Single Action Shooting Associations Mounted Shooting Program

2008 End of Trail Junior Limited Champion

2008 Overall Western National Champion

2008 Junior Western National Champion

2008 Colorado Junior Champion

2008 Mens Overall Colorado Champion

2008 Mens Overall Arizona Champion

2008 Western Regional Junior Champion

2008 Was an Awesome Year for This Colorado Teen

2008 was an awesome year for me, starting with the SASS National Championship in February at Tombstone, Arizona.   While there I won the junior division, then I won the overall championship, along with the “best dressed cowboy” award.

Next was “The End of Trail” World championships at Founders Ranch in New Mexico, where I won my division in Junior Limited.

Recently I won the Colorado State Title in my junior division and also the Overall Men’s Colorado State Championship.

In September, I traveled to Tombstone for the Arizona State Championships where I took the overall in the men’s division.

The Future Is Looking Good Too!

I have competed in four matches this season as of April 1, 2009. I have won my division in every match. In CMSA I won my division two days in a row and that means that I move up to a Men’s Level 2.

My name is Cole Boyd aka “The Royal Bandit”. I am 16 years old and live in Southwest corner of Colorado. I have been competing in mounted shooting events for 5 years. I am a member of the SASS (Single Action Shooting Society), CMSA (Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association), MSA (Mounted Shooters of America), and the Revenger’s of Montezuma Mounted Shooting Club. I compete in all of these clubs/associations. Part of the fun of being in SASS is that everyone picks an alias and dresses period correct for the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Another aspect of SASS that I like is that I’ve gotten to meet people from all over the United States and have made many new friends.

What is Mounted Shooting? Think of a cowboy or cowgirl atop a 1,200 pound horse, six guns a blazing while galloping through a patterned course of fire, and you may get the mental image of a cowboy action mounted shooter.

When I was 10 years old, I would pick up empty cartridges from the ground shooters who shot at the Windy Gap Range, south of Cortez. They tip the “brass pickers’ pretty well. My mom was an action shooter/mounted shooter at the time. By the time I was 11, I started competing in the Buckaroo division of mounted shooting. In that division you can’t shoot real guns yet. You have to ride the same course that everyone else rides, but imitate shooting the balloons as you ride the same pattern. I turned 12 and started competing in the junior division. I was in the junior division four years. I recently started in the men’s 3 division in SASS. Since I have not shot in CMSA, (besides the Junior Division), I started as a Men’s Level 1. Now I am a Men’s Level 2.

When I’m competing it puts a lot of pressure on me. I try to keep my mind on other things besides competing. My dad is always helping me look for period correct clothing and tack to use on my horse. I have been riding a rough-out saddle made in the 1950’s. We also found a great pair of old batwing chaps made in Texas.

I have several sponsors:

Sturm Ruger & Company of Southport, Connecticut sponsors my guns. My guns are New Model Ruger Vaquero’s. I also have back-up guns which are Ruger Montado’s. These guns work great for my mounted shooting. They are very dependable and I recommend Ruger to everyone.

Bianchi Cowboy supplies me with my gun belt. Bianchi has just gotten into the Cowboy mounted shooting aspect of gun leather. I am a member of Team Bianchi, which is a group of dedicated shooters promoting Bianchi Cowboy gun rigs.  They hold my guns firmly in the holster. I have never dropped a gun from a Bianchi rig. They have an adjustment screw to adjust to the gun in the holster.

Jim and Lynn Adkins of Durango, Colorado own a paint and powder coating business called Mesa Color. These are great people to work with and they do great powder coating. They help with my entry fees and travel expenses.

A new sponsor for me is Fastrack. Fastrack is an equine supplement that I feed my 6 year old Appaloosa mare, Scarlett Peavy.  Scarlett is put under a great deal of stress through the mounted shooting season. In just three weeks of using it I have noticed more of a shine to her coat and she seems stronger. It also tastes good so she has no problems with eating it.

Pro Orthopedics Devices Inc. from Tucson, Arizona sponsors my saddle pads, cinches and splint boots. My family has used these products for several years. They are the products we go to everytime we saddle up.

I could not be where I am today, in the mounted shooting world, without the support of these businesses. On my horse trailer I like to display the logo’s of each of these businesses. We also have them on our families web site at: www.peavyhorses.com

I am a Junior at Mancos High School. I play football and basketball. I am enrolled in a College Auto Mechanics class. My favorite sport, other than mounted shooting, is basketball. I also enjoy archery, hunting elk, deer, turkey and other small game. I have played guitar for four years and I have a mandolin that I am learning on.

My favorite past times is working on my 1978 Chevy truck with my father. We both like old Chevy trucks.

Cole Boyd aka The Royal Bandit     SASS #56620     CMSA #6790 

2008 Colorado State Champions

Royal Bandit and Star of July receive their Overall Mens and Ladies buckles in Cortez, Colorado

Photos by R.D. Prideaux

Many thanks for the assistance I have received from the following people:

Jim Adkins & Lynn Eustance

Ken Jorgenson

Duncan Farms

R.D. Prideaux Photography

Gerry Detty

Roger McMannis with Fastrack

2010 Revenge of Montezuma High Plains Regional Overall Winner