Hooves thunder, pistols blaze, smoke flies — and if all goes right, colorful balloons burst into tiny pieces.

That describes the competition in the sport of cowboy mounted action shooting, which was featured May 9-11 in the third annual Cabin Fever Shoot. The event was hosted by the Lone Pine Rangers mounted shooting club at its arena on U.S. Highway 26 between Prineville and Madras.

In cowboy mounted shooting, riders carry two .45-caliber pistols, each one loaded with five powder-filled blanks. Shooters and their horses are timed through a course of 10 balloons, and scoring is based on the speed of the ride and the number of balloons that are burst.

Most of the 26 shooters in the Cabin Fever field were from Central Oregon, but others came from various parts of the state, and from as far away as Idaho.

Top awards went to Lone Pine Rangers Rick and Kitty Lauman, a husband and wife from Prineville who were overall winners in the men’s and ladies’ events. The Laumans’ son, 5-year-old Tanner, won the Wrangler division, and he also sang the national anthem from his pony during the grand entry on both the second and third days of competition.

The Lone Pine Rangers plan another competition — Thunder in the Ochocos — at their arena Oct. 3-5.

For more information about the club and about mounted shooting, visit the Lone Pine Rangers’ Web site: www.lonepinerangers.com.

Results of the Cabin Fever Shoot are listed in Horse Country Scoreboard, below.