One of the most anticipated events of the summer for Randy Lewis is the cowboy mounted shooting competition held at the Warren County Fair.But the Wright City native never intended to be reduced to a volunteer role during this year’s competition.Lewis, who lost his home to a fire in late May, was forced to take an unexpected hiatus from the sport.“Right now, I’m having to focus on other things,” said Lewis, who has qualified for the World Championships in Amarillo each of the past six years.This season he will fall short of that goal, having missed enough races to slip from the standings.Lewis and his wife, Cynthia, are anxious to get back in the arena but are currently in the process of replacing all of their tack and shooting equipment.“There’s a lot of special clothing, holsters and chaps that we need,” said Lewis, who anticipates a return to the sport in August at the Missouri State Fair. “I’m devoting my time right now to rebuilding.”Last Thursday, Lewis helped coordinate the mounted shooters event at the fair, serving as chute director. He wanted to contribute any way possible to the event, which was sanctioned by the Missouri Mounted Shooters Association.“It went really well,” said Lewis. “We had two national champions that shot there, and there’s a lot of tough competition from Missouri.”There were 17 participants, including shooters from Arkansas and Illinois.“It’s the fastest growing equestrian sport in the country,” added Lewis.He says 30 is a usually desired number of competitors, but the timing of the event may have hindered attendance.“It’s kind of a rough time to get the big shooters here, especially during the week,” said Lewis. “But we were pleased to have a 2.5-hour shoot with $500 of added money.”Top honors went to Carrie Houselli, with an overall time of 58.61 seconds. Yves Langlois took second in 63.47 seconds and Ken Kanne finished third.This was the third year for the Warren County Fair to host cowboy mounted shooting. It was among several events held in the rodeo arena, including barrel racing, pole bending and greased pig scramble.

A competitor hits his mark during the cowboy mounted shooting competition last Thursday at the Warren County Fair.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.