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THE BRANDON SUN • WINTER FAIR • 2026
He competes in the men’s level five class. The Manitoba Mounted Shooting Association takes safety very seriously and requires riders and horses to wear hearing protection. Parsons said the horses are trained in a program to prevent them from getting spooked from the sound of shooting, balloons bursting and the smell of smoke. Horses taking the program will walk next to their rider in an arena as another person stands with seasoned hors- es in the center and shoots one round of black powder.
“Because they’re herd animals, the new horses will sense and see that the other horses are not disturbed by it,” Parsons said. “Within the day, you can be easily shooting off your horse.” The club, which has been around for 14 years, has seen about 100 horses go through the program and only five couldn’t get used to the sound, he said. The mounted shooting demonstration will take place around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the winter fair to ensure other horses aren’t spooked by the noise or smoke, Parsons said. The Manitoba Mounted Shooting Association has about 20 members with 10 that actively compete and travel, Parsons said, adding that he travels all over North America competing with his wife. Parsons competes because he wants to be the fastest in every race and to help others along the way who are new to the sport. One of his best moments happened when he won first place overall while competing in Minnesota and Manito- ba in 2019, he said. Parsons and his wife own five horses, but he mainly rides his quarter horse Soda Pop during the competitions. “He really loves the arena. He loves running patterns. He always gets excited about it.” Parsons got Soda Pop as a foal from Diamond K Ranch in Saskatchewan.
Shawn Parsons rides his 15-year-old quarter horse Soda Pop during a mounted shooting demonstration. Kara Black Photography
WELCOME TO THE WELCOME TO THE ROYAL MANITOBA WINTER FAIR ROYAL MANITOBA WINTER FAIR
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