APHA lifetime member at the top of her game
“Outlaw Annie” aims high in shooting
sport while riding American Paint Horses

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—With a steady aim, fast horses and an outgoing
personality, cowboy mounted shooting competitor “Outlaw Annie” has blazed her own trail to the top of the mounted shooting charts. Along the way, she has made history in the unique competition and also introduced it to the mainstream equine world through her efforts as a breeder, clinician and advisor.

Top mounted shooting competitor Annie Bianco-Ellett piloted her Paint mare, nicknamed Cimarron, to the Women’s Division Overall Horse title for 2005. Courtesy Mark Quigley Hirez JPEG (1.31 mb)

Known outside of competition as Annie Bianco-Ellett, the lifetime American Paint Horse Association (APHA) member has earned multiple titles in the two main organizations that offer mounted shooting events—the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) and the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association (CMSA).

Cowboy mounted shooting is unique in that both SASS and CMSA require
competitors to shoot historically authentic firearms and and period attire, with restricted modern Western clothing allowances. SASS takes it a step farther, with each contestant choosing a competition alias, such as Outlaw Annie.

In addition to crafting a unique look, a competitor needs to do more than dress the part to win. They also need to be proficient with black powder-loaded single-action firearms while galloping at top speeds on the course of fire, which is a timed pattern with balloon targets that are mounted on poles.

Bianco-Ellett located Leos Impressiveshadow for student and first- time Paint owner Danielle Aykroyd. Shown here greeting the horse for the first time, Aykroyd plans to train him for mounted shooting. Courtesy Annie Bianco-Ellett Hirez JPEG (1.71 mb)

“The name of the game is accuracy first,” said Bianco-Ellett. “If you miss a target, you’re finished. You must also have the horse to get you there, and the Paint Horse breed definitely gets the job done.”

Bianco-Ellett’s credits include multiple CMSA titles, such as SASS Overall World Championship Cowgirl (she is the first and only woman to have earned the distinction) and CMSA current Overall World Champion Cowgirl, with multiple world and national titles to her credit.

As one of the sport’s premier shooters, Bianco-Ellett has gained legendary status for her abilities, and has helped revolutionize mounted shooting by serving as CMSA’s national spokesperson. and becoming one of the first breeders to select specifically for the event, owning a world champion stallion which is a world champion producing sire as well. In addition, she maintains a global following through clinics, training videos, and recently as a mounted
shooting instructor for contestants on Country Music Television’s Western reality series, Cowboy U. In this program, city dwellers learn the skills needed to become cowboys and cowgirls through an intense boot camp.

As a competitor
Bianco-Ellett discovered mounted shooting while working as a Colt Firearms representative. She saw it as an opportunity to combine her work with firearms and her love for horses. Eventually, the sport transitioned into a full-time job and her former employer became a sponsor.

During the 2005 season, she rode two of the most notable horses in CMSA. The first, a Quarter Horse named El Costa Prom, is the one of sport’s winningest stallions and a leading sire. The other was a newly purchased 1997 bay overo Paint mare named Muktewak Saten, better known by her competition moniker, Cimarron.

“Cimarron came on out of the blue,” said Bianco-Ellett. “She was the overall high money-winning horse in the Women’s Professional Division this year. That was neat because many of the other horses were already seasoned, having been on the circuit a while.”

Bianco-Ellett plans to continue competing with Cimarron throughout 2006, although the Paint has recently been sold to one of her students. She said the new owner has discussed breeding the mare to El Costa Prom to produce what she hopes will be the next top CMSA horse—and which she hopes will have striking coloring.

Paint popularity
Bianco-Ellett incorporates Paint bloodlines in her breeding program through a select group of racing- and speed-event-bred broodmares that she crosses with El Costa Prom, who has a stock horse pedigree. A combination first suggested by her husband, National Hockey League All-Star Dave Ellett, it has proven to be a winning formula that produces athletes with eye-catching color.

According to Bianco-Ellett, the foals sell quickly, with several transferring ownership even before foaling as competitors try to get a flashy horse with champion bloodlines.

Paint Horses in shooting training are equally popular, said Bianco-Ellett, whose major complaint is that the horses sell so readily that she never gets to compete on them.

“The Paints are a hot commodity,” she said. “I think people are in love with the color, especially in our sport. They’re definitely a very marketable horse.”

Future goals
Bianco-Ellett will spend the next year juggling mounted shooting competition with her successful breeding operation, training program and teaching roles. Competing is still her first priority, however, and said she would love to win a World title aboard one of her Paints.

As an instructor and advisor, Bianco-Ellett tries hard to find the correct horse for each of her student’s needs. One example is Danielle Aykroyd, daughter of film actors Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon-Aykroyd, who specifically requested a Paint Horse. After an extensive search, Annie located Leos Impressiveshadow, a 2002 grullo tobiano gelding by Starred To Impress and out of Hi Skippin Kelly. She and Danielle plan to train the gelding for future mounted shooting events.

“Danielle wanted a young horse she could bond with and eventually train for mounted shooting—but it had to be a Paint,” said Bianco-Ellett. “I found ‘Shadow’ for her and it was love at first sight.

“It’s very fulfilling to see horses I’ve matched up with clients out competing, enjoying themselves and their new partners. Mounted shooting is a partnership which is 75 percent horse.”

For more information
To learn more about the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, visit
cowboymountedshooting.com.

For more details about Bianco-Ellett, visit outlawannie.com.

Information about the American Paint Horse and APHA can be found by
visiting apha.com, or calling (817) 834-2742.