MALTA – When thinking of cowboys, horses and the Old West, names like Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill and Billy the Kid come to mind.

DeKalb County has its own horse-riding, gun-shooting cowboy named Bill: Bill Phelps.

Phelps is the president of the Prairie State Rebels, one of three clubs in Illinois that are part of the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association. Phelps has been riding horses since he was 4 years old, has traveled around the US to participate in CMSA events and now hosts CMSA events at his family’s farm, Amber Sun Acres, 19819 University Road in Malta.

On Saturday, Sept. 17, and Sunday, Sept. 18, Phelps and the Prairie State Rebels will host The Rebels’ Yell, a two-day CMSA timed shooting tournament at Amber Sun Acres. More than 20 cowboys and cowgirls from surrounding states are expected to compete in the event, which is free and open to the public. It will start at noon Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday and will feature food vendors, a beer garden, music and a potluck dinner.

Phelps and his wife Anne met with MidWeek reporter Katrina Milton to discuss The Rebels’ Yell and cowboy mounted shooting.

Milton: What is The Rebels’ Yell?

Phelps: It is a cowboy mounted shooting competition that combines both horsemanship and marksmanship. We use two .45 caliber single-action revolvers with black powder and blanks, not bullets. As we ride on our horses and maneuver the course, we aim and shoot at 10 balloons, five light- and five dark-colored. There are 66 patterns for courses, and four are picked randomly out of a tub the morning of the event.

Nobody knows the selected courses or patterns before that morning, so they can’t practice it. There will be four stages each day and rifle and shotgun courses. At events, you can win many different things, including cash prizes, belt buckles, jackets and gas cards.

Milton: How does the competition work?

Phelps: It’s a timed event, and you want to have the lowest time. It’s all about time and accuracy. If you miss a balloon, five seconds are added to your score. You have two guns with five shells each and 10 balloons total. You have to cock and reload your gun after each shot. You also have to maneuver around barrels.

Most courses are completed in 25 seconds or less. Time is added to your score if you miss a balloon, drop your hat before you start, shoot your gun after crossing the finish line or tip over a barrel.

Events take about three hours because the more contestants, the more time it takes between shoots.

Milton: And all of this takes place while riding a horse?

Phelps: Yes, you are riding on a horse while aiming and shooting at the balloon targets. You have to be able to control and train your horse. Sometimes, the horse can run faster than you can shoot. Ideally, you’re 12 feet away from the balloons. There is absolutely no horse abuse, and the horses have often been around events like this for years. Many horses wear earplugs or blinders. They can sometimes be afraid of seeing a balloon disappear, seeing the flash from the gun shooting or the noise.

Milton: What happens if it rains?

Phelps: Weather can be unpredictable, and if it rains, it is risky and can hurt the horse. For the safety of the riders and the horses, if it is raining, the event will be canceled. If the ground is wet, but it’s not raining, the event will be held. I remember waiting two or three hours for it to stop raining and the ground to dry at an event in Iowa. If it does rain, there will be no rain date.

Milton: How long have you been riding horses?

Phelps: I was riding when I was 4 years old. I grew up on this farm, and we started boarding horses here about 20 years ago. My daughter was the one that first got into riding and shooting. We have a friend that boarded here that did it and practiced here, and he told us about it. Then my daughter tried it and told me that I had to try it. I tried it and then got serious about three years ago. I started hosting events with another club, and have been involved in the CMSA since. We also host another event here on our farm coordinating with the National Day of the Cowboy, held the last weekend in July.

Milton: Anne, do you also compete with your husband?

Anne Phelps: No, I help organize and am his biggest cheerleader. I help with the lunch stand and spectators. We have bleachers, but people can still bring lawn chairs. It’s a fun thing to do with your family, eat food from vendors or bring a picnic and just come out for the day. At the end of the competition, we’ll have a potluck, with everyone bringing a dish to pass and the beer garden will be open.

Milton: What do you wear when you compete?

Phelps: There are rules and regulations about what you can wear while competing. You have to dress western and wear a cowboy hat, blue jeans, boots, long-sleeved button-down shirts and have a leather saddle and chaps. It’s fun to dress up, get on a horse and compete. It’s fun to play cowboy when you’re more than 60 years old.

Milton: Is cowboy mounted shooting popular?

Phelps: It’s very popular and is one of the fastest growing equine sports in the nation. I’d like to see it grow more in our area, but it depends on the region. People travel from maybe five or different states to attend our events. I belong to clubs in Iowa and Wisconsin, but I usually don’t like traveling more than four or five hours away from home. There are 101 CMSA clubs in the US with shoots, and about 17,000 members nationally. When competing, you usually bring your own horses, guns and holsters, but the clubs supply the ammo. Clubs often have a few horses that people can use and ride.

Milton: What ages participate in the shooting events?

Phelps: There are kids in the ranglers’ division that are under 13, some maybe 9 or 10 years old. There are members in their 70s and 80s. There are six or seven different divisions for both men and women. There is even a division for seniors 50 years and older.

Milton: How can local clubs help at CMSA events?

Phelps: We use local clubs and organizations as our balloon setters. We had local Cub Scouts and a DeKalb High School singing group help set up the balloons. If they help, we provide lunch and $300 for their organization. It’s a fundraiser for them and helps us with the competition.

Milton: What do you like about cowboy mounted shooting?

Phelps: Once you get on a horse, you’re hooked. It’s the thrill of the sport, and once you do it, you do it because of the people you meet. You go places, meet new people, see old friends and stay in touch. I’ve met world champions and people just starting out. We’re really like a big family, you help each other and stick together.