• Tips for Running Mounted Shooting Stages
   

• Warm up your horse prior to competition or practice. This should include walking, trotting, loping and cantering around the arena until your horse is limber and he is awake and paying attention to you.
• Prior to crossing the Start line, lope your horse in a circle that is in the same direction as the first turn of the stage. This gets your horse on the correct lead for that turn.
• When your horse is in training, turn your horse to the right (if you are a right hand shooter) when asking him to a stop at the end of the stage. Most horses shy away from the gun and noise. By turning him into the thing he is shying away from and stopping, you are rewarding him by taking off the pressure.
• Advanced Stopping: If you do a left turn around the rundown barrel, then turn your horse to the left after crossing the finish line when asking him to a stop. This will be safer as he will be on the correct lead for the slowdown turn. Unless your horse is trained to do a sliding stop, you will want to turn him to give more stopping room after doing the rundown at full speed.
• Compete/practice with your stirrups raised one notch and ride with your toes pointed down. This will aid in keeping your stirrups on those quick turns around the barrels. You will also be able to stand slightly in your stirrups to provide a more stable shooting platform.
• Since most riders squeeze with their legs when stopping or making a sharp turn, use this as a cue for your horse. When stopping, sit back and squeeze. Practice this whenever you ride and eventually your horse will be stopping with little or no pressure on the reins. When turning a barrel or making other turns in the stage, squeeze with your legs as you rein for the turn. You will be sitting forward so this is a different cue from stopping.
• Turning the barrel: The object of turning the barrel is to do it smoothly and at a run. If you ask for a sharp turn, your horse will have to slow down considerably and then speed up quickly. That initial burst of speed after rounding the barrel creates an unstable shooting platform and you are likely to miss the first rundown balloon. To avoid this, do not look at the barrel, look about 20 feet to the side (about the with of two panels), rein for the turn as you get close to the barrel (when you ask for the turn will depend on your horse's reaction time). You want him to come out of the turn within 5 feet of the barrel and on a straight course to the finish line. Note: It is a 5 second penalty if knock over the barrel.
• Beginning Shooting: When shooting in the early stages of your horses training, shoot to the side and slightly to the rear. Shooting to close to his head will cause him to move away from the balloons to the point where you are out of range.  Never cock your weapon until you are ready to fire. 
• Advanced Shooting: Practice shooting with your arm straight out, above your knee and aiming down the barrel. Cock the gun, keeping your arm straight and forward and track the balloon as you approach it, shooting when it is off your knee.
• Turning the barrel and shooting the first balloon: After shooting the first five balloons (usually light colored) you will holster your first gun and draw the second. With your second gun in hand as you are approaching the rundown barrel for the turn, begin tracking the first of the rundown balloons with your gun. This is particularly important when the stage setup calls for offhand shooting of the rundown balloons. Note: you may not shoot the first balloon until you have completed the turn of the rundown barrel.
• Prior to running the stage: visualize how you intend to run the stage, including arm motions, as though you are shooting the balloons. If possible, practice the course in the warm-up area even if you can’t practice the full course, you can practice the direction and number of turns.
• When the stage requires passage through a gate, it is usually best to shoot the off hand balloon first and then the strong hand balloon as you will have more time to reach back for that balloon if necessary. This is a general recommendation and will depend upon how the rider approaches the gate and the direction of the turn to be made after passing through the gate.

There is a certain amount of strategy involved in mounted shooting.  Talk to advanced shooters to find out how and why they plan on running the stage.  When you understand their strategy, determine if you and your horse are ready to implement that strategy.  It may be that your horse wants to head for the gate when turned in that direction.  A strategy that made that kind of a turn would be counter productive at that stage of your horses development.