Cowboy shooters in New Mexico

Two teens who are well known at End of Trail are Clayton Guest, 13, and his sister Amber, 17. Last year, Clayton became world champion in his age category when he beat over 500 other contestants in the long-distance shooting match. "Cowboy Clay", as he's known, explains how Cowboy Action Shooting works. "We dress the part," he says. "Each person picks what kind of character they want to be and then makes their costumes to suit that character. I like to wear the old-style saddle pants, chaps, boots and spurs, and then, of course, a cowboy hat." And what happens in a shooting match? "When you go to a shoot, the organizers make up little stories. Most of them either come from the Old West, or they come from western movies. They tell the story, you say a line and then start shooting. This to me is like a history lesson!"

Amber loves to dress up "in vintage Victorian style dresses and gowns". She says, "In the big matches, they have costume contests and you compete for the best-dressed. You see all kinds of people and all kinds of costumes - everything from bankers, saloon girls, businessmen, cowboys, madams, you name it. People do a lot of research on the costumes of the era and try to make theirs as real as possible." And these sharpshooters are very careful with their weapons! "Safety is number one," says Amber, "If you follow all the rules, it is a very safe sport and a lot of fun."

Wild West fans from around the world come to compete and take part in the four-day event, which covers an area of around 100 acres. And if you want to check out what all the fuss is about without flying to New Mexico, there's also a European version of End of Trail! This year it took place in Brescia, Italy, at the start of September.

Clayton and Amber spoke to Laurie Schenden