The Old West tradition of horseback law enforcement hasn’t been completely lost to the past.

Summer is the busy season for the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Posse, a 27-member volunteer organization that patrols events and beaches, and competes in annual sharp-shooting competitions.

Posse members, all sworn special deputies, represent the sheriff’s office as they patrol community events on horseback.

They work all the large spring and summer festivals, providing an approachable presence on the beaches.

“It’s not really work, because we love to get out there and help,” said Kim Nelson, a posse member and staff assistant at the sheriff’s Knappa substation.

Members of the posse handled parking at the Clatsop County Rodeo and the Lower Columbia Hospice Auction, and members will direct traffic at the upcoming Clatsop County Fair and Expo.

Some members are also certified in search-and-rescue techniques. Tom Bergin, Clatsop County Sheriff, enlists the posse for help when rough terrain limits patrol-car access.

“It’s not just a horse club,” said Bergin, who rides with the posse whenever he has a chance. “These people put in a lot of training and they’re really dedicated.”

Bergin said the posse is a tradition in Clatsop County. A picture from 1909 hanging in the sheriff’s office shows then Sheriff Thomas Linville with a posse he called “The Lucky Seven.”

Melody Martin, office manager of the Hospice, said the posse helps with the Hospice’s annual auction, which attracted about 400 people this year, by convincing people to park away from the event so less-mobile attendees have a shorter distance to walk.

The Hospice pays them for their efforts, but the posse donates the money back.

“They never get flustered and they always have smiles on their faces,” said Martin. “It’s a challenge and they do it well.”

Regardless of age, Nelson said people are drawn to the posse’s horses.

“They are like a people magnet. Kids always want to come and pet them, and you’d be amazed how many adults love to hug and smell a horse,” said Nelson.

Nelson said that when children have wandered away from parents on the beaches, the Posse has been able to locate them because of their mobility and high vantage point.

Horses and guns have gone together since the invention of gunpowder, and the posse is no exception.

In a sport mainly pursued by men, Myrna Patrick stands out as the only female on the posse’s competitive shooting team.

“It’s mainly a mental thing,” said Patrick, a Seaside native and grandmother of three. “You have to clear your mind, steady your hands and focus on the target.”

Her husband, County Commissioner Sam Patrick, a 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles county sheriff’s office, talked her into joining the team four years ago.

The Patricks and the rest of the team invest time and energy honing their skills in the months leading up to the Oregon Association of Mounted Posses’ summer shooting competition. All that practice paid off when they walked away from the contest in June with a first-place trophy.

“It’s fun to be the one female shooter on the team,” said Myrna Patrick.

Several woman practice with the shooting team, and the Patricks hope to convince them to form an all-female team next year.

The competition consists of rapid-fire target shooting with six-shot revolvers, requiring the tricky task of reloading between attempts to peg the bull’s eye. From varying distances, each team member fires 50 rounds in four timed stages.

Mike Clark, a member of the posse’s shooting team, is a local insurance agent. He said the shooters burn through two to 300 rounds per practice, and up to 7,000 rounds before the big competition.

The team is a recreational aspect of the posse’s primary role as safety officers for the sheriff’s department.

“It’s all about getting out in the community and interacting and providing safety. They bend over backwards to help out the sheriff’s office,” said Bergin.

Nelson said the posse’s main purpose – whether patrolling beaches, directing traffic or participating in a parade – is to connect with people as representatives of the sheriff’s office.

“We are kind of non-threatening law enforcement,” said Nelson. “We are out there to show people that the sheriff is there to help.”