I knew there was an episode with a sling in it. My memory was a little off in recounting who was  on horseback. That episode helped spark my interest in the sling

I liked Macgyver much more than I did with A-Team.  a swiss army knife and a leather jacket was all he ever needed to fight evil (and pick up girls in the process)!

AsI recall, MacGyver was a very clever troubleshooter for some sort of intelligence agency.  He was always getting into all sorts of situations, some having to do with his job, some having to do with somebody he ran into who was in trouble.  He could improvise tools out of just about anything: baling wire, duct tape, coat hangers, etc.  His favorite use for a firearm was to take out the cartridges, remove the bullets, pour out the powder and use it to open an inconveniently-locked door.  Don't think he ever actually used a firearm for what they are designed for.  He pretty much worked alone, though he usually dragged along the troubled-person-of-the-week, and sometimes got help from his boss at the agency.
 
The same two people (Mac and his boss), by the way, play on Stargate: SG-1.

The coolest thing about Mac Gyver is that he despised guns and didn't like fighting. He was aman of the moment. Every time he had to punch someone, he would hurt his hand. I idolized him when I was young. He showed how powerful the imagination can be. Every episode was like science class. There was an episode where he made some explosives out of fertilizer and I always wondered if that would really work. That is what was used in the Oklahoma City bombing. He always stayed calm and never lost his cool. Mac Gyver was always for the little guy. Man I'm going to have to buy those dvd's.

it might have been on sky - I don't have and refuse to get satellite tv - so that's probably it :-)  
 
You do get frequent mentions of him on the simpsons though :-)