After the regular season’s over, you take your hat off and wipe the sweat off of your forehead. It’s a relief. You get to go home, and regroup mentally and physically. Hopefully, you made the NFR and it’s time to get ready for the biggest 10 nights of the year. Deciding what to ride at the Finals was always the biggest decision for me. 

In my prime, the regular season ended the first week of November, so there was a pretty tight turnaround before Vegas. With it ending September 30 now, guys have two months—this year, from October 1 until opening night at the NFR on December 5—to get ready. 

I lived in Arizona most of my career, but most of the NFR guys live in Texas now, where there are a jillion jackpots to go to. They say iron sharpens iron, and those guys butt heads 365 days a year. That’s a great way to stay sharp. 

I was always chasing horses throughout my career, and it takes such a unique horse at the NFR. I rode so many different horses there, and rarely rode one at the Finals that I rode all season. By the end of the year, they were either worn out or didn’t fit that little (Thomas & Mack Center) building, especially 10 nights in a row. It takes a special horse to succeed there, and it felt like I was always in search of him. 

Speed Williams had an NFR weapon in Viper. That horse was deadly in that building. He wasn’t the biggest horse in the world, but he scored, came across there flat and gave Speedy a layup right there close. Then they pulled those steers off easy, Rich (Skelton) roped them and Viper faced. It’s hard to put a number on what percentage of their success has to be attributed to Viper. 

Ropers have learned how hard it is there at the Finals on a horse. Because of that, most people don’t practice much on their NFR horse anymore. Even I didn’t do it back in the day, but got on a practice horse instead. You need to make sure your good one is in shape and dialed in before you get to town, but you don’t want him worn out and anticipating when you get there.

One of the horses I did best on at the Finals was one I hadn’t ridden much. The year Clay and I set the NFR record (59.1 on 10, in 1994) that held all those years, I sat around the USTRC Finals that fall and watched a ton of runs. One horse caught my eye, and he belonged to a jackpot roper by the name of Carlos Ortiz. I asked if he would consider selling him, and he met me at a little building in Albuquerque. 

That horse had never been in the bright lights before, and actually worked kind of green there at the Finals. But the start was so short, so you could basically just nod and go. I could get a downtown start, and he broke across there flat. The steers were pretty big that year. I would just stick it on ’em, and rein him off, and those steers hopped off and gave Clay an easy shot. 

That bay horse I called Sonny had never been reached and ducked on. He ran right there to the hip, and gave me jackpot throws. I was having to rein him off to get away from the steer, but I wasn’t having to fight for a dally. It was just easy on Clay and I. 

The NFR is a unique rodeo, and it’s ironic to take one that’s never been to the big city before and have so much success on him. The crowd is so loud, and it feels like there are 17,000 people sitting right on top of you. Horses that have never heard or seen that can get their skirts blown up and get lost in that building, because that atmosphere packs a lot of pressure.  

My bottom line was always wanting to make sure my horse was in really good physical shape going into that 10-day battle. And not getting too quick. I only roped one or two on my good one the day we broke in the steers in the Thomas & Mack. 

I always enjoyed going out every morning during the Finals to feed and clean my own pens. And I had a place set up around town where I could go rope a handful of steers in the morning during the week, if my horse or I needed it. Like Joe Beaver said, “If things aren’t going right, I’m going to try something different and change my hat, my rope, my horse or whatever it takes to win.”

—TRJ—

The post Picking a Four-Legged Partner for the NFR appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

As a rookie coming into professional rodeo, I’d only heard of places with long scores. Where I grew up in New Mexico, there were never any long scores, and most were about average. Then it was all short scores when I amateur rodeoed in Texas.

There are a few basics that help you have success over long scorelines, starting with a horse that scores really good and can run. You can’t be successful if you break the barrier or get left behind. And after that long head start, you need a horse that can catch up. With so much speed built up, a handle that slows things down and smooths out that corner is also important, so you help your heeler and don’t jerk one down. 

LISTEN: Long vs. Short Game Evolution

The 40-foot scoreline at Salinas is the longest in our sport, and it’s the only five-steer average rodeo out there. The steers are chute-run, and both guys come from the left side of the roping chute. 

Salinas is my favorite rodeo of the whole year for several reasons beyond the cowboy conditions and old-school tradition, including the weather. It’s dirty hot everywhere else you go that time of year, so it’s refreshing to be out there on those misty mornings for slack. And everybody loves getting to run one every day. 

If you can stay the course, you can be successful at Salinas. Heelers have a disadvantage there, because with both guys coming from the left, a lot of steers go over to that right track fence and cut in front of them. Heelers stay in catch-up mode, so it’s really important as a header to slow that momentum down to give your partner a chance.

Roping at Salinas reminds me of the NFR grand-entry rehearsal. They make you do it horseback about five times, and all those roughstock guys are whooping and hollering, and having fun making it a horse race while the production people are trying to tighten it up. After about the second run-through, all the horses are acting like runaway racehorses. 

READ: Coy Rahlmann’s Salinas-Winning Secrets

Add 10 performances to that, and you can have your horse blown up before he ever backs in the box. That’s why so many guys ride a different horse, or their backup horse, in the grand entry. Because when the announcer tells all those cowboys to tip their hats to the crowd, those horses go to jumping and wheeling out of there.

After you run a steer or two at Salinas, even as slow as they open the gate there, a lot of horses go to jumping around and are hard to hold in there, just like in the NFR grand entry. I was scared to death the first time I roped at Salinas. It was just so foreign to me, and was not the typical hip-to-the-pin setup. I felt like I had to wait 30 minutes for that steer to get to the line. 

They put a Styrofoam cup out there in the dirt at Salinas to let headers gauge when to go, which on an average steer is about when his head reaches the cup. Some steers walk to the line, and it’s a big advantage if they run one in there for you that’s kind of lost like that. 

The scoreline at Cheyenne is 10 feet shorter than Salinas at 30 feet, and they’re using an electric eye there this year. They draw the steers, which are walking fresh in two rounds of steer roping first. So you get the video on what your steer does from a steer roper. 

Cheyenne just added team roping in 2001. The box is shorter and so is the score, so you don’t have to sit there as long as at Salinas. But coming off of all the one-headers over the Fourth of July, it’s sure enough a lot different. 

Clay and I won Cheyenne the second year they had it, when they roped muleys in 2002. I was fortunate to win it again with Walt Woodard in 2011, and when Walt and I won, we drew the three best steers there and placed in all three rounds. We couldn’t have hand-picked three better steers, and that win was a major factor in us making the NFR that year.

WATCH ON ROPING.COM: Unlock the Secrets of Successful Heading

—TRJ—

The post Handling the Longest Scores in Rodeo appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Riding a horse that suits you—your style and stage of riding and roping—has so much to do with both your success and how much fun you have. Horsepower is everything at every level of the game, but the right fit between horse and human can be even more important than having what might technically be considered the very best horse. And for ropers young and old at each end of the age spectrum, riding the right kind of horse is an important safety factor also. 

Affordability is a major factor when shopping for a horse. The good news is a horse doesn’t have to be fancy or super expensive to be of value to a kid or older roper. We all want the very best horse our money can buy. But I sometimes see parents pull the trigger too quickly on a horse that’s not what their son or daughter needs in the early going. 

While everyone wants their kid to have an edge, overmounting your young roper is one of the most common mistakes I see parents make. Most kids don’t have the riding skills to handle a high-powered horse in the beginning. If your first horse is too aggressive and strong, you’ll be pulling all the time and will learn to be heavy-handed, which is not the goal.

READ: What Makes a Good Team Roping Horse?

If your first horse is too old to want to move much, and a kid has to whip and spur to get him to even untrack, it can teach that kid to be too aggressive. I like to see kids get some riding experience and horsemanship skills before they ever rope horseback. It’s just a safer, more successful way to go about it.

My first horse was a Shetland pony. There are some good ones, but based on my childhood I’m not generally a big fan of those little outlaw suckers. They’re hard to get broke, a lot of them are runaways and it can be dangerous if a kid rides up behind a big horse and gets kicked. 

There’s nothing much more important than a kid’s first horse, and a basic model that teaches a kid how to turn and stop is a good place to start. A lot of kids want to run their horses everywhere, but without basic horsemanship skills they don’t know how to operate the brakes. Everyone wants their kid to be the next Trevor Brazile, and to ride the best, fastest horse. But I think if you look all the way back, Trevor rode some safe, basic models as a kid that taught him the things that took him to the top. 

READ: Top 10 Traits of a Horse for Lower-Numbered Headers
READ: Top 10 Traits in a Horse for Lower-Numbered Heelers

When the goal is a safe, suitable horse, it’s buyer beware on online bargains that really are too good to be true. Some horse traders are more reputable than others, and as parents, it’s our responsibility to weed through the lies that could be dangerous if you don’t see through them. 

A lot of the same traits apply to horses for older ropers. As we get a little longer in the tooth—I turned 65 this year—it’s not quite as cute if a horse crow-hops. If a horse grabs his butt at my age, I’m puckered up and reaching for the saddle horn. I don’t want any part of hitting that hard ground. 

Depending on riding and roping level, an older roper might want a little more run than a kid’s horse. But I’ve always been a fan of horses that are a little older, in that 12 to 20 range, and I’m no longer willing to spend hours loping one down to take some of the spunk out of him before we rope. I’ve had two knee replacements, and have aches and pains now, like everybody else. I want a horse I can just go run a few on without having to keep him saddled all day. 

READ: Do Not Disrespect Older Horses

A horse that isn’t chargy and is just nice and smooth to ride around makes it so much more fun. And if I don’t ride one today, he better not be fresh and humpy tomorrow. I have no interest in a horse that spooks at every trash bag that blows across the parking lot, or is scared by the sound system at the roping. So an older horse that’s been there, done that and seen all the sights makes sense. 

There were times in my career—like the early years I rode Bullwinkle, who acted more like a bulldogging horse than a head horse—when I made some sacrifices for a horse with quirks because I could win on him. There were times in my life when I tolerated trade-offs if a horse was talented. If I needed to spend all afternoon scoring, steer stopping and pulling a log, so be it. But conquering a renegade is of no interest to me now.

—TRJ—

The post The Many Advantages of Age-Appropriate Horses appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

We all love to rope, and it’s the greatest time ever to be a team roper. As always, recreational ropers—as in, people who rope for fun—make up the majority of team ropers in the world. Guys who rope for a living are gunning at more money than ever before. But with the grueling travel and how tough it is to win out there today, the rodeo road remains a hard life. What’s pretty cool now is that the time has come when the sky’s the limit for people who basically rope as a hobby. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with just roping for fun. 

I personally feel that a lower-numbered roper has a way better opportunity and a better lifestyle than the open-roping pro cowboys. All those guys are out there chasing the NFR, and only 15 teams have a chance to run at the big money those 10 days in Vegas. The recreational ropers run at over $100,000 a man every day out there at the (Ariat) World Series (of Team Roping) Finale. 

READ: Calling All Roping Rookies: Friendly Advice from Jake Barnes

My mind continues to be blown by the young kids coming up today. I just went to a roping in Wickenburg, and watched a $300-a-man #12 roping, which has no age limit. This one little kid comes out and reaches as far as he could on the first steer, his partner crossfired him and they were 5—again, in the first round of a four-steer average. I was like, “Are you kidding me?”

I hustled over to the other arena to see what they were going to do on their second steer, and that same kid reached as far as he could again, and missed. There I was, old-school me, thinking, “OK, I’m not crazy, that’s not the way we go at a four-header.” But that kid stuck with his gunslinging game plan, and sure enough, here he came in the short round. He threw his whole rope again, and won second or third in the average. It was insane. 

Maybe I had no fear when I was his age, but it was a different ball game back then, and was more about consistency and avoiding unforced errors. A kid like that surely has big dreams of roping at the NFR one day. So the good news for the rest of the ropers in that #12 roping is that he’ll soon have his number raised, and you won’t have to deal with him much longer. 

READ: There is No Single Path to Success in Team Roping or Life

We never think there will be a generation gap, but I find myself thinking about how much money $300 is for entry fees. And that was going one time in one roping. Then here came the #12 businessman’s roping, and the fees were $1,000 a man. On a weekday. That kind of money is still hard for me to cough up to rope, but it says something worth noting. Businessmen and women make their money doing something else, and rope for enjoyment. They can afford it. Good for them.

I was raised to never waste anything. Even though I have a rope sponsorship, I still use a rope until it can’t go anymore. Then my sister makes baskets out of the really old, worn-out ones. It’s mind-blowing to see a 12-year-old kid use a rope once, then throw it on the ground and walk away. To each his own, but I’d have gotten my butt whipped. 

I started at the bottom, and worked my way to the top. Some would say roping was my job. But it never felt like a job, because that’s all I ever wanted to do. I’m very thankful for all the doors my roping career opened, including the chance for Clay (Cooper) and I to spend our rodeo retirement helping others reach their roping goals.  

READ: Intermediate, Limited and Numbered Futurities are Next Gen of Team Roping

Ropers of our generation who are over 60 now find ourselves in an interesting position, where we still rope too good to get our numbers lowered, but have a tough time against guys half our age or younger. Luckily, Clay and I love helping other people with their roping. And the horse industry continues to be more lucrative as more and more people rope. 

I guess what I’m saying here is that roping has something for everyone in 2024. There’s a place for all of us, and if you consider roping play, that’s cool, too. The numbering system provides protection for people who don’t rope for a living, and that’s a totally different scenario from when we were the young kids and were thrown to the open-roper wolves.

—TRJ—

The post The Best of Times for Team Ropers appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Whether getting ready for a big event or prepping a young horse for its first futurity, Trevor Brazile is a stickler for a sharp face in a head horse. Trying to get your head horse’s facing dialed in? This playlist of rope horse training videos is a great place to start.

1. Heading Horsemanship and Facing

From Brazile and Patrick Smith’s Legend DVD, this video takes you through Trevor Brazile’s full philosophy on tuning a head horse in a variety of scenarios, with a strong emphasis on the most overlooked part of a run: the face. Brazile explains his facing techniques and the exercises he uses to get a faster, cleaner finish. 

2. Body Position in the Face

In just 3.5 minutes, Brazile and his Relentless Remuda partner Miles Baker review how your body movement affects your horse’s hips in the face. 

3. Facing Drill with a Tire

Shot at Baker’s Oklahoma ranch, Brazile explains how he drags a tire with a head horse to work on pushing his horse forward and finishing in the middle of the arena. 

4. Refining the Face with a Tire Drill

Baker and Brazile talk through using a tire to work on keeping control of the steer through the face, preventing the horse’s shoulders from falling into the horse’s nose. 

5. Understanding Head Control to Optimize Facing

In less than 2 minutes, Brazile will change your understanding of head control in the face. Brazile teaches a horse to face with cheek control, and you’ve probably never seen anyone explain the face like this.

Roping.com, powered by The Team Roping Journal, offers ropers an elite inner circle to learn and build relationships with some of the winningest team roping legends in the industry. Roping.com provides thousands of tutorial videos as well as personal guidance for ropers of all levels to up their skill. Whether ropers are looking to improve their mental game, watch a roping clinic, learn how to practice with a purpose, or up their catch percentages, Roping.com gives these insights and more.

—TRJ—

The post The Ultimate Facing Masterclass appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Can you make a living team roping?

Back when I started roping, there were no thoughts of making a living roping. Team roping was more of a hobby even for a lot of the best guys, because they didn’t even have our event at a lot of rodeos. Where I grew up in New Mexico, nobody roped for a living. There were guys who loved to rope, but it wasn’t how they fed their families. Today’s young guns won’t believe it, but when my career got rolling, they didn’t even have team roping at rodeos like Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Cheyenne and Pendleton. 

Making money with a rope was so tough when I was younger that for a good part of my own career, I hesitated to encourage young kids to put all their eggs in that basket. But even in the short time since my kids were little, a lot has changed. There’s just so much more money out there to win.  

One thing that’s been true about team roping all along is that there are young kids who invest a lot of time to become talented ropers, then waste that by becoming bums who don’t take care of business. The fact is, with team roping at every rodeo now and all the progress in this booming roping and rodeo business, it is absolutely possible to make a living roping if you’re willing to work hard for it and do whatever it takes. 

Team roping has absolutely exploded, and from the days when I was young and open ropings were the only game in town, there’s so much opportunity for lower-numbered ropers now also. The (Ariat) World Series of Team Roping Finale in Las Vegas is the best gig there is, and recreational ropers have a chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in one day with a minimum investment of time and money. I’ve roped all my life, and have never won $150,000 at one event. 

Team roping has come so far that you can compete close to home, enjoy the sport as a part-time hobby at your local ropings, and practice after work if that’s how you want to do it. You can ease around as a family at your own pace, then get dialed in and go for it at the Finale for a shot at a ton of money. Times have changed so much since I was a kid, and it was sink-or-swim at the open ropings, because there were no other options. 

Team ropers today can enjoy all the different stages competing against teams of their own caliber. When I was learning to rope, I was basically donating to the livings of the best guys while I worked my way up the ladder. Most of the ropings were three for $30—$15 a man—and I think they took $10 a team out for stock charge. The other $20 was split between the first round and the average. 

It’s hard for me to even comprehend the difference between then and now, but when I was a kid a team roping horse cost $2,500 to $5,000 at the high end. I realize it’s all relative when it comes to costs and payoffs, but even the local ropings pay pretty well today. And there’s that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in Vegas each December. 

If I had a kid today who truly loved to rope, I would assure him that roping for a living is not fun and games or easy. I’d make it clear that it’s no bed of roses, and there can be no excuses. But if the kids are eaten up with it like I was, and are all in, it is more possible than ever before to make roping pay. 

Stage-appropriate horses are important. A lot of kids are over- or under-mounted, and both can be bad. If a horse is too strong and overpowers a beginner, it can be intimidating and even dangerous. Being under-mounted on a slow horse that can’t catch up or is really cheaty can be very frustrating. 

A gentle, honest, automatic horse, and starting out roping machines and slow cattle is a good basic place to start for all beginners. As an interesting side note, having a Cadillac at every stage might not be the best bet in the long run. A few pickles and less talented horses along the way sure taught me a thing or two. Keep it safe and keep it fun.

—TRJ—

The post Cashing in on the Team Roping Boom appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Back in my day, your best horse was your practice, jackpot and rodeo horse. That might be hard for today’s young ropers to comprehend, but it’s true. There are more team ropers in the world than ever before, and both the caliber of horses and level of horsemanship is at an all-time high. 

I was at a roping in Buckeye, Arizona, today, and visiting with a friend while watching a roping. We couldn’t get over the quality and quantity of good horses in every roping, open guys and recreational ropers included. 

Everything about roping has advanced so much, also including the opportunity to win big money. That, in turn, has made making and investing in high-end horses make sense. Naturally, this is all being reflected in horse prices.

What’s a good horse worth? I bought a horse from a guy by the name of Al Gomes in Chowchilla, California, back in the early 80s. He had navicular, but he was a nice horse and Al didn’t really want to sell him. But there’s always a price. I’ll never forget Al telling me that if he was going to sell his best horse, he had to get enough money to buy a new truck. 

I paid him $10,000 for that horse, and at that time, that’s what a new truck cost. Since Al told me that, I’ve always used the price of a new truck as my Kelley Blue Book on horses. Just like a used vehicle, there are always factors like soundness and age to consider with horses. But that’s a pretty fair rule of thumb as a baseline. 

Today’s rope-horse futurities are playing a part in this also. People now specifically breed horses for roping, and the way even the young horses look and ride these days is just so impressive. The rope-horse economy is making it worth the time and effort to make all of these nice horses. 

Paying a fair price for a good horse goes hand-in-hand with people now having a chance to go to Vegas and win $150,000 to $200,000. It makes sense, because riding a nice horse is one of the most obvious advantages a roper can give himself. And more ropers than ever before at every level keeps demand for good horses high. It’s a wise investment. 

One size does not fit all when it comes to rope horses. A horse that might not fit me and my style might be a great fit for you. But you can only go so far with your talent with a rope, I don’t care who you are, and you can’t win if you’re afoot. 

The great ropers and great horses in every era are just that. But there are so many more today than ever before. And in my heyday, there were a lot of guys with one horse that defined their career, whereas a guy like Kaleb Driggers has several really nice ones at all times. 

I see people riding lower-quality horses at roping schools all the time. They might not have the budget to buy a good one, or the skills to keep a nice horse working. But regardless of the reasons, riding a lesser horse handicaps them and makes improving their roping an uphill battle. 

It’s important to keep developing your horsemanship skills along the way, so you can keep upgrading your horses. And so when you do get your hands on a good one, you can help him last. I see most people taking better care of their horses now than ever before. They’re keeping them fit, and taking advantage of modern veterinary technology and maintenance programs. 

There are better bits and saddles now, too. People used to always ride saddles they won, no matter what brand or size of seat. A lot of people are riding good-fitting custom saddles now, and there are a lot more good saddle companies today. It’s again a matter of supply and demand. 

Leg protection for horses has evolved over time also. We used to use some splint boots and bell boots, maybe, but team roping horses never had boots on all four legs, like they do now. 

Never stop trying to rope better, and never stop trying to upgrade your horse herd, whether it’s improving the ones you have or getting a better one every chance you get. And don’t let foolish pride get in your way. I’ve never taken a horse from start to finish. I’ve ridden young, green horses, but have never started a colt and taken him all the way. With all the futurities, I’m seeing some phenomenal 4- and 5-year-olds. They’re nice horses to start with, they’re being exposed to more at an early age and it shows.

—TRJ—

The post Today’s Rope Horse Talent Pool Runs Deep appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

A head horse that finishes strong with a good face can mean the difference between winning a check and being out of the money. In this video brought to you by Cactus Ropes, Trevor Brazile explains how he manages his horse’s head position for better, faster, sharper facing.

“If his head’s up just a touch—up and in—versus down and in, it makes a big difference on the intensity of the face.”

Watch “Improve Your Head Horse’s Facing” now:

About Trevor Brazile:

Trevor Brazile is the winningest cowboy in professional rodeo history, with $7 million in career earnings and 26 gold buckles. The sport’s elite all-around hand, Brazile has won over $800,000 in Cinch Timed Event Championship competition alone. Since leaving the rodeo arena full-time in 2019, Brazile has changed his focus to making the best young horses in the roping industry. He’s already won hundreds of thousands in American Rope Horse Futurity Association competition, and his training style and philosophy are based on fundamentals and consistency.

MORE RELENTLESS INSIGHTS:

• How Can I Speed Up My Run?
• Starting a Rope Horse: Work on Timing
• Develop Your Horse’s Draw to Cattle

The post Improve Your Head Horse’s Facing appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

It’s time to set your team roping goals.

A lot has changed for team ropers since I made my first National Finals 44 years ago in 1980. Team roping became a standard event, which means it’s mandatory at every professional rodeo, and more rodeos than ever add equal money. More people are making a living with a rope than ever before in 2024, and that’s progress. But make no mistake, it’s still a tough way to go financially, whether you’re a professional team roper or just rope for fun. Why not do whatever it takes to give yourself the best chance at winning?

What hasn’t changed over time is the commitment it takes to make it team roping. That statement stands at the highest level, and actually also applies to ropers at the recreational level, who rope as a hobby. We all know everything’s more enjoyable when you’re doing your best. So whether your goal is a gold buckle or to have a good time going to ropings on the weekend, what are you going to do to make this your best year yet?

There will typically be partner changes, even at the top. Heck, Speed (Williams) and Rich (Skelton) won eight world championships in a row, then quit roping together. That just seemed insane, but there’s so much more to partnerships than anyone ever realizes, and people need to do what works for them.

This time of year is always a time of self-reflection. You need to be brutally honest with yourself when it comes to your roping, your horse and every aspect of being a good teammate, and do something about your own shortcomings. Whether you’re staying hooked or are going to try on a new teammate, be open and honest in your communication with your partners.

The guys who just won gold buckles don’t want to change a thing and just want to keep the ball rolling. Everybody else is looking to take it up a notch and give themselves a shot at knocking them off the throne in 2024.

This all applies to the dreams that just came true at the (Ariat) World Series (of Team Roping) Finale also. There are people with jobs and families at home who just won more in Vegas than the big dogs. If you want to have a chance at that being you this December, what are you going to do about it?

Whether you feel the need to take it up a notch or turn things totally around, ropers at all levels are making changes in themselves and their teams to try and kick off the new year on the right foot.

I’m big on loyalty when it comes to partnerships, and my long-term philosophy on that is based on mistakes I made when I was younger. Sometimes, you really would be better off making a change. If you’re the kind who never thinks anything is your own fault, you’re going to figure out the hard way that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

Ringing in a new roping year is almost like reloading your gun. The new year is a great time to do everything from getting your finances and horses in order to analyzing the way you practice. Doing things the way you always have is not usually the path to improvement.

I sometimes hear people say they want to protect their number. Don’t make the mistake of letting that hold you back. I want to win as much as I possibly can. Go win, and give them a reason to raise your number.

I always set the goal of winning the world championship as my mission going into every new rodeo season. A lot of guys always say it’s to try and make the Finals, but that was never enough for me. Suit yourself on that, but the higher you set your sights, the better in my book.

There will be recreational ropers who win life-changing money again this year. If you want the chance to hit the roping lottery, you need to be roping in Vegas next December. You’ve got to play to win, and if you only go to one roping a year, that has to be the one. Because if it happens to be your day, and you draw good and rope good—boom. That’s the best game in any roping town, and really is a no-brainer.

Let yourself dream a little going into 2024, and set your goals higher. Stay out of old ruts, and get to work. TRJ

The post Work to Make 2024 Your Year appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

One of the most important parts of heading is getting that first swing on target. Set yourself up for success by…hooking the horns upside down? In this video brought to you by Professional’s Choice, Coleman Proctor explains the dummy drill he uses to help headers who struggle with turning their rope over too late.

“Heading is the only discipline where your first swing is required to turn over outside your elbow. A great drill that I came up with for beginners who would to turn their rope over too late is to have them—on their first swing—hook the horns upside down.”

About Coleman Proctor:

Since turning pro in 2004, Coleman Proctor has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo seven times. In 2022, he finished sixth in the team roping (heading) world standings. Throughout his career, Proctor has earned more than $1.5 million in prize money, cementing his status as one of the top earners in the sport. Proctor, his wife, and two daughters live in Pryor, Oklahoma.

The post Get Your First Swing on Target with this Dummy Drill appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

I qualified for 27 Wrangler National Finals Rodeos in the 35-year span between 1980 and 2015. I roped at my first one with Allen Bach, and made my last two with a kid from Brazil by the name of Junior Nogueira. A horse fell with me when we were practicing for the 2015 NFR—and I got a pretty serious head injury out of that—so I unfortunately didn’t get to make the trip to Las Vegas after qualifying. My last NFR hurrah in 2014 was Junior’s first. Talk about a year of fast learning curves and unforgettable memories. 

I didn’t orchestrate any part of my time with Junior. It was all God, and roping with Junior was a godsend. I’d had about enough of rodeoing at the time, and Junior had a dream to come to America and rope for a living. Toni and I were empty nesters, and I’d been on the road so long that I was going to start spending more time at home with her. 

But people were persistent about introducing me to this kid from Brazil. They kept saying he could really rope, and wanted to meet me. I knew about bull riders from Brazil taking over the bull riding world, but didn’t even know they roped in Brazil. I wasn’t buying that some kid from over there could hang with the best guys here.  

The first day Junior came to the house, he worked the chutes and ran the steers up on foot all day long. I felt kind of sorry for him, so I told him he could come back the next day and I’d spin him a few on my practice horse. The plan was to rub mud in his face, and make those guys bragging on him eat some crow. I had a handful of stronger, ranker steers, so I spun those for Junior. I was reaching and ducking, and he was pulling off some crazy shots and crossfiring most of them on a low-caliber horse. 

I kept turning up the heat, and ducking harder, thinking each one was just a lucky shot. But I never could mishandle one bad enough to make Junior miss. And he could somehow get a dally on that horse that was jumping up and down and sideways. 

Junior had $500 to his name, and not enough English for me to even understand him. With help, he told me about his dad dying riding into the box to rope at a rodeo when Junior was really young. And that his mom had taken him to some roping clinics back home in Brazil. I wanted to help fulfill this kid’s dream, so I told Junior that he could come stay with me, and that I’d give him a taste of what rodeo here was like. 

I had no intention of trying to make the Finals again. But Junior was such a polite kid with such a warm spirit. Neither of us had a good enough horse, and all I had was an older single-wheel crew-cab truck and a stock trailer. This was all 10 years ago, at the end of 2013. 

I had to be the bad guy a lot in the beginning, but there was a huge learning curve if this kid was going to stand a chance. A friend and I bought a horse just to get Junior by, and with $500 to his name, Junior went to work building his own empire. He started on his permit when we roped at the Denver qualifier in January of 2014, and away we went. 

Junior had everything to learn, and had never been in cold weather before. I remember his teeth chattering when we went to Rapid City that winter. The poor kid didn’t speak English, didn’t know anybody and had no earthly idea where he was in this country. Every rodeo was new to him. I get emotional thinking about all he had to overcome, but Junior would always say he wasn’t scared. 

If there would have been a bonus for whoever made the Finals on the worst horse, Junior would have won it hands down. I was hard on him at times, and there were times he threw his sucker in the dirt and threatened to go back home to Brazil. The savior of the whole deal that first year was Jade Corkill, who let Junior finish out the regular season on one of his horses. 

It was meant to be for Junior to come here and rodeo. We’ve developed a really close bond, and him and Toni are like mother and son to this day. He’s built a name and great career for himself. I’m proud of Junior like he’s my own son, the same way Leo (Camarillo) was proud of me. TRJ

The post My Last NFR Was Junior Nogueira’s First  appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The day we shot these photos, I was riding green head horses all day, and we were roping some easy muleys to help build these young horses’ confidence. Ryan Motes was getting ready for the rope horse futurity in Fort Worth, so we were really focusing on making controlled runs that felt easy and helped our horses feel comfortable in their position and fundamentals. 

1. Use a scoring lane

We’re using a score lane here, and it’s got three hurdles the steers have to go over before they can run. I like the scoring lane for both young and old horses. The majority of box problems come from two main causes: 1) Horses that want to be over-achievers and want to run to catch the cow. 2) Rodeo and jackpot horses that have to go off the back of the box hard, time and time again. 

2. Getting hooked

The lane allows me to take all the sting out of the box as they wait for the steer to trickle out of the lane. If a horse is anticipating the gate, the cow has to go over all three of the hurdles, which gives me time to leak off the back, walk-start, then lope, all by the time the steer hits the end of the lane. I’ll start them at a walk, and I’m right beside the chute when I open it, he sees the cow and I’m in the range of being in position and hooked up with the cow. I can see them out to where I have to gain, go all the way down the arena, and, eventually on the slow steers, I can see them all the way to the end of the lane. Then I can teach them to go to them. You can turn a horse up in three runs. Getting them to leave controlled and calm is much harder.

3. Rope muleys

We rope a lot of muleys because they’re a little lighter and smaller so, on young head horses or green head horses, very seldom do I get them afraid of the weight of the steer. I can shape them and keep them confident. They’re usually decently fresh, and we never rope them where they start dragging. Our head horses don’t have to take any bad hits, so their confidence in their strength stays up. 

4. Staying careful

The muleys will keep their own forward momentum. If you’re not careful, if your horses take bad hits, they’ll beat you to take the weight and they’ll load onto their front ends. They’ll stay true running to the steer but, then as your dallying, they’ll know the weight is coming to the saddle horn, and they’ll be afraid of feeling weak. They’ll dump their shoulders to the left, kick their butts under the rope and dig on their front ends. When they do that, the pull is a lie for a heeler, and those steers will give a read through the turn and they’ll rabbit hop or double hop as your heeler is picking up his timing. Your heeler will get beat to the ground and miss, and it fouls up the rhythm of the run instead of having them tapped and roping on the second or third jump. 

5. Patient into the turn

When I’m roping these muleys to build my horse’s confidence, I’ll make sure my horse goes to the spot where I want to throw, I’ll take a couple extra swings and rope. I want to make sure he’s caught up, with his legs under him to where, after I rope, it’s easy to push him into the turn. I want to be patient into the turn and, after the turn, it’s really important to teach these horses to pull and keep control of the cow. The muleys generally make that job pretty easy on me and the horse, so I can focus on shaping him how I want him across the pen. That lets my heeler work, even if I am slow in the turn. Once I take control, he can sure enough work his horse. TRJ

WATCH ON ROPING.COM: Green Horse Confidence-Building Practice on Muleys

Year of the Horse coverage brought to you by Fast Back Ropes.

The post Building Confidence in Young Rope Horses appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Whether you’re getting ready to rope at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo or Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale, team ropers at every level are in preparation mode as they get set to migrate to Las Vegas next month. Ropers at all skill levels are down to the two-minute warning and the last chapter of the 2023 season at the Thomas & Mack Center and the South Point.

The top dogs of team roping are practicing hard every day, and trying to get their horses ready. I’ve always been one to show up totally prepared in both my roping and my horses. And make no mistake, roping big steers in that small of an arena at the Thomas & Mack is really hard on your horse.

The score is really short, but that building is small and the cattle are big and strong and fresh. And that left wall is right there. You can stick it on ’em pretty fast, but then you have to turn and come back up that wall with some momentum and get faced.

My old horse Bullwinkle was perfect for that setup. He didn’t score that great during the regular season, but that short score suited him, and he could pull the horns off of those big old cattle and face really good.

Having the horsepower you need is the biggest factor for headers, in my opinion. The conditions change, ranging from Salinas and some of the big ropings to all the short-score rodeos now. Guys having to be 3 all the time to win today makes it even tougher on your horses.

I think I won three championships on Bullwinkle. Once he was done, I spent a lot of falls searching for something to ride at the Finals. One year, I went to the USTRC Finals in Oklahoma City, and stayed three or four days after the open roping to see if I could spot a horse that might work at the Thomas & Mack. I sat around there watching people rope all day long.

I got a horse scouted out, and asked the guy if he might be interested in selling him. He said maybe after the roping. When it was over, we met up in Moriarty, New Mexico, I tried that streak-faced bay and bought him. His name was Sunny, and low and behold that’s the horse Clay (Cooper) and I set the NFR record on in 1994.

The last year I rodeoed and made the Finals (with Junior Nogueira in 2014), we set up a small arena to practice. I roped a steer, turned and came straight back up the arena. That’s when my horse fell and I got a bad head injury that kept me from roping at the NFR.

To each his own, but Clay and I never set up an NFR-sized arena to practice for it. I had a practice horse, and reached and roped a lot of steers on him. But I didn’t want my good horse ducking so bad that I’d miss, lose my rope or give Clay a bad handle. We made our run in Clay’s regular-sized arena, and we didn’t bring in bigger steers. We practiced roping fast, but wanted our good horses to go into the Finals fresh.

I think it was Speed (Williams) and Rich (Skelton) who came up with setting up a smaller arena with the exact measurements of the Thomas & Mack, and more power to them. They’re the all-time champs, and that system worked for them. Doing that is not a big deal on the heel horses, but it’s very hard on head horses. That said, I know heelers want some realistic shots on big, strong, wide-legged steers that are wild, because they’re a lot harder to heel.

Lower-numbered ropers getting ready for the Finale will face totally different conditions over at the South Point. The boxes will be really deep, and when a steer sticks his head out the end of the gate, you better be rolling. My best piece of advice for both buildings is don’t get left in the gate.

You Finale ropers will be running at more money than the NFR guys, and that can be intimidating. But try not to let the bright lights blind you, and don’t show up with a hangover just because you’re in Vegas. It’s basically a bulldogging start at both places, so get out of there and don’t be late. Being tentative at the barrier puts you in a bind. Get your game face on, and don’t get left behind. TRJ

The post Vegas Prep Beast Mode appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

If I had it all to do again as a young team roper—knowing what I know now, and with all I’ve learned over the course of my life and career—how would I go about building the most successful possible roping career for myself? I get asked that question quite a bit, and laugh when I look back. I was like a blind squirrel looking for an acorn when I was a kid dreaming of roping for a living. 

There weren’t a lot of top ropers where I grew up. I was infatuated with roping, and would compare my mindset to a minority kid looking for a way out of the ghetto. I watched the good guys, and studied how they were doing it. 

My first piece of advice for young people with big roping dreams—and their parents—is to seek good advice. My son Bo was infatuated with basketball like I was with roping. Toni [Jake’s wife] took him to a Phoenix Suns camp taught by Eddie Johnson, who was a former Suns player. He got into the tiny details of basketball with Bo. 

READ MORE: There is No Single Path to Success in Team Roping or Life

From then on, I zipped it. I’d played basketball, but not at the level Bo was looking to go. Compared to someone who’d played that sport at the highest level, I realized I had no idea what I was talking about. Bo learned from the best, and worked his tail off. His reward was playing Division 1 ball, and being recruited overseas. 

The same scenario applies to roping parents. Some are qualified to coach their kids at roping—others, not so much. If it was my kid, I’d take him to the very best trainers to get him started on the right track. From there, the effort they put into it will tell the story. 

Patrick Smith and Paul Eaves are great examples of what I’m talking about here. They went and lived with Allen Bach. They learned about roping, and what it takes to make it from him. You have to earn the help one way or another, whether it’s to pay for advice or to work it off doing things like cleaning stalls, driving and exercising horses. But what you learn can be priceless, and figuring it all out on your own takes too much time.

READ MORE: Never Forget Where You Came From

Parents also have an impact on your personal habits, and who you hang out with. If you want to rope for a living, drinking and drugs are not your friend. You can take my word for it or learn it the hard way. Sometimes the tough lessons learned in life do you a favor over the long run, and prepare you for tougher times ahead. Just remember that mismanagement has derailed a lot of talented team ropers. 

Allen was my first partner when I turned pro, and was a good mentor to me during the time I spent at his place in California. When I then roped with Leo (Camarillo) and stayed there with him (also in California) was the real turning point for me. Before that, I looked at practice as fun. Leo took me from just going through the motions to breaking down every detail of being better. I became a professional team roper when I lived with Leo. 

Conducting yourself as a professional is another area where good parenting comes in handy. It’s easy to get a bad attitude when things don’t go right, and start throwing fits and taking it out on your horse. I’ve heard Trevor (Brazile) say he didn’t grow up throwing fits, because his parents didn’t stand for it. 

READ MORE: What’s Your Reason for Roping?

You’re going to lose more than you win. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to learn how to keep rolling when you do. And even more important than not letting failure wreck your next run is not letting it make you miserable in your life. What happens in five seconds can’t put you in a bad mood for five days. 

I expect so much out of my horses and me that it’s a huge letdown when I don’t win. I’m hard on myself. Bobby Hurley had the ability to miss in a crucial situation, and ride out of the arena laughing. I have no idea how he did that, but thought his and Allen’s rule of allowing themselves to be mad for one hour max was a great idea. You didn’t miss on purpose, so get over it and get on to the next one. TRJ

The post If I Was a Young Team Roper Today appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Mental Game

I’ve needed to let go of trying to win first every time. I’m trying to trust the process and the run instead of just trying to do it all on my own. I mean, I’m always trying to do better. I’m focusing more on getting a good start and riding my horse before I’m looking to throw. 

In the Box

I want to take a deep seat—not hunched over and not rocked back. That helps me ride my horse to the steer because, if my shoulders are back too soon, he’s just going to be reading my throw instead of running toward the steer. 

Bridle Reins

I usually like to leave a little early and float. Both of my horses score light. I tend to get off the corner early to make sure I have my horse going forward and, from there, I can judge if I need to float them or not; I just do not like being late. I grew up in the Southeast where the barriers are short, and you could start early and pull at the line and throw instead of having to sit dead still and come blasting. That’s a feel that’s better for me. 

To the Steer

Riding my horse first means that, if I can score good instead of trying to get my rope up so fast, with the first stride headed toward the cow, I catch way more that way and can give my partner a better roll at them, too. TRJ

GET IT: Wyatt uses a Mini Thrill by Cactus Ropes to help with his snappy head loops. 

The post Creating More Opportunities for Your Heeler appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Coy Rahlmann and Jonathan Torres hadn’t been on top of the world when they pulled into California Rodeo Salinas in late July, but by the time they rolled out on championship Sunday, they were $10,307 a man richer after roping five steers in 48.5 seconds for the bucket list rodeo win. For Rahlmann, the win was a test of his abilities to just catch five, a mantra he went into the rodeo with. Here’s how he did it. 

Mental Game

We hadn’t drawn great all summer, and we were getting so frustrated when we did draw well, that I wasn’t on my game. Honestly, going into it at Salinas, I’m not going to say I didn’t have first in mind, but I looked at the results from the year before, and thought if I caught five clean I’d win $4,000 to $5,000, which would be a huge help. I had enough mess ups in short rounds this year—I missed high call at Clovis, I missed at Greeley—and at Tucson, Austin and Houston, we messed up in the short round. I wanted to do the best I could without messing up, and that’s how I approached it.

READ: Game-Changing Habits of the Roping Industry’s Most Successful

Horsepower

That is a horse I just bought this winter, that I honestly think in the next year or two I’ll start to ride more than Blue. His name is Paddys Pick Five, and I call him Whiskey. He’s 12. I bought him from Tee Woolman, but Tee didn’t own him. 

At Salinas, he’s faster than Blue. He can really smoke. I wanted to leave Blue at Salt Lake. We had to fly back to Salt Lake Thursday after our first one at Salinas, so it was better to have them in two spots. Blue is getting old enough that he didn’t need five steers asking for his life. And at Salinas, on that long score, Whiskey doesn’t flinch. He can run, and I knew he’d be easy to knock five down on. 

READ: Keeping a Head Horse Soft with Coy Rahlmann’s Leon Hughes Bit

Scoring

I think at a place like Salinas or Cheyenne—and some people might disagree, but I will say this—you can be 2-foot off the barrier there.  You’re already 30 to 35-foot from the steer, so what’s another two foot? You’re not going to be two-foot off at Spanish Fork and beat Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp in the first round, but at Salinas, you can get by. 

LISTEN: Rahlmann and Torres Win Salinas

Pursuit

I’m bad to start toying with my rope running to the steer. I’ll get to turning it over instead of just getting up there and taking some big, powerful swings. That’s something I’ll have to start working on at the faster rodeos, too. When I’m pulling it up, it’s not needed yet. 

I took my spurs off there, too. You’d think I’d need my spurs with needing all that run. I could be wrong, and people could disagree, but if I’m spurring the horse in the ribs going to the steer, I’m going to gas him. I didn’t want him tensed up trying to get away from me. If I’m just slick heeling him, that is when I will get more out of a horse like him that’s kind of feely. I want my left hand down on his neck, my left shoulder forward directing him to the steer, but kicking with my toes out and heels in.

READ MORE: 5 Steps to Re-Energizing Your Roping

Throws

I’m coming in hot, so I make sure I don’t rope on the way in. I got there, got leveled off and stuck. If I stick one on the way in, my horse will be gaining so much that I can pop it off. That steer in the short round was so slow, I sat down and took two big open swings over him. I didn’t want to throw a dead loop and watch it pop off. If we could slow down, the worst we could do was second. I want to ride my horse, pick it up and get four or five open swings and cover the horns.

Some of us who reach, our swings can get over to the left. It gives me some range, but it narrows down my room for error so that I have to make myself pull it back to the right more than usual, real big and over the horns for that open swing. I want my tip parallel to the horns. To the left, unless my angles and delivery are perfect, I can just catch the left horn or split the horns. I want to scoop the right and drag it across the left like I learned as a kid in this situation. TRJ

The post Coy Rahlmann’s Salinas-Winning Secrets appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Cade Rice has a world-championship training operation that thrives on quality and efficiency. One of his secrets? Taking his head ropes off in the arena. 

Cattle Mix 

I’ve got a bunch of lopers in my practice herd, and I run them a lot. And all of those steers allow us to take the rope off in the arena, all day long. Here’s what that does. 

Horse Performance

When you’ve got steers that let you take the rope off in the arena and know that’s coming, most of the time, they follow. A steer that follows allows you to track, track, track and to really let your horses hit the ground with the cows. I can rope them, and my horses get on their butts. I think there’s a lot to that, and it’s something I learned from working with Clay Logan forever. At Clay’s, we never went to the stripping chute and we never had a steer that dragged. 

How to Train Your Cattle

When we get fresh steers, we process them, give them a week or two off, then we start by putting the rope around their necks. We push them around, turn them, and set them down. When we do that, we take the rope off. As soon as we start roping them, the header will just get them on a short-enough rope that he can pop his dally off and teach the steer to let you take that head rope off right there. After four or five runs, they’ve got it. They’re ready to have their rope taken off and head to the watering hole. TRJ

The post Take off That Head Rope appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

It’s September. Last month of the regular rodeo season, which means most of the rodeo ropers are basically doing one of three things. They’re either all-in contending for a world championship, sticking it out through the Northwest run to put themselves into position to get into the buildings in 2024, or they’ve gone home to regroup for next year. Regardless of which of these three places ropers find themselves in, it’s important to make the most of it. 

That first group looks to have the (Wrangler National) Finals (Rodeo) made. These contender-type teams are trying to hold onto their lead, create a gap and pull away from the pack, or get within reach of having a shot at the gold buckles come Vegas.  

READ: Overcoming Headwinds in the Heat of Battle

What we’ve all learned in recent times is that every team that makes the NFR has a shot at winning it all. Every dollar counts, so it’s just smart business for the highest-level teams to try to add every dollar they can to the earnings column before they get there. 

Whether you’re trying to win your first championship or another one, when you head to the Northwest in contention for a world championship it’s a really fun time. The weather’s nice, and you get to just ease around to a few rodeos and take it a little easier than, say, in July and August. 

By this time in the season, there are a few teams that everybody’s expecting to win. You always have to draw good and rope good to win, but there are some chances to win $10,000, and there aren’t that many opportunities to do that all year long. 

Teams like Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, and Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler are pushing each other. They’ve put together a run that’s successful, so they aren’t going to change their game plan on the back stretch. They just need to stay the course and keep it going. 

READ: Nodding Your Head at the NFR

For the guys sticking it out through the Northwest run to put themselves into position to get into the 2024 buildings, it’s probably feeling like a long season. They’ve had a decent year, but don’t have much of a profit margin. The guys who think they’ve won enough to be safe on making the Finals can breathe, but they need to make some money to make it work. 

The top 20 are still scrapping to try and get to the Finals finish line, but the top-40 types are in tougher shape financially. For some, going to a couple rodeos a week is a great way to beat the Texas heat, so they stay hooked up in the Northwest. 

But there’s another path for those just trying to maintain a top-40 spot to get into the buildings next year. If I was 25^th in the world right now, I might consider heading home and going to circuit rodeos. You’re going to be battling against the best teams in the business in the Northwest, so it might be a better financial option to go home and win in your circuit with a lot lower expenses. That circuit money counts the same as any other, and it can be easier to win. 

READ: Never Forget Where You Came From

For the guys who’ve gone home to regroup for next year, this is a time for brutally honest reflection and self-evaluation. Time to break down every component of your team and your own roping. This can be a great time to take a young horse to some circuit or amateur rodeos to have him ready for next year. 

If your team didn’t make it next year, is there something you can change to give yourselves a better shot in 2024? Or do you need to think about making a partner change? It’s time to work on your horses, your finances and yourself. 

The financial aspect is an important part of roping at the highest level. Nobody likes to rope scared, so take this time to put some money together. To this day, I work day and night doing everything it takes to make it work. For me, it’s teaching roping schools, which I really enjoy, and buying and selling horses. 

Everyone has his own set of skills he can put to work to bring some extra money in. Time to get after it, whether that means training horses, giving roping lessons, shoeing horses or whatever. When you rope for a living, it’s always a question of how bad do you want it? TRJ

WATCH: Jake Barnes Video Tips on Roping.com

The post Maxing Out September Rodeo Scenarios appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

What makes the ideal horse for a lower-numbered header?

On the most basic level, the job of a head horse is fundamentally the same no matter who is in the saddle: score, rate, take hold of the steer, move off the corner and face. But are there certain traits that can make that horse a better fit for lower-numbered headers?

Ask those ropers themselves or the folks who teach and you’ll get a resounding yes.

For experts Ryan Motes and Travis Woodard—both horse trainers, clinicians and veterans of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo—there are just two key things to look for when in the market to buy: gentle and seasoned.

For more traits to consider, lower-numbered ropers Frank McCarthy and Liz Hirdes threw their preferences into the conversation with Motes and Woodard to make our top 10.

WATCH: Ryan Motes’ Bit Masterclass on Roping.com

1) Calm Disposition

Or as Ryan Motes puts it, “Gentle. Period.” 

This is the most critical trait in both Motes’ and Woodard’s opinion.

“Most of your lower-numbered ropers are businessmen or people with full-time jobs who can’t ride all the time,” Woodard noted. “They need a horse they can throw their wife or kids on for a trail ride if they want.”

A calm and forgiving horse allows those folks to spend more of their limited time roping and less time trying to ride the edge off a fresh horse. 

Safety should be of paramount importance, and having a gentle horse goes a long way to keeping ropers, and those around them, from getting into jams.

2) Experienced/Well-Patterned

“You want a horse that has been there and seen everything,” Motes said. “A horse that will only focus on roping. Don’t sacrifice experience for anything.”

Because lower-numbered ropers are often beginners, it’s important that the roper is not having to think about his horse’s position in a run and is able to concentrate on his swing and delivery.

Like having a gentle disposition, a seasoned horse is going to be safer for the roper, particularly as a header.

“The box is probably the easiest place to get hurt in team roping and it’s real easy for head horses to get nervous,” Woodard said. “It’s of paramount importance, if you’re going to buy, that a horse be solid in the box.”

“You definitely want a horse that scores good and is calm in the box,” McCarthy, 65, added. 

A former fire captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, McCarthy had ridden and roped since he was a kid but was returning to the sport after retirement. “As a low-numbered roper, you’re already nervous enough in the box, you don’t need a horse that gets that way, too.”

A solid pattern is especially evident during the run, when a horse is called upon to rate the steer.

“The ability of that horse to get to position and stay there for a series of swings for beginners or even intermediate ropers is so important,” Woodard said. “If the horse is wildly on the gain or cheating off too far back, that makes a more difficult shot for the roper.

“The horse needs to match the speed of the steer smoothly and consistently particularly as ropers are learning to go from roping the dummy to roping off the horse,” he said. “If you think about it, when you’re roping the dummy, you’re both going the same speed, zero miles per hour. So you need the horse to recreate that for you.”

READ: Rope Horse Futurities and Lower-Numbered Ropers

3) Honest

A sister trait to seasoned is honest—a horse that not only knows his job but does it every time.

“A lot of these guys work and only get to rope maybe once or twice a week,” Motes noted. “They rope as a hobby.”

As a result, their horses tend to spend time in the pasture or pen most of the week before getting pulled out for a little practice Friday and off to the jackpot on Saturday. The roper will be looking to work on his own skills, not spending time tuning on his horse.

“The horse has to be honest, not ducking off on the corner or cheating when he’s trying to throw,” Woodard said.

4) Older (Like Fine Wine)

While the sexier thing to do is have a young horse that, in theory, will last a long time, Motes says looking at middle-aged horses is a better bet.

“You want those 12-, 14-, even 16-year olds that don’t require a lot of riding. In fact, it’s better for them if you don’t,” Motes said. 

He said a good compromise solution lately has been when ropers buy a futurity-aged horse but leave it in the hands of the trainer to season out. 

“That works out better.”

Woodard agreed.

“A lot of times, you’ve got these guys who have been successful and they want the Ferrari or Lamborghini of rope horses, a 6-year-old with all the breeding,” he said. “But the truth is, they can’t ride them because it takes maintenance to keep those horses working.”

McCarthy admits he fell into the trap of wanting a horse that was more than he needed.

“When I went to purchase a horse, I said I wanted a Driftwood that was fast, and I don’t want him to kill me,” McCarthy joked. Thankfully, he found help in Motes and fellow Wrangler NFR roper Brock Hanson in lining the horse out for his skill level.

“I’m one of the luckiest guys out there,” he said, noting that both pros helped him and his horse improve their skills together and he still gets the opportunity to rope with them frequently. “They’ve helped me from catching to consistency and good handles . . . forcing me to do things right because, if I don’t, I’m not helping them train their horses.”

READ: Do Not Disrespect Older Horses

5) Maintainably Sound 

Completely sound often doesn’t come with an older, seasoned horse. But that’s OK, according to Motes.
“Soundish works, as long as you can maintain it,” Motes said.

6) The Goldilocks Level of Thinking

While it may seem counter-intuitive, a horse that is patterned also needs to be broke and adaptable enough to not get ahead of the roper.

“I don’t want a horse that is thinking for you and may start to duck out on the corner before you’re ready,” McCarthy noted. 

In short, the horse needs to know where he’s supposed to be but not try to get there ahead of the roper. He’s thinking, but he’s also waiting.

7) Natural Ability

Liz Hirdes married into a well-known roping family in California that raises and trains a lot of horses. She herself is a talented breakaway roper and team roper, but she is also a working mom with limited time for practice.

For Hirdes, a horse’s athleticism is critical. Though she ropes in all divisions, she wants a horse who can handle itself in any situation.

“He needs to know where his feet are and be broke enough to stay in my hand,” she said.

Woodard notes that the horse must be strong enough to pull the steer and provide a good handle, but that speed is not as important as it once was.

“With the World Series barrier being so short, speed isn’t everything. You don’t need A-plus speed; you can get away with B-minus speed.”

Once you’ve dallied, the horse needs the natural ability to provide a good handle for the heeler.

“He can’t be weak, but he also can’t be out of control; pulling too fast is a great way to make your heeler miss, no matter what level he is,” Woodard said.

8) Adaptable

Along with that athleticism, Hirdes is looking for an adaptable horse because she ropes with different levels of heelers.

“If I’m roping in a #13 roping with an 8 or 9 heeler, I want him stronger off the corner, quicker-footed in that situation,” Hirdes said. “But in the lower-numbered ropings and all-girl ropings, the cattle aren’t the lighter, fresher ones; they tend to be older and bigger. They’ve got head tricks and they drag.” 

Lower-numbered headers need to be able to put their horses in a spot to pull the steer for their lower-numbered heelers, Hirdes added.

“A horse you can manipulate in the run helps a lot with handling cattle to suit your level of heeler,” she said. 

The rise of roping futurities has shown the value of this, as well, as Hirdes points out.

“The awesome, stand-out horses at those deals are shown by the trainer in the open, and then the owner can get on and show the horse in the novice or non-pro division,” she said. “That’s the versatility of an adaptable, broke horse. He can run and score but, also, he can read the situation.”

9) Good Manners

Outside of the performance-based traits, Woodard noted that the horse’s manners matter, too.

“Is he easy to load? Can he handle the travel? Is he good for the shoer?” Woodard asked. “Those are the things that just make life easier.”

“When you’re not doing this for a living, these horses become like part of the family, and you want to enjoy your horse.”

WATCH: Behavior Expectations on the Ground

10) The Gingerbread

While things like looks or the popular names on the papers certainly can add to the pride of ownership, both Woodard and Motes caution against weighing those factors ahead of performance-based features.

“You can pay for the King Ranch edition or a standard work truck,” Motes said. “They do the same job, but one is more expensive, so don’t get caught up in the papers.”

“I’m a function over fashion guy myself,” Woodard said. “You can have a gorgeous horse, but if you can’t ride one side of him, he does you no good.” TRJ

The post Top 10 Traits of a Horse for Lower-Numbered Headers appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Rhen Richard wants his head horses framed up and reacting. Here’s how he uses a breakaway session to instill fundamentals in a high-powered prospect.

Our practice sessions at A&C Racing and Roping are pretty focused on the head side. In fact, most of the time we’re roping, we don’t have a heeler. We work a lot on getting our horses’ frames consistent, keeping them responsive. Each practice is targeted to each horse and, in these photos, I’m focusing on a future rodeo horse—not a show horse—that wants to be free and pushy. I use a breakaway to get him focusing on his position to the steer and his frame going down the pen. 

Theory

This whole session, I was making sure this horse was coming back to me. I’m trying to help him find the right frame, with his shoulders up and his butt driving. I’m making sure when I pick up and put my right leg on him that his hip is right under him. I use my left hand and left rein to shape his neck, shoulders and body to where I want it. If he loses his drive, it’s easy to get out of whack. With his butt under him, I can manually find the frame with my left hand. I don’t want him to find a frame that makes it hard for him to be athletic. And I don’t want to have to do this in competition.

Throw 

I know this horse. I want him to know when I put my money up and I have my hand down going to the cow. I’ve taught him how to drive without me helping him. So, as far as choosing when to throw, I wasn’t worrying about it. I would throw at the bottom of the arena on every run that day. When I push this horse to the cow and I pick up, he finds the frame and he’s soft coming back to me, and that’s on his mind. He’ll be running no matter what—I don’t have to push that horse. He naturally wants to run to the cow and be free. 

Bridle reins

Early in the process, I’m making sure he’s doing it right—so I’m handling him quite a bit. When he figures it out, then I add the speed and touch on it. I put it on him lightly, and his first reaction is to find the frame and be soft. If he doesn’t, I add more pressure and more leg and make sure he responds. When I put my money up, and things are going fast, his reaction is to come back and bring his shoulders up. 

This horse wants to be pushy, so I pick up and across. When I put the left rein on him, I pull his left shoulder up and I add the right leg to get that frame. That’s the hard part: when money is on the line, I want that to be automatic so I can worry about me. It’s so critical to really hammer this in. 

Rate? 

That horse is going to be a rodeo horse—he’s not a show horse. I want him tightening his stride more than rating. I don’t want a jake-brake. I want him to run through my throw but have his stride tightened. I don’t want my rodeo horses rating off my seat. I won’t sit down until it goes on the horns. I want him to rate my swing and my position. I don’t want him just backing out of it—I want him tightening his stride and melting. 

Stop?

That horse isn’t going to just drag his butt. He’s more numb-mouthed. Instead of stopping him, I’ll let the steer pull on me to where he learns to shift his weight to his hind end and feel his power pulling back on the steer. The more I stop him, the more he gets bracing and hits on his front end. TRJ

WATCH: New Rhen Richard videos dropping this month at Roping.com

The post Rodeo Head Horse Breakaway Practice appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

I didn’t grow up with an arena at home, so my whole practice program was on the dummy and I was relentless about roping that thing. There have been a lot of advancements in roping over the years. But one thing that was true then and still is today is that the highest percentage of misses heading is one of two things—splitting the horns or waving it off. 

[WATCH: Jake Barnes’ Dummy Roping Masterclass on Roping.com]

I look back now and realize that I had zero instruction on roping or horsemanship when I was learning. I learned by watching how other people did things, and trial and error. I’m talking about basics here. I remember one time when I was 14 or 15 and warming my horse up at a jackpot, and this lady asked, “Do you know you’re in the wrong lead?” I said, “What’s that mean?” I was a ranch kid. I didn’t have a clue. 

Going all the way back, about the only advice I got about roping was people telling me to throw my rope like I was a pitcher throwing the ball to home plate. So that’s what I tried to do, and I somehow figured out a way to make it go around the steer’s horns. 

People used to tell me to pull my slack down by my hip pocket. They said that would keep me from waving it off, and that if I pulled it out to the side, I’d pop it off. 

I started teaching roping schools early on in my career. That helped me become a better roper, because I had to figure out the why on everything. I became a student of the game, and looked at still pictures and videos, in addition to making and watching thousands of runs. 

[READ MORE: Finding the Perfect Loop-Size Fit]

There are all kinds of ways to miss a steer. But if you do the stats on missing, it’s usually going to be splitting the horns or waving it off. So those were two things I really went to work on. I ask people at schools all the time why they missed a steer, and a lot of them have learned terms over the years that are excuses and explanations. 

There are different reasons why you split the horns. More than anything is the physics of the rope. It has to do with the angle on your loop, the timing of your release and how your rope lands. The top strand of your rope is coming down at too steep of an angle, which forces the rope to go under the base of the left horn. 

To me, the biggest thing about splitting the horns is your follow-through. You catch the right horn, but you miss the left horn, because the rope is coming in too steep. A lot of splitting the horns also has to do with position. When people get too close, they’re more likely to split the horns, because it creates that steeper angle. 

They use a lot of slower cattle in low-numbered ropings. Most people like cattle that run medium, so steers stay out in front of them and they don’t get the angle on their loop too steep and split the horns. I like to move people up two feet closer to the dummy from their sweet spot when roping the dummy. That creates the same situation, and puts too much downward angle on their loop. 

[READ MORE: Handling Steers & Helping Your Heeler]

No matter how big or small the horns, or what position you’re roping from, you need to figure out how to catch. We have no guaranteed shot when we nod our heads, so unless we want to be one-dimensional ropers, we need to learn how to execute every shot—from too close to the sweet spot to two coils away. You’re most apt to split the horns on slow cattle with big horns, but to be successful you need to be able to rope cattle of all speeds and sizes. 

How I learned to not wave it off of small-horned cattle was by going to Sterling Price’s place in Tatum, New Mexico to practice when I was in college. They ran in some muleys, and I curled most of them around the top of the head, then had to fish it on. I didn’t have my tip down far enough to get it over the nose, but I was locking my loop on with the curl. 

That’s when it hit me that I ought to be able to pull my slack in any direction if I throw the right loop. People used to tell me that if I pulled my slack out to the side, I’d wave it off. I tell people today that I want to pull my slack out to the side, like a lot of the best guys do. I intentionally pull my slack out to the right at shoulder level, then I can come straight back across to my saddle horn to dally. TRJ

The post Tackling the Two Most Common Misses appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

There is no more physically or mentally demanding month on the rodeo calendar than July. It’s the heartbeat of the season. The entire month of July is busy, and can make or break you. So the sooner you figure out how to deal with the adversity that’s part of rodeoing for a living, the better off you’ll be. 

In the wintertime, from January 1 to about April 1, it’s all about the Texas building rodeos. How you do at those can either jumpstart your year or put you behind the eight ball. But it’s been proven over time that you can bounce back from even the worst winter and salvage a good season out of it. 

[READ MORE: When the Rodeo Road Ends—Life After Rodeo with Jake Barnes]

Then there’s the springtime, which for me was always chill mode in California. That starts with Logandale, Nevada, now, and we always went to Oakdale, Red Bluff and Clovis. There were good ropings out there then also, like Brew’s Big One. Now there’s the Broc Cresta Memorial. It’s a fun time to hang out in the California sunshine, and the chance to enjoy a true spring of green grass and flowers blooming. 

I think it’s so cool that Red Bluff and Clovis are four-headers. I enjoy those long averages, where strategy comes into play and consistency gives you a good chance to win. I also like that they rope muleys at Clovis and Guymon (Oklahoma in May) these days. 

Rodeo’s real “go time” starts the third week in June at the Reno Rodeo, and rolls right into Cowboy Christmas, which runs right into rodeos like Casper (Wyoming), Sheridan (Wyoming), Vernal (Utah), Cody (Wyoming), Cheyenne (Wyoming) and Salinas (California). 

Salinas has always been my favorite. It’s the only five-header in rodeo, and has the longest scoreline in the sport. Nampa (Idaho) can be tricky to make on top of it, depending how you get up. And Cheyenne’s new tournament-style format is a whole different ballgame.   

July is such a grind, and guys today can’t even imagine what it was like when we were going to 120 rodeos a year. Talk about stress. I would never have made it my rookie year in 1980 had I not roped with a veteran like Allen Bach. I was so green that I didn’t even know what state we were in half the time. And roping with the reigning world champ did add some extra pressure. 

[READ MORE: What’s Your Reason for Roping?]

Then there was the intimidation factor, which can be tough if you’re new to the scene. It was overwhelming to me at first, and I remember a lot of times I wanted to throw in the towel and go home. A couple weeks into me going out into the frying pan for the first time, Leo (Camarillo) rode up to me and said, “Son, are you ready to go back to Texas, where you belong?” That really got to me. But it also motivated me to dig down deep, not quit and prove I was good enough. 

I roped with Allen in 1980, ’81, ’82 and the first half of ’83, then started roping with Leo for the second half of 1983 and in ’84. Allen was the ultimate competitor, be it basketball or roping. Leo taught me how to train to be a world champion. He had a trophy room with an apartment in it, and it was the first time I’d ever trained with my partner one-on-one, as a team. 

Allen and I wore ourselves a little bit thin. Leo had a saying, “We’re not going to step over quarters to pick up a nickel.” In other words, we weren’t going to burn up our horses at a bunch of little jackpots. I didn’t have much for horsepower at that time anyway, so we managed what we had. Roping with Leo helped me get over the hump. He took me from the goal of trying to make the Finals to having the goal every year after that of winning the world. 

Starting in 1985, Clay (Cooper) and I took a page out of what I learned from Leo, and started roping 100 steers a day when we lived in Arizona. We developed our run, and by then I’d invested in practice horses. 

As tough as the rodeos are today, it’s easy to make good runs and still not win anything. One of the things experience taught me was not to dwell on losses, whether you draw bad or stub your toe and make a mistake. If you dwell on the past, it fouls up your future. TRJ

The post Overcoming Headwinds in the Heat of Battle  appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

When a steer steps into you, you’ve got to make sure your rope is tight between your saddle horn and the steer’s head to give your heeler a fair read through the corner. Here’s how.

Before the Turn

As you’re still going down the arena, getting the rope tight between your horn and the steer’s horns is what gives the heeler a read on the turn and the steer’s hops. The easiest way to do it is if your horse rates off and you match pace with the steer. When you dally, you can use your horse’s rate to pick the steer up and get that rope tight. It gets a little more advanced if you’re on the gain or you reach at one, but you have to create some form of separation to get control of the steer. To do that, I pull my slack, sit down in the saddle, put my right leg into my horse and pick up with my left hand. I tend to like to have my horse’s nose pointed toward the steer and my right leg in my horse. I have so much body language that I don’t usually have to pick them up a ton with my left hand when I’m finished with them, but along the way in the training process, that can be important.

READ: Brock Hanson: Practice How You Compete

What Control Looks Like

When I’ve got the steer’s head, the neck then acts as a shock absorber to the shoulders to allow his hips to clear. When his hips clear, your turn is done as a header. All you can do from that point is stay in control and keep that path back up the arena that you set up in your corner, because you can actually make it harder for your heeler if you’re trying to help too much and slowing the speed of the steer way down across the pen. If you’re slowing up trying to really baby one around the corner or across the pen, your heeler could get too close or lose momentum. Or, even worse, you can slow your horse down too much and give that steer his head back—making that heel shot really hard for your partner. 

LISTEN: The Score: Season 3, Episode 11 with Brock Hanson

Across the Pen

I want to really pull the steer—this doesn’t mean speeding up and going faster. It just means the steer’s speed stays consistent across the arena, with the steer in tow so my partner knows my line for sure so he can fully commit. There needs to be no tricks or guesses when heeling behind you. You need to lead the steer off and keep control of him. A lot of times, if you have a good honest pull, the heeler needs to just put the loop in front of the steer.  If I’m loose, the heeler has to knife the steers—heeling them really sharp—and pull off a shot.

The post Steer Control with Brock Hanson appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

In this video brought to you by Smarty, Rhen Richard demonstrates how to work your angles and hook onto the steer in the right spot, using the Smarty Sidekick.

“When I’m approaching the cow and I get it on the steer, I want to be able to hook onto that cow and have contact with him with my horse before I go left.”

Watch “Hook Onto the Steer in the Right Spot With This Smarty Drill” now:

ABOUT THE SMARTY SIDEKICK:

The Smarty Sidekick is a ground head dummy you can take anywhere, thus the reason for its name. It is constructed of durable low-density polyethylene that will easily handle wear and tear in hot and cold weather. The Sidekick ½ body is compact and comes equipped with an easy grip handle and secure base, which means you can practice where you are. The horns are stationary and not collapsible like the Smarty the Steer.

TRAIN LIKE A PRO WITH SMARTY:

• #1 Reason for a Flat Heel Loop
• This Smarty Drill Will Help You Master Distance and Angle When Heeling
• This Smarty Drill Will Help You Master Top and Bottom Strand Control

ABOUT RHEN RHICARD:

Rhen Richard is an all-around hand from Utah who’s made the Finals five times—three times in the heading and twice in the calf roping. He and his family’s A&C Racing raise and train top-tier prospects who excel at the rope horse futurity game. He’s got nearly $1.5 million in ProRodeo earnings and he was the Resistol Rookie of the Year in the heeling in 2008.

The post Hook Onto the Steer in the Right Spot With This Smarty Drill appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The first horse that put me on the map was a solid bay by the name of Bullwinkle. Richard Carpenter got him from Arnie Mayer up in Montana, and I first saw Bullwinkle when Richard came to the winter rodeos with Dennis Tryan. They were staying in Chandler, Arizona, and Richard was heading on Bullwinkle at the rodeos. I got to see the horse go, and could tell he was incredibly fast—bulldogging-horse fast. Richard let me take Bullwinkle to Tucson, we won something and I bought him. 

Bullwinkle was a very difficult horse. He scored like a bulldogging horse, so the biggest challenge was just trying to get him out of the barrier. He was kind of sully in the box, and Bullwinkle broke a lot of tie-down straps. 

[READ MORE: Traits of a Winner with Jake Barnes]

Bullwinkle was about 15 hands tall, 1,200 pounds and so strong. The cattle were big and strong back then. Back in the Cotton Rosser days, we’re talking 600-pound elephants with big horns that were sometimes bulldogged one year and team-roped the next. 

I got Bullwinkle the year I roped with Leo (Camarillo), in I think 1984. He was strong enough to get ahold of those big steers, and it was just incredible how fast he could run. Drawing the pup wasn’t the best-case scenario for that horse. I was actually better off on Bullwinkle when a steer broke and ran. 

I rode Bullwinkle for several years, and he was really good at the NFR. He was so fast across the line, and was so strong up that left wall at the Thomas & Mack. I could just reach, and stick it on ’em. He didn’t score very good, but most of our scores were hip or tail to the pin. 

[READ MORE: How These 5 Common Rope-Horse Conformation Attributes Affect Soundness]

Bullwinkle was not a very good jackpot horse, because if you made very many runs on him, he’d get hot in the box and it was kind of a train wreck. I’d get mad at him, and at times even tried to sell him. But nobody wanted any part of him, because he was like a two-headed snake. And thinking about selling Bullwinkle was stupid on my part, because I won so much on him. 

The next good horse I rode was Big John. I got him the year we won the BFI, in 1988. Big John was a bigger, 15.2-hand chestnut sorrel, and he did everything good. He scored, and could really run. He wasn’t a ducker. Big John was a run-to-the-hip, handle steers, face-good horse. 

Big John was really good, but unfortunately didn’t last very long. He had a freak accident out in the pasture, stuck something in the front of his ankle and got an infection. He got over that, and I rode him again. But he never did really come back to what he was before. 

After Big John, I struggled for years not having much for horses. Then I got Peppy Doc from (steer wrestler) Terry Thompson, and he was almost like a carbon copy of Big John. I won Cheyenne with Walt Woodard on Peppy Doc. He probably would have been my best horse, if he’d had top-end speed. 

When I was roping with Boogie Ray (in 2003), I came across Barney. I’d say Barney was my best horse overall, because he was good at rodeos and jackpots. I bought Barney from Squeaky Terrell in East Texas. 

[WATCH: Fine-Tuning Aggressive, Green Horses on Roping.com]

I started roping with Boogie at Reno in June that year, and told him I’d enter as long as we were winning. I ran out of horsepower by about Dodge City in August. Then Barney’s name came up. Squeaky was Boogie’s neighbor, so he called and asked if he’d lease Barney. He said yes, we went to Dodge City the next morning and won the round. 

With Barney on the team, we went to winning. It was the craziest thing you’ve ever seen. That horse changed everything. It was like going from driving a Volkswagen to a Corvette, and we won $20,000 almost instantly. You couldn’t pull on Barney in the box or he’d come off the ground. He was automatic out in the field. Barney had a big knee, but I bought him and he stayed sound for quite a while. 

In the end, it’s the horses that define your career. They have mine. Like the old saying says, “An old cowboy never dies, he just gets a new horse.” TRJ

The post The Head Horses That Made Me appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

On this bonus Roping.com tips episode of “The Short Score,” Jake Barnes discusses how important it is to practice and compete with intent. He also notes that working on yourself and your horses, and using your practice time wisely, leads to success.

Listen Here:

“Practice with a purpose, and then when you go compete, compete with a purpose the same way that you practice. Mentally also. You’ve got to mentally be sharp, too, when you go to ropings, and you can’t have fear. The same way when you’re in the practice pen, you’ve got to get yourself in that zone and you’ve got to get a focus.”

Become a Better Roper:

Roping.com is the online training resource for team ropers. In addition to thousands of videos and exclusive roping films in your back pocket, members get private access to World Champion coaches like Jake Barnes, Matt Sherwood, 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile, and more every day. Take advantage of step-by-step tutorials, run critiques, private members-only Facebook group, live video demos and other benefits. 

Join now for only $29.95/month. 

The post Practice with Intent appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

In team roping, finding the perfect head swing angle can make all the difference between a winning run and a missed opportunity. In this video brought to you by Lone Star Ropes, Egusquiza explains how he adjusts this head swing angle.

“A coil back or further, I’m going to rope both my horns at the same time, and my angle will be a little higher over the horns, flat, and if anything, just a little bit to the left I feel like. But as I get closer to the dummy or the steer, my angle drops down.”

Watch “Dustin Egusquiza’s Head Swing Angle” Now:

About the Lone Star Ropes Helix Head Rope:

The Lone Star Helix Rope is uniquely engineered and features a multi-directional, double-twisted core to allow the center core to counterbalance the rope as a whole. This, combined with evenly tensioned and precise core shell strands, allows ropers an industry-first choice of weight and size in the same feel and constructed rope. This rope has a smooth body and a fast feel.

If you enjoyed “Dustin Egusquiza’s Head Swing Angle,” we think you’ll also like:

• Roundtable Talk with Dustin Egusquiza, Coleman Proctor, Tanner Tomlinson, Patrick Smith, Manny Egusquiza and Denton Parrish
• Avoid These Mistakes When Roping the Ground Dummy
• Avoid Splitting Horns with the Lone Star Frio

The post How Dustin Egusquiza Angles His Head Swing appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Tyler Merril shares his thoughts on how to keep your rope horse running straight to the steer, setting you up for success.

Tyler Merrill holds the World’s Greatest Horseman record for the highest steer-stopping score in history with a 231.5, set this February on Bet Hesa Boon. Roping.com shot an entire series with him before the event, riding through his rope horse futurity mounts and applying the same skills he used in the WGH to his rope horses, keeping them running straight to the steer, never taking away his shot. 

1) COW-ORIENTED 

I’m really cow oriented. I probably run to the cow harder than most headers. If my horse wants to go to the cow, I know I can get the separation by riding my horse if it’s broke enough. I want my horse to knock the tracks out of the steer. 

2) IN THE BOX 

I want my horse to be reading that steer in the corner. I put my hand down and see my start, and my hand never picks up until I’m ready to stop or ride my horse to set the corner up for the heeler. I do a lot of work in the box leaving the corner walking with the steer. I’ll swing my rope and throw my rope as soon as the steer leaves the box so my horse knows that going to the steer is the ultimate goal.

3) BRIDLE REINS 

I want to be able to touch their lips with minimal movement in my hand. I don’t like a draped rein or a tight rein. If you get to pulling, they’re either not going to run or they’re going to run off. I want to guide them. I don’t want to be pulling on them. If you go to adjust them and pull, you don’t want your hand in your face or your chest because that puts your body back and your tip up. I want them listening to the reins. I get them broke to where I can guide them with a neck rein. If they’re not that broke, I’m not ready to ask them to come out of the box yet. 

4) BODY POSITION

I like to be out in front of my horse and riding. And then, I want my horses to read that steer, and I expect them to go to the same spot every time. I don’t want them running through or past that throw. My shoulders are toward those horns, my right shoulder is back just a little, and my right tip being over the right horn. I’m just really trying to stay square with my horse. I like to squeeze to my swells so I’m with my horse and feeling him. I want to be square from my feet all the way to my shoulders. I want him to read me, so I don’t have to pull on him. I want him to want to go to that spot, and I want that to be his release. 

5) SMOOTH IS FAST 

I want anybody to ride this horse. I might ask for a little more at an event or a roping but, in the practice pen, I want to slowly do maneuvers and stay smooth all the time. When I pull my slack, I slowly sit down, and that horse keeps moving forward. I either stop or turn the steer. I try to keep it smooth so the horse always stays true to his job and doesn’t take anything away from you.

The post How to Keep Your Horse Running Straight to the Steer appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

When I was a boy with big roping dreams growing up in Bloomfield, New Mexico, what made the big dogs tick was mostly a mystery to me. I’d hear people talk about the Chowchilla Stampede and the Oakdale 10 Steer. California was cowboy country—and big-time team roping country—back then. But that was before the internet and cell phones. So I didn’t grow up getting to see any of it for myself. 

I don’t care how hungry you were for it, there was no information to be found for aspiring young ropers back then. Young people today will have a hard time relating to what I’m saying here, but think about how different life would be with no cell phones, computers or wifi connections to the World Wide Web. Remember, we had to pull off the road and use pay phones to call PROCOM to enter rodeos and check call-backs for most of my career. 

Roping has come a million miles in terms of information and technology. I was eaten up with roping as a kid. But my only way of learning was to listen to people in my little local area, and basically experiment with what did and didn’t work for me. 

Roping Resources

I can’t even imagine how different my story would have turned out if I’d had the chance to go to roping schools and watch all the best ropers rope all the time, like every roper in America has access to today. I was a self-taught roper, and that’s just how it was for my generation. I very occasionally got to see the best guys rope. When I did, I tried to copy what they did. But I didn’t have access to talking to them or studying videos of them. We were on our own to figure it out. Trial and error taught me how to rope. 

In today’s world, you can pick out your favorite ropers and find out just about every secret they have. There are more roping schools and clinics, and you can access information all day long on the internet. Most of it’s free, and the rest is very inexpensive. 

Keep Improving with Digital Training Tools for Team Ropers

With unlimited resources available to everyone today, there’s no excuse for not getting better. Like Matt Sherwood says, “You ought to be gaining half a number a year.” So if you start out as a #3, and you pay attention and work hard, that means being a #6 six years later. Everything’s more fun when you get better at it.

We all know people who rope at the exact same level today as they did 20 years ago. That boggles my mind. Why wouldn’t you strive to be a better roper and horseman, and to have better horses as you go? Making progress is a big part of what makes most of us tick, and it applies to all aspects of life. There are people who try to protect their numbers by not getting better. No thank you. 

Read what the pros have to say on the pages of The Team Roping Journal. Check out Roping.com. Google team roping. You want to watch Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira rope? It’s easy. They’re all over YouTube and social media. Watch the team roping at rodeos on the Cowboy Channel. 

I’ve always looked at roping as a profit-and-loss proposition. I can’t imagine knowing the expense of entry fees, rigs and horses, and not doing everything in your power to give yourself the best possible chance to win. When I was growing up, all ropings were open ropings. Now they’ve evened up the playing field to give everyone a chance. Take advantage of that, and keep climbing the ladder as you can. 

Don’t Ignore Horsemanship and Dummy Practice

Horsemanship is a huge factor to improvement. Roping’s the fun part, but good horsemanship is half the battle to successful roping. I was really fortunate to grow up on a ranch. But I know guys who rope really well who’ve gone to good horsemen and taken horsemanship lessons to help their roping. Better horsemanship will also help you keep your horses working. 

The last point I’ll make here is that there’s no excuse for not roping the dummy. I’ve roped the dummy a million times in every stage of my life, and still do today. You can do it in all weather conditions at all times of year, and before and after school or work. It’s free, and it doesn’t even require a partner.

The post Improving Your Roping in the Information Age: Digital Training Tools for Team Ropers appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

When Tate Kirchenschlager runs into scoring problems on head horses or any issues in the box, he doesn’t make it a fight. Here’s the ARHFA World Champ’s simple step-by-step guide to problem-solving box issues.

Step 1: 

If he just pulls through my hand, I’ll walk him up and back him off my hand a little bit and back him back into the corner. 

Step 2: 

Then I’ll score another one, just to make sure that correction worked. 

Step 3:

If he still moves around on the second steer, I’ll hold him in the bridle with my feet into him until he breaks at the pole and submits to the pressure. 

Step 4: 

Then I’ll let him walk forward, and back up again to reset. 

Step 5: 

Then we’ll go ahead and run the next one.

More info: Catch Tate Kirchenschlager’s full series on Roping.com, and use code TATE15 to save 15% on your membership. 

The post Scoring: A QUICK Step-By-Step Problem Solving Guide with Tate Kirchenschlager appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

At 63, I’m reinventing my life. I don’t go try to make the (Wrangler) National Finals Rodeo (presented by Teton Ridge) anymore. I still rope every day. But at what point do you say “enough’s enough?” And do you cut yourself off from the rodeo trail cold turkey, or just fade away gradually? 

I’ve chased the NFR and world championships since my rookie year in 1980, and I’ve had more than my share of success. I’ve also dealt with major injuries, like losing the thumb on my roping hand, a knee replacement and a major head injury. I’ve always fought my way back, but I’m 63 years old now. At what point do you throw in the towel, and call it a career?

[READ MORE: The View from the Other Side with Jake Barnes]

When I cut my thumb off roping with Kory (Koontz) at the 2005 NFR, it took me quite a while to get back to it. Since the head injury practicing with Junior (Nogueira) before the 2015 NFR, I haven’t been out there full-time trying to make the Finals. My knee replacement was four years ago already. It all seems like yesterday, but time marches on. 

It’s true what they say about Father Time being undefeated. Age catches up with us all sooner or later, and we have to face the fact that the road doesn’t go on forever. It might, but we can’t stay out there on it forever. 

Clay (Cooper) and I have put on roping schools full-time the last few years. We don’t jump in the rig and chase rodeos anymore. But we still rope every day, and I buy and sell a few horses. 

But you never really give up the dream. It’s still in my head that I could have another shot if I came up with another great horse. Reality says that it’s extremely hard to get back in the game when you don’t get into the winter rodeos. And at this point, I’m not willing to pay the price for another Hail Mary. 

[READ MORE: What’s Your Reason for Roping?]

I’m lucky to have pulled off two of those in my career—one with Boogie Ray, and another with Walt Woodard. But you aren’t going to pull unlimited rabbits out of your hat. And I’m looking at having my other knee replaced now, so that’ll be another setback. 

Still, if I’m totally honest with myself, it’s not clear in my head that my rodeo days are 100% behind me. If I could just stumble onto that next great horse, my mind thinks I can still hang with these guys. My body begs to differ. But while a lot of people golf, fish and ski in their retirement, all I see is a lot more roping in mine. 

I still go to the arena every day with the goal of trying to get better. That might sound so silly to some at this stage of life, but it’s how my mind works. And Clay loves it as much as I do, so we’re the perfect pair. To be competitive at the highest level, you have to be all-in. We aren’t going to just suddenly be all-out now. 

I don’t care who you are, there comes a day when you start losing a step. I’ve worked so hard for so long to try and be the best. I don’t want to be that guy people lose respect for. Maybe that’s why the roping schools make so much sense for us now. They let us share our love of the game with people trying to get better. It’s an outlet for everything we’ve experienced and learned that helps others. And helping people has become our passion. 

[READ MORE: Jake Barnes’ 12 Keys to Handling Cattle]

Some people accept the end of their cowboy careers better than others. I admire guys like Ty Murray and Trevor Brazile, who were so clear about knowing it was time to be done. At some point, we all face pulling the shoes and being turned out to pasture. 

Thankfully, there are ways today to stay tied to your love of the game. I’m interested in the rope-horse futurities and see that as an outlet for working hard every day without having to hit the road full-time. Everybody deals with the end of careers differently. I just want to stay thankful and positive, and make the most of it.

The post When the Rodeo Road Ends: Life After Rodeo with Jake Barnes appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Clay Tryan talks tips on getting some solid team roping practice in by yourself:

Heading Swing Check

I want to have a good swing to make it easy to catch both horns. I want my elbow at the same height as my shoulder, with my hand outside my elbow when I’m swinging it. I want it to the inside of my elbow and more toward the tip of the left horn when I come across the horns to finish. I deliver my loop with my hand flat, and that will keep my loop flat across the horns. 

READ MORE: Maintaining the Head Horse with Clay Tryan

Horseback Smarty Drill

I want to throw good head loops on the Smarty when I’m horseback, even if I don’t have anyone to rope with at the house. What I mean by a good head loop is making sure my tip is in the right spot, and my swing is in the right spot with my right hand outside the right horn finishing past the tip of the left horn. 

To speed up, I back my horse up 10 to 15 feet and walk to the Smarty, roping it on the gain. That will help if you are trying to rope faster, or if you have trouble roping steers when you’re going faster than the steer. At Salinas, it’s a 35-foot score, the steer is way ahead of you and, by the time you get to them, you’re going faster than the steer. (In a lower-numbered roping, if you’re riding a fast horse on slow cattle, you will also face this problem.) 

WATCH: Clay Tryan’s Tips, Drills, Mental Game and More on Roping.com

Live Cattle

If I don’t have anybody to heel for me, I rope and follow them out unless I’m on a horse that wants to run off or run too free, then I steer stop. Most of my horses do rate a little bit, so I think it’s really good to head by yourself. It’s hard with fresh steers—you need older ones that won’t stop—but it’s really worth it to get the practice you need on your horse and yourself. 

I train myself to keep going forward. Not forward in the saddle, but I keep my horse going forward. I keep my momentum going forward. I’m not trying to run my hand up their neck, just sit still and squeeze. 

If I have a horse that wants to be too ratey, I might throw and speed up and try to keep up with the steer. If I have one on the money, I might just lope along with the steer and then slowly let my rope go. If I have one that’s chargy, I might dally and stop the horse. 

I will run close [to some,] and I will reach on some and be mid-range on [others]. If I’m working on my horse, I might just run close on all of them. If I’m needing to work on me, I will rope from different spots, whether it’s close or a long ways back or in the middle. It changes every time for me. Maybe I’m not with the horse very good or he’s not running hard enough. To me, it’s a lot of common sense [and asking questions.] What is your horse doing? Make your horse do what he doesn’t want to do.

The post No Heeler? No Problem. Clay Tryan Talks Solo Practice appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Jake Barnes has dabbled in switching ends in his team roping, working hard on his heeling. Here’s what he has learned.

I’ve dedicated my whole life to heading. I’ve heeled a little all my life, but ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been a better header. I started roping for a living in 1980, and my main focus has been on heading this whole time. You basically need to pick a side if you’re going to take a shot at roping at the highest level. In recent times, I decided to heel a little more, and it’s been a humbling experience. It’s a very different view from the other side. 

I’ve always enjoyed heeling on occasion, but the top guys aren’t going to sacrifice their practice runs to let you just play around and have fun. When you’re on the National Finals Rodeo track and trying to win gold buckles, it’s all business. 

Here lately, I decided to try looking at heeling from a different angle. I bought a legit heel horse of my own on the first of September—Jewel is a 15-year-old brown mare—and am taking it more seriously for the first time. I converted one of my head horses to the heeling side, too. 

READ MORE: Calling All Roping Rookies: Friendly Advice from Jake Barnes

Clay (Cooper) and I went from me heading and him heeling all the time to me spinning Clay a pen, then switching ends and him turning me two or three pens of steers. We’ve never done that before, and it’s been fun.

As much as I’ve headed, I can catch every steer. Not when I’m heeling. My timing’s not the best, and trying to rope two feet every time is a challenge. I’ve enjoyed taking it on, and I’m bearing down, because I realize that I’m the weak link on the team when I heel. 

Catching consistently is important at either end. As a header, I’ve always felt my strength was catching a lot of steers. It’s darn sure not automatic for me when I heel, and I’m trying to get good enough to win something. 

Learn from Jake Barnes on Roping.com

Heeling in the practice pen for fun or heeling to tune up horses before you sell them is one thing. It’s completely different when you compete. The one thing I know about heeling is that you have to catch two feet to win. But my timing and recognizing when a steer’s going to jump is not the best. I struggle with that. 

READ MORE: Jake Barnes: Progress Can’t Be Stopped

All the best heelers explain how they do it differently. I watch a lot of film, and fundamentally know that I have to put my loop down there when the steer’s at the height of his hop. But sometimes that’s hard for me to see, and I’m a little bit late in the game to have confidence that I’m going to get it down there at the right time.

I do decent when a steer has a good pattern and doesn’t hop too fast or trot. I don’t really have a problem putting my loop down there. My trouble is knowing when to set it down there. Timing is not second nature to me, because I haven’t heeled all my life. 

On the heading side when you’re logging the steer off and are focused on the steer’s back feet, you can tell when your heeler puts his loop down there if he’s going to catch or not. It’s a whole different ballgame when you’re over on that other side yourself. The run unfolds differently. The steer dictates the rhythm of the run, depending on his speed. If a steer’s hopping super fast and running up the rope, it’s hard on me when I’m heeling. 

READ MORE: What’s Your Reason for Roping?

Clay says heeling’s like jumping rope—you have to put the rope between the ground and your jump at the right time. Same way with heelers, and I’m so new to it that when I take a few days off, the first few runs back are almost like starting over. It’s like a blur—like the steer’s feet are in a blender, and I can’t figure out when to throw. I need to work my way into having better odds than a coin toss that I’m delivering my loop at the right time.

I’ve always had a great appreciation for heelers. Now that I’ve been doing it, heeling is twice as hard as heading, in my opinion. Heading at the highest level is really hard, but it’s easy to catch every time heading. It’s so hard to catch two feet every time, at least for me. And because I rope for a living, I haven’t been comfortable until really recently putting up money when I heel. 

Clay is the master at heeling, and his timing is so incredible. He can heel in his sleep. Like Tom Brady in football or Michael Jordan in basketball, Clay makes heeling look effortless. I think the game slows down for the masters in any sport. I’m just not there yet with my heeling.

The post The View from the Other Side appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Tate Kirchenschlager is the 2021 American Rope Horse Futurity Association Champion Header as well as the trainer of the 2019 AQHA/PRCA Head Horse of the Year. He made the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2019 and since then, he’s been laser-focused on making user-friendly horses for ropers of every level—making him the perfect addition to the Roping.com coaching lineup.

In his new series on Roping.com, Kirchenschlager takes viewers, horse-by-horse, through a day at his Stephenville, Texas, training facility, covering every aspect of his program and his expectations of horses every step of the way.

“Tate grew up in a ranching family, and he’s already made some of the best head horses in the sport,” Team Roping Journal Editor Chelsea Shaffer said. “In this series, he rides horses that could go to the NFR and horses getting ready for World Series ropers, addressing everyday problems ropers face with a common-sense approach.”

Kirchenschlager’s series is only available on Roping.com, the online training resource for team ropers. In addition to thousands of videos and exclusive roping films in your back pocket, members get private access to World Champion coaches like Jake Barnes, Matt Sherwood, Miles Baker, 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile and more every day. 

Take advantage of step-by-step tutorials, run critiques, private members-only Facebook group, live video demos and other benefits available exclusively to Roping.com members. Subscribe now for $29.95/month.

About Tate Kirchenschalger

NFR header and ARHFA World Champ Tate Kirchenschlager, 30, of Stephenville, Texas, has a new trouble-shooting series rolling out on Roping.com this month. Use code TATE15 to save 15% off your subscription in the new year to start your horsemanship off with a bang with the NFR header who’s won the AQHA/PRCA Head Horse of the Year title and an American Rope Horse Futurity Association World Championship.

The post How Does Tate Kirchenschlager Produce Top Head Horses? With Common Sense appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The horse I’m riding here is 8 or 9, and he was a heel horse—and he’s now in head horse training.

I’ve had him about 30 days. On this day of practice, I was working on getting him to stay wider going to the steer, getting on his butt across the pen and keeping his shoulders where I want them. 

Rein Length

This horse likes to fall to the right behind the steer, so to help keep his shoulder up and to keep him in his lane, I keep my right rein a little shorter. 

Moving Into Position

When a steer steps into this horse, he can get too narrow in behind him. In that circumstance, I move him over, and I keep swinging until he’s in the spot I want. Then I let him relax right there before I throw. It’s important for me not to try to pull off a shot, because I’m focusing on this horse and where he needs to be. Especially at the 30- to 45-day mark when first putting a horse on cattle, I like to be swinging over the steers’ backs, making sure that horse is relaxing in that spot. 

Using the Left Leg

A lot of horses—as they’re first learning to pull a steer—don’t like to put the weight on their left leg and use that leg to drive across the pen. To address that, after I undally at the end of a run, I back them up in a circle, using my right spur to move their hip to the left while backing. That pushes his weight onto the left leg, and it reinforces that he needs to shift his weight to that leg. 

Fine-Tuning Facing

Heel horses don’t have to face obviously, so that’s a transition I teach when they start to understand how to pull the steer across the pen. As I finish a run, I kick this horse’s hips around and ask him to pivot on the forehand. I keep my hand pressure constant and kick his hip around with my inside leg. 

Finishing on a High Note

When my horse does everything correctly, I rope one more to see if he can do it all correctly. If he can, I like to quit right there because that’s really close to getting what we want. If he can’t, we go back to addressing the fundamentals again until we can end on a high note.

About Tate Kirchenschalger

NFR header and ARHFA World Champ Tate Kirchenschlager, 30, of Stephenville, Texas, has a new trouble-shooting series rolling out on Roping.com this month. Use code TATE15 to save 15% off your subscription in the new year to start your horsemanship off with a bang with the NFR header who’s won the AQHA/PRCA Head Horse of the Year title and an American Rope Horse Futurity Association World Championship.

The post 5 Head-Horse Training Fixes to Add to Your Arsenal appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Situation: 

One-header at Albuquerque, New Mexico

Result:

4.8-second run, worth $3,895 a man

Mental

This was one of the last weeks of the season, and I was pretty much on the bubble. We left Pendleton, drove 18 hours, roped this steer, then drove 18 hours back and roped in the short round. I couldn’t take a chance of riding another horse at either rodeo, and with all the miles we went that year, surely another couple thousand didn’t matter. I wasn’t nervous at Albuquerque—going that fast, you don’t have to think about it that much. 

Start

It was point by the end of the gate. If I see a little bit more, I can get a little bit more send out of my horse. He’s fast, and he’s long. So I can’t just try to drill it. I was just a little off of it. 

Steer

This is the same steer Manny Egusquiza won the rodeo on later in the week. We didn’t know anything about him when we went. So I just kind of reacted to him. He was pretty good, and I made sure I was safe and didn’t break out. 

Throw

Just going and catching wasn’t an option. I reached and the steer handled good. I probably dropped two or three coils.

Handle

That steer handled pretty good. I tried to keep momentum on the run, but Coleby doesn’t need a lot of help back there. I reined my horse out, because I needed him to come back off that wall. If I’d have just picked up, we’d have gotten stuck in the wall. That horse really keeps pulling, so I just try to kick because he stays trying to drive. I am just keeping him going. 

Finish

That steer came left and came back up the wall. I had to face all the way back around. We got a decent finish.

The post Lightning Aguilera Makes a Play at Albuquerque appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Two-time National Finals Rodeo header and Purina Ambassador Kolton Schmidt talks about what you need to focus on in the practice pen to be ready to rope at the Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale in Las Vegas.

Listen now:

About Kolton Schmidt:

Kolton Schmidt is a two-time NFR qualifier with a Canadian championship and a College National Finals Rodeo championship to his name. He’s studied under great horsemen like Shawn Grant and Dean Tuftin.

More with Kolton Schmidt:

• Rebuilding After a Disappointing NFR with Kolton Schmidt
• Roping Lesson with Kolton Schmidt: Building Confidence in Your Horses
• The Feeding Program with Kolton Schmidt

About Purina:

The PhD Equine Nutritionists at Purina Animal Nutrition tackle problems using science. And their love of horses keeps them at it until they get it right. Even with the most established feeds, they keep innovating. Even when it takes years of research, they don’t stop until it’s right. They are dedicated to the scientific method, but it can’t capture the feeling of seeing a horse reach their full potential. It takes science and love to help your horses live their best life.

Put their research to the test at HorseInnovation.com.

The post Preparing Your Head Horse for the Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale with Kolton Schmidt appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

From the first issue of Spin To Win, the predecessor of The Team Roping Journal, from March 1997. 

Handling steers is critical to a team’s success, and it’s not the sole responsibility of the header. If a heeler helps a header out, it’ll pay off when it’s time to throw his rope. You need to communicate with your partner. If a steer goes hard to the right, your heeler needs to haze him. If a steer goes hard to the left, your heeler needs to back off.

Jake Barnes Tricks to Handling Cattle at Various Speeds

Point 1. Handling cattle is an art. A big part of your success in handling a steer is predetermined by three things: The kind of horse you’re riding, the steer you’ve drawn and the pattern your heeler makes the steer run. All three factors are in my favor here, thanks in part to my heeler, (three-time world champion team roper) Allen Bach.

Point 2. When a heeler misses a haze on a steer and lets a steer go to the right, the header is at a big disadvantage. The steer’s going away from him at an awkward angle, which usually forces a header to take longer to catch up to the steer. And when you rope a steer from that angle, it’s hard for a head horse to make the move to bring the steer back up the arena, which often forces the header to take a steer down the arena. That, in turn, makes the steer move away from the heeler. In other words, when a heeler lets a steer move too far to the right, it causes a chain reaction that’s hard to overcome in winning time.

5 Steps to Handling Cattle with Charly Crawford

Point 3. In the past, many headers were taught to take a steer straight across the arena. You need to be careful about how you interpret that advice. It’s true that you want the steer moving straight across the arena, or even coming back up the arena slightly. But you can’t ride your horse straight across the arena to get that result. If my horse is running straight across the arena, the steer isn’t following in that direction. If you angle your horse back up the arena slightly, you’ll force the steer to stay on the end of the rope.

Point 4. There are exceptions to point three. If you draw a steer that doesn’t run too hard and starts to slow up, turn on his own and hang back on the end of the rope after you rope him and start to take ahold of him, you can lead him straight across the arena.

Handling Cattle is Sometimes a Luxury

Point 5. The faster a steer’s running, the more you want to slow him down. A lot of steers that run hard run up the rope. If you have too much speed around the corner, that makes a steer swing out and run up the rope, which puts your heeler on the defensive.

Point 6. The more you come back up the arena with a steer, the more you make a steer hang back on the end of the rope. Here, I’m coming back up the arena slightly with my head horse, which is resulting in a straightaway shot for my heeler.

Point 7. The faster a steer is running, the more you need to take ahold of him around the corner to get him slowed down so you can take him back up the arena. If you let your head horse duck out and drift down the arena, like I did here, you give your heeler what they call a “fishtail” handle, which is wild and unpredictable.

Point 8. If you know you have a steer that drags, talk to your heeler about it and make a game plan. It helps to angle down the arena with a steer like that, because a steer naturally wants to go to the catchpen, and angling down the arena lets him see the catchpen and makes him feel like he’s headed in the direction of where he wants to be. Having a steer follow you down the arena also takes some pressure off of his head, which makes him less likely to drag.

Handling Difficult Steers

Point 9. Whatever angle you need to go with a steer, you always want to pull him in a straight line. You don’t want to circle with a steer because that causes him to swing to the outside. The end result is a tougher shot for your heeler.

Point 10. When a steer runs to the left fence, get him off the fence about 10 to 15 feet, before your heeler can rope him. I suggest you angle back toward the header’s box. If you angle too far to the other side of the arena, toward the heeler’s box, a steer will tend to shoot behind the head horse and under the heel horse.

Point 11. A good handle makes a heeler’s job so much easier, especially under challenging conditions like a hard-running steer. Handling a steer that runs hard on a short rope gives you more control. It helps keep a steer from running up the rope, shooting behind your head horse and winging away from your heeler.

Point 12. When a steer drags or gets heavy, he’s harder for the head horse to pull because he’s dead weight. A header needs to pull a steer like that in a steady rhythm so your heeler can get in time with him and rope the steer when his hind feet come off the ground.

The post Jake Barnes’ 12 Keys to Handling Cattle appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Matt Sherwood is a two-time World Champion Header, and in this video he gives a full heading dummy roping lesson with a group of recreational ropers.

MORE FROM MATT SHERWOOD:

• Is Your Horse Making It Hard to See the Feet?
• Matt Sherwood: Practice Like A Pro
• How to Win in Team Roping: Headers’ Edition

BECOME A BETTER ROPER:

Roping.com is the online training resource for team ropers. In addition to thousands of videos and exclusive roping films in your back pocket, members get private access to World Champion coaches like Jake Barnes, Matt Sherwood, 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile and more every day. Join now for only $29.95/month and take advantage of step-by-step tutorials, run critiques, private members-only Facebook group, live video demos and other benefits available exclusively to Roping.com members. 

ABOUT MATT SHERWOOD

Matt Sherwood won a world title the first time he rode into the Thomas & Mack. He built his roping career while raising a family and running a business. Sherwood understands doing it the hard way, so he breaks down roping to help navigate every element of the sport. He joins seven-time World Champs Jake Barnes and Clay Cooper, the 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile, two-time World Champion Patrick Smith, as well as NFR qualifiers Kolton Schmidt and Hunter Koch.

The post Full Heading Dummy Roping Lesson with Two-Time World Champion Matt Sherwood appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

There are two schools of thinking on the start: The old-school method, where your horse is rolling from the corner, full-speed to the cow; and the newer style of throttling across the line. I’ve always preferred the old-school style, and I still haven’t figured out how to throttle effectively. But to play the game today, I’m going to have to learn. 

J.D. Yates’ Old School Scoring

I personally don’t like to reach, so, when I release off the corner, I want to drop my hand and have my horse running full-speed to the cow. I want them full blast. Back in my day, when I headed all the time, the scores were longer, so you wanted to get full run off the back of the box. I give everything to them.

That’s probably the reason I broke the barrier on the second [steer] at Cheyenne in July with Jake Long. I sat there and got a really good start, knowing I had to be 9.0. I saw what I wanted to see, and the guys behind the box said, ‘Yeah, yeah!’ They thought I was getting out. But I didn’t throttle at all. That’s just never been who I am—to throttle. But I’m still going to have to learn some things and change some things with how my horses work and how I ride to do that.

One thing that might have to change: I always have held the horn leaving the corner. Even when everybody was packing their ropes at the Finals, I was still holding the horn. There again, that’s habit. I think if I learn to pack my rope or hold my rope to get it up, I might need to learn to balance on the reins because I wouldn’t have the saddle horn to pull me to the front of the saddle.

I think that’s another reason some great headers balance on the reins and can throttle so easily, because they’re not pulling themselves to the front with the saddle horn. They pull themselves up with the reins, and I can see that—am I talented enough or smart enough to get it done? I don’t know; I try hard and I have a lot to learn. I want to be mad sometimes when I see them do that because, man, I thnk that horse could really run. But maybe I’m the one who needs to learn. They know they have to get forward to come with it, and I’m still waiting for my horse to get there. 

New School

Guys who reach, they will pull across the line and go a little earlier and have them lean on their hand as they come up. Now, the scores are shorter and the cattle aren’t as big and they’re reaching more. Headers have their horses pull them across the line where they can stand up and throw 30 foot of rope. 

Today, at the World Series, you want them pulling on you and almost taking off at the gates and hesitating a little across the line if you need to. It’s a completely different game for these horses, and I’m training a lot of horses that will end up at the World Series with their owners. I don’t think a lot of horses that are great World Series horses make great rodeo horses, because they want to leave the box too quick. But, some of the great horses adapt, too. 

The ropers are incredible as far as how they score today, but I’ve had to change a lot. One of the reasons I want to go to ropings and jackpots is that, at my age, I want to compete against the best guys in the world and try to stay sharp so, when I do compete against the young guys who are roping all the time, I feel capable of having the chance. 

The post Time to Change? J.D. Yates Talks Old-School vs. New-School Starts appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

World Champion Clay Smith understands the mechanics and fundamentals of roping, and in this video from the ADM Animal Nutrition Win-A-Day clinic at the Pitzer Ranch, Smith walks us through an entire practice session with a large group of ropers of different abilities as he helps them work on their craft.

The post Group Roping Lesson with World Champion Clay Smith appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The #8.5 is now the highest-paying, largest division in the Ariat World Series of Team Roping. And in June, the association announced that the #8.5 and the #7 will be flagged on the heels—as in, the flag will drop when the heeler has his or her dally and the rope is tight to the feet. 

In watching some of these ropings, I see a lot of headers either stopping their horse as the heeler dallies or heading straight to the stripping chute after they get the flag. or after their heeler misses. And that’s a major mistake. 

If you’re not continuing forward motion across and back up the arena, you’re losing control of the steer’s head. By slowing down and stopping in anticipation of your heeler dallying, you’re going to cause your heeler to slip legs or lose the feet all together. I see the best guys in the world—whether they’re at the NFR, the US Finals, Cheyenne, anywhere—give the steer’s head back too much. So, lower-number ropers do, too. You should never be the reason your heeler slips a leg. 

Facing Drill with a Tire

Here’s what you should do instead: If you plan to rope in the #7 or #8.5 the rest of your life, you can just keep your horse loping back up the arena (opposite the catch pen) in the path you’re headed. If you have goals of getting your number raised to rope in higher divisions, your horse is going to need to face. Facing is my pet peeve, so I’m going to explain in some detail what you should do instead of continuing on. 

I’ve always said: Either face the whole way, or don’t face at all. Half-facing is the biggest problem with most horses. A jackpot situation is a great time to instill quality facing in your horse, but you can do so in a way that’s not hard on the cattle and takes some pressure off. After your heeler comes tight and you get the flag, pop your rope off the horn and make your horse face. 

Facing on Young Horses

I never face a horse then follow the steer to the stripping chute, either. When I face one at home, I keep the hind quarters moving until the nose and shoulders are facing back to the heading box and the hind end is facing the other way, essentially over-exaggerating the face. A straight face will be simple after having to do another quarter turn.

Facing Drills Galore

Roping.com offers hours of facing lessons from Brazile, Miles Baker, Jake Barnes, Dakota Kirchenschlager and Matt Sherwood. Subscribe now, or get your membership to Roping.com with the purchase of a KeyCard Max. 

The post Here’s How Headers Should Finish a Run When the Roping is Flagged on the Heels appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Get a full dummy roping lesson from two-time World Champion Clay Smith, straight from the Pitzer Ranch indoor arena. Smith covers roping big and small horns, identifies swing fundamentals and dos and don’ts of a team roper’s swing. Smith also adjusts the swings of students in this clinic, sponsored by ADM Animal Nutrition.

The post Full Ground Dummy Roping Session with Two-Time World Champion Header Clay Smith appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

In this video, Bubba Buckaloo rides a high-powered, running-bred head horse and talks about his practice before a major roping. In it, he addresses squatting in the box and facing in practice,as well as how often he likes to score.

The post A Header’s Final Practice Before a Big Roping with Bubba Buckaloo appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

When I first started rodeoing, the scores were longer and you had to give steers bigger head starts than they do today. We also gauged our starts a little different than they do now. Most everything was in relation “to the pin”—halfway to the pin, flank to the pin, hip to the pin, tail to pin. For years and years, the start was tail to the pin at most rodeos. 

What that actually meant was, when the score was even—say, an 18-foot score and an 18-foot box—the score was automatically tail to the pin, with adjustments for what your steer did factored in. If it was a foot under—the score set at 17 feet out of an 18-foot box—the start was flank to the pin. That’s how I learned to score when I started rodeoing, and the terminology we used about scoring. But like everything else, times are changing when it comes to scoring. 

Creating Good Scoring Habits: One Thing You’ve Got to Do to Keep Your Horse Listening

When we got to a rodeo, we went and looked at the length of the score and box. We’d go ask the judge first thing for those measurements. We didn’t have the luxury of cell phones to call our buddies who’d already roped there and ask about the start or what our steer did last time they ran him. Guys today exchange videos, and you get to watch your steer go before you rope. 

In the old days, when you checked the draw, about the best you could do was see the time the last time someone ran your steer. That was a clue, but was like operating in the dark compared to the benefits of today’s technology and available information. They might have been a no-time on your steer, but come to find out he was the best one in the herd. Or you might get fooled because someone maxed out a bad steer and took the lead. 

Sharpening Up Your Scoring Skills with Jake Barnes

Generally speaking, the boxes are a little bit deeper now than they used to be. And the scoring terminology of the new generation of ropers is related to “out the end of the gate” instead of “to the pin,” because they watch the steer out of the front of the gate instead of judging by the pin. I think there’s an advantage to watching cattle out in front of the gate. 

“Tail to the pin” back in our heyday would probably calculate to today’s lingo of “behind the shoulder out the end of the gate.” A really fast start today is “horn around the end of the gate” or “point of the shoulder around the end of the gate.” That steer’s just barely taken a step, but the scores now are a lot shorter than they were back in the day. 

Scoring on a New Head Horse

Another little fun fact is that during most of my career the front of the chute was typically flat, whereas most chutes today come to a point out in front of a steer’s nose. That has a lot to do with why the young guys gauge their start from out the front of the chute. It’s more efficient, because they don’t have to look down at the pin, then pick their heads up to look at the steer’s head as they’re taking off. 

Back in the day, you had to get a good start and ride your horse across the line. Today, rodeo ropers are hitting the barrier and throwing. Scoring is still about timing with you and your horse, but the new generation of ropers are throwing when they hit the barrier. 

Scoring At World Series Ropings

The start at World Series ropings is like a bulldogging start. As long as the steer starts ahead of you, you can’t break the barrier. It’s timing, too, but when you nod, you take off. In my opinion, there’s no excuse to be late at a World Series roping. Getting out late can snowball fast, and they make it pretty easy to get out right on time. The box is deep enough that if the steer moves, you’re out.

When I roped at the NFR (National Finals Rodeo), I didn’t worry much about the barrier. You had to take a chance on that steer starting, because being late was not an option. A barrier won’t take you completely down, but missing the start can take you out of it fast. Yes, it’s plus-10 if a steer doesn’t start. But that’s a chance you have to take. 

The post Changing Times on the Scoring Front appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

“He wins every week.”

 “That guy never misses.” 

“She’s a great run in the #8.5.”

At every jackpot, big or small, you’re bound to notice someone who stands out—who knows how to win in team roping. Someone who, more often than not, has a callback or two in the short round and walks to the pay window once or twice throughout the day. Of course, this roping game is much more affordable when you’re cashing checks week after week, so what exactly is the secret to winning in team roping’s lower divisions against people with the same number and skill as you? Those who study the number system and teach plenty of schools might just know best. 

Cory Johnson, Producer, The Roping Co. 

The Secret: ‭ ‬Ability to handle adversity.

Why? In a team roping run, there are five minds involved: the header, heeler, steer, head horse and heel horse. If you’re really lucky, they’re all on the same page. In the high-numbered ropings, you generally have four minds working together—the header, head horse, heeler and heel horse. As you get to the lower-numbered ropings, they generally don’t practice as much, so they’re not as comfortable with their horses, so maybe their minds aren’t working together.

Maybe you and your partner know what you’re doing, but your horses don’t. Or maybe you and your horse know each other’s plan, but you and your partner don’t. But the better end of the low numbers know their horses, and their partners know what they’re going to do, too. There are ropers on the higher end of the lower-numbered ropings have steers that run left, and they know how to get by a steer that moves to the right fence, they know how to get by a head ducker, or they know how to get by one that drags. If a steer runs to the left, they ride to the left.

For a lot of ropers, though, they’re only comfortable on cattle that all do the same thing. If they draw a steer that does anything different, they’re out. The lower end of the lower numbers don’t know how to handle things that aren’t perfect. The more cowboy end of the ropers probably win more because they can handle adversity.  

Troy Shelley, Producer, Shelley Productions

The Secret: Catching and handling cattle. 

Why? Catching is a given. They’re riding horses that generally will run up there and back off, and stay there and let them have a chance rather than something pressing on them trying to run by.  But the biggest thing after that is that they’re slowing down and letting their heelers have a chance to catch up. What I see a lot of the lower-number ropers do is go toward the back end. The ropers who generally get the steers caught, they go back up toward that corner. 

Chris Francis, Producer, Mathews Land & Cattle

The Secret: Entering. 

Why? The best headersin those lower-numbered divisions are the ones who enter the #12.5 and #13.5, and they may or may not do well in those divisions. But as the weekend goes on, those guys seem to stand out in the #8.5 to #10.5 since they’ve kind of entered a little above what they maybe should have, and it feels easier to them as the steers soften and the setup is easier. I think in all things you tend to get out what you put in, so whether it’s a confidence thing or not, the best headers in the low numbers seem to be the ones who’ve entered a little more throughout the weekend. 

Ty Yost, President, Roping Operations

The Secrets: Letting the steer dictate the run, having a good attitude and doing your job.

Why? Ropers who win consistently in the lower-numbered ropigns don’t ever, ever let their minds dictate their runs. They let the steer dictate the run. They don’t have the skillset to drop three coils, so they don’t take themselves out of the roping by trying. It’s so much like golf: They don’t try to pull off shots they can’t make. In golf, you don’t try to drive the ball 300 yards across the water if that’s not in your ability. You lay it up, and then hit it over. It’s just like roping. Don’t try to pull off shots you don’t have.  

They also have great attitudes, and they don’t complain. They put themselves in a position to rope and handle that steer, no matter what sort of steer they draw. 

If you don’t do your job, it doesn’t matter your style. I really don’t want anyone picking apart my swing; I just want to be out in the arena making runs. If ropers do their job, at the amateur level, you can see the results across the board. I look at amateur ropers who have won more than anybody, and the common denominator is that they just don’t screw up. You won’t make amazing highlight-reel videos of their runs, and you won’t see snappy head loops. They rope and pick their horses up and handle their steers, and they give their heelers 10 times the shot. 

Denny Gentry, Founder, USTRC, WSTR & Riata Buckle

The Secret: Consistency. 

Why? Their catch percentage is over a certain level. Those old men who are continually in the winner’s circle on the heading side, you know what they’re going to do. Every heeler knows exactly what they’ll get every time. A lot of low-numbered ropers rope well, but they’re wild. They’re lower numbered because there’s still something to this team thing in team roping. I have guys I rope with that I don’t know from one time to the next what they’re going to do. You can talk about it all day in the practice pen and before the roping, but they get there, and their adrenaline gets pumping, and their whole game will change. 

They get it in their heads that they can be something different than the very best 3 or 4 they can be. They need to not have it in their heads that they’re two numbers ahead. If you could rope like a 6, you wouldn’t be a 4. Say you need to be fast on a go-round run. They think they’ll push the barrier and throw rope. The older guys who jackpot a lot have slowed down with their age and their practice, but they know what it takes to win. And that’s what the other guys with the same number don’t understand. You handle your part, and it will work out. Personally, I rope with women and win with women. They are methodical. When they are locked into a routine, they are defaulting to it. I have heard people say they win more with women and old men than anyone, and that’s the truth. 

John Johnson, Producer, JX2 Productions

The Secret: Horsepower.

Why? They ride good horses, and I think most of those guys rope right to left, ride to good position and have a consistent catch ratio. They might not be near as fast, but they’re extremely consistent. These ropers ride to the same position every time and, obviously when you do that, your consistency level is extremely high. They give their heelers opportunities, and that’s the biggest difference. The World Series barrier allows those guys who don’t have a chance to practice as much to do groundwork, maintain good horses and have a chance to compete at a higher level. Those divisions pay extremely well. It justifies going and buying those really good horses. That’s the biggest thing I see.

Ferron Lucero, Announcer, USTRC, WSTR and NTR

The Secret: Consistency.

Why? Consistency is catching in the lower numbers. It can be a barrier, it can be a neck, it can be a leg. But ultimately, you’re not trying to overload your skillset. The game right now is to catch. These #7s and #8.5s can pay on two head. Sometimes second, third and fourth are on three head. The ropers who win are more consistent, not fast. As you move up the scale, speed and consistency come into play. The ones people complain most about are just catchers. There are guys who don’t rope very good who look like they’ll fall off or their horse is going to get jerked down when they turn the steer, but they catch. They try to catch something every time they nod their head. They’re not intending not to exceed their skill level, but they’re just learning. They keep their head.

If they miss, they don’t throw their rope, they don’t throw their head back and they don’t throw a fit. It’s those intangibles. It’s a mindset. It works for every level. The ones who start moving up the scale faster are the ones who are able to separate the fact that they don’t need to be fast—they just need to catch. AS they become more consistent, they start to add speed. It’s not winning that gets your number raised—it’s how you win. If you’re 34 on 4 in the #9.5, you don’t belong there. When you’re consistent at a faster rate, that’s where you run into issues. People get that all mixed up. 

Matt Sherwood, Two-time World Champion Header, Roping.com Coach 

The Secret: Taking an aggressive start.

Why? They give themselves a chance to be faster with the same exact shot. In the #7, #8.5 and #9.5, we shouldn’t be talking about reaching yet. So the ropers in those divisions need to ride to the steer and get in a solid position to rope. But if you’re timid at the barrier and timid riding your horse, you’re going to be 10 seconds by the time you get to that position. But someone who takes an aggressive start will be in position in 8 seconds. Those ropers feel more confident and have more time.

The post How to Win in Team Roping: Headers’ Edition appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

ADM Animal Nutrition and The Team Roping Journal partnered with World Champion Header Clay Smith for an exclusive Win-A-Day Clinic, in which 10 lucky winners received a full-day roping clinic with Smith at the Pitzer Ranch.

In this instructional video from the Win-A-Day, Smith talks about having extra slack when practicing on the dummy.

The post Give Yourself Some Slack appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Maintaining Width

On this run, I kept my width when the steer stepped into me after I threw. I had to stay in my lane to keep the momentum of the run the same. Through the corner, it should be nose, shoulders, then hips for my horse. So to keep that, I’m neck reining him, and I use my feet to move his rib cage over. You can tell in this picture, I didn’t do that last part with his hips. I got his shoulders and his nose into a good spot, and I need to ride his hip better. 

World Series of Team Roping Finale Practice Plan with Kolton Schmidt

Why Hips Matter

My horse is kicking his hips to the cow in this photo because I didn’t ride him with my feet through the corner. I wish he were keeping his hips and his shoulders in the same lane. If his hips are to the cow, that causes him to hit on the front end. A lot of times, on the second hop, the steer’s head is given back and it’s a lot harder for my heeler to throw fast. 

Better Contact

I have good contact on my horse’s face, but I wish I were riding the center of my horse’s neck a little better so he comes back to me. I want his face and his withers coming back to me, with his hips following to keep the steer on the end of the rope and give the heeler a place to ride to.

Learn more from Kolton Schmidt on Roping.com.

The post Keeping Control When a Steer Steps Left appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

In my book, you have offensive roping and defensive roping. There’s a scenario every time you back in the box, and you’re either going for it and trying to win the round or a one-head rodeo, or you’ve put yourself in the position of just having to hold onto your lead to close the deal. Circumstances dictate everything from your game plan to the size of your loop, which is also impacted by the size of the steer’s horns and whether you’re planning to reach or run in close. 

I always have multiple ropes in my bag of different weights and stiffness. If I draw a steer with bigger horns, I’m going to pick a heavier rope with a little bit more weight to it. People sometimes make the mistake of gauging and picking their rope by its label. But the rope companies tie ropes differently according to season, and there are slight variations based on everything from that to how broke in they are to the weather. 

Lay Up: Choosing the Best Rope Lay to Fit Your Needs

My personal preference most of the time is the firm end of Classic extra soft ropes. When I’m rodeo roping and have to make a fast run, I want a firmer rope with a little more weight to it, because I’m probably going to have to reach. I’m also going to use a little bit bigger loop, because that gives you more range. Using more spoke in that situation gives me more distance and lets me throw further, which at the one-headers is almost always mandatory to have a chance to win anything.  

I also go look at the steers, including horn size, when I get to a jackpot where I’m trying to put several runs together and am roping more defensively. That way, when I go saddle my horse I can pick out the rope that makes the most sense for that kind of cattle. 

If the steers have tiny horns, I’m going to get a little softer end of the extra softs and use a smaller loop. If you use a harder rope that has a lot of body to it in that situation, your curl is more apt to hit the steer in the left shoulder and bounce off, even if you don’t pull your slack. I’m going to run in closer, get in a good, comfortable spot to get that steer on a short rope and give my heeler a good handle, especially if the steers are fresh and wild. Riding closer position also prevents some of the wave-offs that are more likely if you ride wide.  

Tricks of the Trade: Keeping Your Loop on Smaller Horned Cattle

Some people say one size fits all when it comes to loop size, but I disagree. A big loop around small horns gives you a lot of slack, and increases the chances of waving it off. On the flip side, I want some insurance and a bigger loop to make sure I have enough rope to get around both horns on big-horned steers. 

I’m also not afraid to rope a steer with small horns around the neck. My banker tells me that’s a good idea, and it’s just the logical thing to do. And unless you’re trying to go really fast and have to duck out of there, there’s no reason you can’t handle a steer right with a neck catch. 

If I decide to rope a steer around the neck, I’m going to use an average-sized loop and run in there closer with a steeper angle on my loop. Junior (Nogueira) used to joke with me to “just aim for the neck and if you get the horns, it’ll be a bonus.”

If you watch the rodeo reachers, you’ll see they come across there with a big loop. And when they’re average roping, they shorten their loops up, get steers on a shorter rope and try to lead them around the corner to set the run up. 

People who don’t feed their ropes obviously need to start with bigger loops than those of us who do. That can be a disadvantage if you start out with a bigger loop on a hard-running steer, because big loops are harder to swing. It’s hard to start with a perfect-sized loop every time, so the ability to feed your loop as the run develops is really important. 

The post Finding the Perfect Loop-Size Fit appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

I prepare myself for every possible situation on the ground so I’m never thinking about anything when I’m roping. It’s all been thought out long before I ever back into the box. I’ve roped the dummy to win the BFI thousands of times, and I’ve roped the dummy thousands of times from every position so that my muscle memory knows how to react no matter what.

READ MORE: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins Win Resistol Reno Open

Dummy Work

On the dummy, I’m going to take the eye of my rope to the buckle of the horn wrap. I’m going to use my pinky, which is my bottom strand, to take it under the right horn and push it forward through the horns.

Always when I’m roping the dummy, I’m not swinging really fast, like I would be on a horse. When I get on a horse, my swing starts going faster trying to get to the cow with my feet. When I use my legs, it makes me swing faster. But on the dummy my focus is on intentional swings. On the ground, I’m trying to feel all parts of my rope and place my rope where I want it, whether I’m going all the way to the hip with a high-percentage shot, to throwing from three coils away. I’m focused on being able to hit the honda of my rope to wherever I’m wanting to hit on the dummy.

Applying the Practice

The above photo is from Ardmore, Oklahoma, at an Ariat World Series of Team Roping. Buddy (Hawkins) and I had to be 11 to win it. People think that wouldn’t be stressful for me. But they call me and Buddy the catching-est team alive. To keep up with that persona, we’ve got to keep catching. I’d be lying if I said that didn’t put pressure on me. But I can always go back to my foundation on the dummy, because I’ve prepared. I’ve thought about where I’m putting my top strand and bottom strand so much on the dummy, and how to pull my slack so as to not pop it off. 

READ MORE: And AGAIN: Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins Continue Reign with American Rodeo Win

On this run I’m thinking about catching, and I’m not going to reach. I put my honda to the back of the horns, right at the buckle, and I pull it down tight and ease to the left. I don’t worry at all about having a figure-eight in my rope—I don’t care if it’s pretty. I want it to go on and stay on.

The post Preparing to Win: Building a Solid Foundation for Success appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.