One thing that’s good to know how to do as a header is to rope a steer on the approach. Maybe you’re just reaching from further back in order to get a quicker time, or maybe it’s because you’re riding a horse that works better if you rope a steer coming to it instead of when you’re right up on it.
No matter why you might be roping coming to a steer, I see so many of you not getting as much run out of your horse as you could. A lot of times, this is because you’re trying to ease up on the steer.
When you and the steer are traveling at the same speed, you have a nice, stable throw. But when you want to deliver as you’re approaching, obviously you’re traveling faster than your target. The faster your horse is running, the quicker you’ll be approaching as you throw and that can be uncomfortable for a lot of people.
The more comfortable you can get throwing your rope on the move like that, the better, because then you can still make a high-percentage shot even if your horse is bearing down on that steer like Hurricane Sandy.
Start practicing this concept on the ground. For instance, when you’re walking up to the roping dummy, make sure you don’t step off to the side as you deliver, and for sure don’t take a step back. Instead, actually walk forward through your throw. Getting the feel starts there.
Then, graduate to a sled like Smarty and don’t even have it in motion. As it’s sitting still, walk up to it horseback real slow and judge how that distance is changing so you can throw the right amount of rope while you keep moving forward.
Now, approach Smarty at a trot, so you’ll be coming to the steer a little faster. See how you can simulate roping coming to a steer? The faster you approach, the more comfortable you can get delivering your rope on the gain. Eventually, you can also have your driver move Smarty forward, but still at a slow speed. A sled gives you plenty of opportunities to rope on the approach at any speed. These drills have a domino effect until you get so comfortable throwing on the approach that you can do it at a dead run.
Because here’s what happens when you’re uncomfortable roping coming to a steer – you start rating off with your body way too soon because you’re afraid you’ll get there too fast. Rate off with your body, and your horse will do the same thing. Now he’s not running at all, and it doesn’t matter how well you can rope from further back, because it’ll take you forever to even get to that point.
This is a timed event, so the faster your horse runs, the faster you can throw your rope. Just make sure you’re comfortable doing it. That’s smart roping.
For more, visit SmartRoping.com.
