Whether you’re a No. 3 or a 5 header, you might be ready to start stepping up and making faster runs. The good news is that there are ways to start roping a little faster that have nothing to do with reaching.
One thing that’s not covered often enough for headers is how much rope they’re actually delivering in their throw.
As an instructor, I’d encourage you to run your head horse all the way up even with the steer’s hip. During that time, you’re hanging onto all three coils in your left hand. As you deliver and rope the horns, a certain amount of slack is measured off.
There’s a perfect amount of rope to throw – and it will change if you’re roping on the approach or if a steer moves off to the right. In those cases, you might not be taking into consideration that you need to loosen your grip on that first coil.
This is because your delivery will dictate what amount of rope will be pulled out from the inside coil. Your rope will pull out however much it needs, whether that’s six inches or two feet – if you let it.
A lot of times, when a steer runs to the right and someone’s horse is kind of hanging out there too wide, their loop will fall short. People don’t realize that they’re hanging on so tight with their left hand that they can’t deliver with enough rope to catch.
Practice letting your rope slide in your left hand so you’re never caught without enough length for the delivery. You can practice this on a ground dummy or a sled, and do it over and over while delivering from different positions so that your muscle memory will respond by letting out the perfect amount of rope.
Controlling that inside coil can be tricky. Because just after you’ve loosened your left-hand grip enough to deliver, you’ll have to squeeze it as you pull your slack. You want to hold that coil tightly while pulling your slack so you don’t accidentally pull some of it from your left hand, adding more slack – and costing yourself time.
When you advance enough to become a No. 4 or 5 header, ask yourself whether you’re letting enough rope go – and whether you’re holding it tightly enough as you pull your slack. It’s tricky. One second you’re loosening your grip on that coil so you can deliver, and the next you’re gripping it hard as you pull your slack.
If you have a tendency to miss the right horn because you held too tightly to that coil, practice letting it slide. On the other hand, if you have a tendency to let it slide while pulling your slack, practice squeezing it harder in that moment.
It’s simple to take time off the clock without reaching. And it’s smart roping.
Visit my web site, smartroping.com, for more.