ROPE FOR MS
Team Roping Charitable Fundraiser To Help Find A Cure For Multiple Sclerosis
About Team Roping
Short Description
Team roping consists of
two riders on separate horses (Header and Heeler), competing against other
teams of riders for the fastest time that they can successfully rope the horns
and back heels of a running steer. This is a humane contest in that the
steer is not jerked to the ground. Timing stops as soon as the back heels are
caught. Detailed Description
Team roping
also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer
(typically a Corriente) and two mounted cowboys or cowgirls. The first roper is
referred to as the "header," the person who ropes the front of the
steer, usually around the horns; the second is the "heeler," who
ropes the steer by its hind feet. Team roping is the only rodeo event where men
and women compete equally together, in either single gender or mixed gender
teams. Cowboys originally developed this technique on working ranches when it
was necessary to capture and restrain a full-grown animal.
The steers are
moved through a series of narrow runways from a holding corral and lined up to
enter a chute with spring loaded doors. One steer at a time is loaded into the
chute. On each side of the chute is an area called the box. The header
is on one side (usually the left, for a right-handed header) whose job is to
rope the steer around the horns, or neck, then turn the steer so its hind legs
can be roped by the heeler, who starts from the box on the other side of the
chute. A taut rope, called the barrier, runs in front of the header and
is fastened to an easily released rope on the neck of the steer of a designated
length, used to ensure that the steer gets a head start. An electronic barrier,
consisting of an electric eye connected to a timing device, is often used in
place of the barrier rope.
When the
header is ready, he or she calls for the steer and an assistant pulls or trips
a lever, opening the chute doors. The freed steer breaks out running. When the
steer reaches the end of the rope, the barrier releases. The header must rope
the steer with one of three legal catches: clean horn catch (around both
horns), a neck catch (around the neck) or a half-head catch (around the neck
and one horn). The header then takes a dally, that is a couple of wraps
of the rope around the horn of the saddle. Speed is important and some
have lost fingers in this event. Once the header has made the dally, he will
turn his horse, usually to the left, and the steer will follow, still running.
The heeler
waits until the header has turned the steer. When he or she has a clear way, he
throws a loop of rope under the running steer's hind legs and catches them. As
soon as the heeler also dallies tight, the header turn his horse to directly
face the steer and heeler. Both horses back up slightly to stretch out the
steer's hind legs, immobilizing the animal. As soon as the steer is stretched
out, an official waves a flag and the time is taken. The steer is released and
trots off. There is a 5 second penalty for roping only one hind leg and a 10
second penalty for breaking the barrier.
A successful
professional-level team takes between 4 and 12 seconds to stretch the steer,
depending on the length of the arena. At lower levels, a team may take longer,
particularly if the heeler misses the first throw and has to try again.
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