Like bronc riding, calf roping is an event born on the ranches of the Old West. Sick calves were roped and tied down for medical treatment. Today, success in calf roping depends largely on the teamwork between a cowboy and his horse. The "luck of the draw" is also a factor. A feisty calf that runs fast or kicks hard can foil a roper's finest effort.
After the calf is given a head start, horse and rider give chase. The contestant ropes the calf, then dismounts and runs to the animal. After catching and flanking the calf, (grabbing the calf by the hind flank and front flank) the cowboy ties any three of the animal's legs together using a "pigging string" he carries in his teeth until needed. If the calf is not standing when the contestant reaches it, the cowboy must allow the animal to stand, then flank it. When the cowboy completes his tie, he throws his hands in the air as a signal to the judge. He then remounts his horse and allows the rope to become slack. The run is declared invalid if the calf kicks free within six seconds. As with any timed event, a 10-second penalty is added if the calf roper breaks the barrier at the beginning of the run.
Steer Wrestling
Wrestling a steer requires more than brute strength. The successful steer wrestler, or bulldogger, is strong, to be sure, but he also understands the principles of leverage. The steer wrestler on horseback starts behind a barrier, as are all timed events, and begins his chase after the steer has been given a head start. If the bulldogger leaves too soon and breaks the barrier, he receives a 10-second penalty. The steer wrestler is assisted by a hazer, another cowboy on horseback tasked with keeping the steer running in a straight line. When the bulldogger's horse pulls even with the steer, he eases down the right side of the horse and reaches for the steer's horns. After grasping the horns, he digs his heels into the dirt. As the steer slows, the cowboy turns the animal, lifts up on its right horn and pushes down with his left hand in an effort to tip the steer over.
After the catch, the steer wrestler must either bring the steer to a stop or change the direction of the animal's body before the throw or is disqualified. The clock stops when the steer is on his side with all four legs pointing the same direction.
Team Roping
(Heading)
In Team Roping, rodeo's only true team event, two ropers, a "header" and a "heeler," work together to catch a steer. If a team roping header isn't quick, you won't find him at the National Finals Rodeo. Headers need quickness like brain surgeons need medical training. The slowest round-winning team roping time at the NFR in 1997 was 5 seconds. To win money at most professional rodeos, team roping headers must accomplish myriad duties in less time than it takes the average person to yawn.
First of all, headers must charge out of the box on horseback (without breaking the barrier, mind you), chase down a fast-racing steer and rope him around his protected horns, neck or "half-head" - a partial horn-neck catch.
Then the header must turn the steer to the left, giving his partner, called a heeler, a chance to rope the steer's hind feet. As with all timed events, if the header fails to give the animal its alotted head start, a 10-second penalty is added to the total time.
The run is completed when the steer is secured and the team ropers' horses are facing each other on opposite sides of the steer. Team roping is, as its name implies, rodeo's only true team event. Beginning in 1995, however, the PRCA opted to recognize team roping headers and heelers with separate world titles.
Team Roping
(Heeling)
After making his catch, the header rides to the left, taking the steer in tow. The heeler then moves in and ropes both hind legs. Catching only one hind leg results in a five-second penalty. If the heeler tosses his loop before the header has changed the direction of the steer and has the animal moving forward, it's called a "crossfire" and it results in disqualification. The clock is stopped when the slack has been taken out of both ropes and the contestants are facing each other.
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?22nd Jul 01
Is this not cruel to the calfs?
Outrider24th Jul 01
No, I don't consider any of the events in rodeo cruel. Calf roping was and still is a necessary tool by which calves are caught for doctoring and checking. Rodeo makes it an event where folks can show their skills. No one wants to injure their animals. That would not be good for the contractors who supply the stock. Thats why the cowboy must allow the calf to regain its feet before he can put him on the ground and tie him up. Do accidents happen? Yes, but rarely. Vets are always on hand by regulations to ensure safe treatment of the animals. Thanks for asking!
?29th Jul 01
It must still be stressful for them.
Tim31st Jul 01
Stressful? It probably is. But isn't jumping stressful for horses, or steeplechase? They may not be roped, but I have seen some nasty accidents in both events. I don't think calf roping is any more stressful on the stock than most any other sport that involves livestock.
tramp9th Sep 01
I would like to comment on the question that was raised about rodeo being cruel. I have been around rodeos and western life since I was a child. First of all, I love all animals especially horses, I would hate to see anything bad happen to any animal. Yes rodeo is stressful, just like any other interaction that man has with animals. Please realize that these rodeo animals are considered true atheletes and are treated like stars. It is not uncommon for a horse to be 15 years or older and still active on the rodeo circuit. Many horses are in their late teens and early twenties and still competing. A rodeo horse only actually works for less than 10 seconds. He is only stressed for less than an hour at a time from the time he leaves his feeding pen, goes into the bucking chute, does his job and gets back into his feeding pen. When he is not on the rodeo circuit, he is roaming large pastures with his buddies. The rodeo contractors pay a lot of money for these horses. The same is true for the bucking bulls. Both the bulls and the horses are bred to buck. Their bloodlines are as carefully selected as any show horse or race horse. Yes, calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping are stressful on the animals. But they are no more stressed than the dogs in dog racing, or the foxes in fox hunting. And unlike the animals involved in these events they don't end up starved in some kennel when they are unable to run. Many of the calves and the steers go back to ranches and eventually end up in the feedlot with their other bovine companions. The rodeo industry is very carefully monitored by our Society For Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Many of the animals in the rodeos and chuckwagon racing would have ended up starved or beaten or as dog food. They don't want to be in a stable and being ridden. They are happy with their life the way it is.
Thank you for letting me voice my opinion on this matter.
