First, I had to see if I could find the little iron roping dummy. Finally found it out in the shed, so hauled it to the back yard where I had some room. Then,
hat - check
roping glove - check
rope - check
Just don't tell anyone I was wearing sneakers. Hey, I was having a lazy, "comfy" day. ha ha
So finally, I was all set.
It had been awhile since I'd had the rope out, so it was pretty awkward at first, though I'm a rank beginner anyway. Finally got the feel of the rope, and built a loop.
Had a fun time just swinging the rope, and Hubby had given me a good hint about throwing and aiming. So I was trying that, too. The first few tries were pretty wild. They included...
... half a head and about a fourth of the body diagonally ...
... then on another shot after jerking the slack, the loop went under one horn, around and behind the other horn, then down around the snout (maybe I should try trick roping instead?) ...
... then finally I got a good catch. Yee-haa! Though, as a testament to my wild throwing yet, you'll notice the honda (loop at end of rope) has flipped to the wrong side of the "calf." I HAVE SOME PRACTICING TO DO.
Also tried some heeling throws, though that's a whole different way of swinging the loop and throwing it, it's all done in a certain way to catch the steer's hind legs (hopefully both, anyway). This is used in team roping, and in the working pen when dragging calves to the branding fire.
Recently, a dream of mine was fulfilled to have a chance to pull a trailer of some kind. It was awesome! (See previous post somewhere in August.) Another dream I have, is to have the chance to rope off of a horse, even if it's nothing more than sitting still and throwing a loop at a roping dummy. Just to be ON A HORSE, AND THROW A LOOP. So ...... we'll see! Meanwhile, I'd better practice a little more than I have been. If you're gonna dream, you need to prepare and practice and be ready when the opportunity finally comes along.
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