9/4 Drew Horner: Uncoiled. Toughest Rodeo Set-Ups

I was just thinking the other day about some random thoughts. This came to my mind. I have always enjoyed experiencing different rodeos and set ups. Each set up varies. Some are big and the steers run hard, and others are short, small and fast set ups. Each different set up allows for its various difficulties. Here is a list of my thoughts on the top 5 toughest set-ups for team roping in our sport.

Top 5 Toughest Rodeo Set Ups for Team Roping:

NFR Vegas- I have never competed here, but I have roped in the arena, and arenas like this. The Thomas and Mack Center where the Finals are held is the smallest arena in the PRCA. It is a short barrier, so it happens fast, which means you have to be ready to rope right when you nod your head. There isn’t much room to the left either, and the corner panel next to the head box is angled back so it’s hard to face and have a good finish in your run. The conditions of the competition make it tougher than normal. It’s the FINALS! The top 15 guys in the world – the best competition roping in a tough arena, for some of the biggest money in our sport, with the entire world of Team roping watching. It’s a mental game out there. These things make this set up the toughest.

Pendelton, Oregon- The Famous grass rodeo. They run all the timed events on grass. It can be a scary thing. This rodeo is famous for team roping horses falling down, and guys getting hurt. Kaleb Driggers broke his leg there recently ,and last I talked to him, he’s not going this year because he doesn’t need to risk it out there. The steer starts down an 80-foot long, and about 8-foot wide lead lane down dirt. You nod your head and run down a slight angle from the dirt racetrack to hit the flat grass infield. Kind of a scary feeling if your not used to it. The surface change below your horse instantly can cause horses to go down. Tough awkward scoring and surfacing make this set up fun to rope at, but definitely mental toughness is required to focus on your steer, and not the ground.

Cheyenne, Wyoming- The Daddy of ‘Em All is famous all over the world! The set up is tough, though. It’s a long arena, with a very narrow feel. The left wall comes fast there. I’m guessing it’s probably 350-feet long and about 100-feet wide, and the boxes are in the middle of the arena, so the left wall is only about 50-feet from the head box. The score is 20-feet out there, so you literally have to let the steer out for about 15-feet from the chute before you leave. Then, when you drop your horse, you ride for what seems like forever. Once you rope the steer, it’s tough to handle ‘em. In the team roping, we usually rope the old tripping steers there. Tripping steers are tough to handle. They throw their head off and usually end up switching out because they are used to being tripped and not just turned. They want to fall down and they are HUGE in size. The Daddy’s long barrier, the close left wall, and the worn out tripping steers make this rodeo one Daddy you will for sure want to “obey”.

Guyman, Oklahoma- The wild runs at Guyman can be exciting, and also annoying… They chute run fresh steers that have never been roped, for 2 full rounds and 1 progressive round. The steers are usually all black and are all dead fresh with little horns, which makes it nearly impossible to recognize a steer in the 2^nd or 3^rd round from the previous rounds. The start is dead. It’s about 20 feet in front of the box, similar to Cheyenne, and you have no idea what your steer is gonna be like until he realizes he is being chased. The steer may either walk out slow and easy, then get scared out of his mind when he sees two men horseback, swinging something he can even fathom over their heads, and then all of the sudden get something around his horns that wants to “control” him. This is definitely an interesting concept. Try roping steers that have never been roped for the first time, in competition, behind a 20-foot barrier. It’s a lot of fun, and only the great horsemen survive to do well at this rodeo.

Prescott, Arizona- Famous for both header and heeler leaving from the same box on the heel side. This rodeo is totally different. The start is normal, but for a professional header who only heads, it’s a little weird to score because I don’t watch starts from that side. I’m a header, I score on the left side of the steer. I have always scored well there, but man its tough to do good there it seems like. You nod your head, and try to cross behind the steer. You either rope coming across the steer from right to left, or you get to the left, then you rope. Whatever you do, just catch the steer. Coming from behind the steer like this can easily cause you to pop your loop off the steers head. As for heelers, this set up is fun. Its normal for them at the start, but they have to allow the header to come across, rope and handle the steer typically before they can even swing their rope. My partner Buddy Hawkins is, I think, the only heeler that has ever gotten a re-run at a PRCA rodeo because he got fowled at the barrier. Last year he rope dwith another partner. The barrier rope hung his rope and pulled his rope out of his hand. I don’t know of any heeler that has gotten out at the barrier so good that it caught his rope and pulled it away from him. Definitely a Buddy-only incident.

Notables in no particular order:

Salinas California- Header and Heeler start from same box on head side, with a long 25 foot barrier.

Weatherford Texas- normal rodeo, but left wall angles back to the header, which makes it tight to face and finish well

Caldwell Idaho- Un even steers usually, and the boxes are surrounded by a concrete wall on the outside of both boxes. Short start happens fast, but easily can break the barrier.

Clovis California- Much like Guyman, except easier steers to rope and and easier barrier to score. It’s a normal barrier length, just clost left wall, and fresh steers that have been roped once or twice.

St Paul Oregon- Not a tough set up, you just have to dodge the little 4 foot Christmas trees in the arena when you turn a steer after you head them.

Pueblo Colorado- just like Clovis, except steers are roped out a little more. Barrier is just long and dead.