How to Become a Calf Roper
Calf roping, one of the many events in a rodeo, is a timed event in which a rider has to catch a running calf while riding on horseback by sling a rope loop around the calf’s neck. After the calf has been caught in the loop of rope, the rider is then required to get off the horse and restrain the calf. The rider needs to tie together three legs of the calf in order to restrain it. If you wish to become a professional calf rider, here is how you can accomplish the goal.
Instructions
-
1
Follow in the footsteps of others. There are hundreds of videos available on Youtube which were made by professional calf ropers. Study these videos over and over again to learn how professional calf ropers throw a rope.
-
2
Calf roping events are held at rodeos. Attend as many rodeos as you possibly can and try to learn the rule of calf roping while actually seeing the event. There are certain rules that a calf roper must follow while tying the calf and remounting the horse.
-
3
In order to become a professional calf roper, you will need a good horse. Keep in mind that you can not make every horse to chase a calf because not all horses like cows. Try to find a horse that has used in calf roping events in the past. This will save you a lot of work because you will not have to train the horse from scratch.
-
4
Lots of practice is one the basic requirements for becoming a calf roper. No matter what you learn by attending calf roping events or watching videos on Youtube, there is no alternative to practice. At the start, you can use a dummy calf instead of an actual calf. Spend at least a couple of hours roping the dummy calf everyday. You will learn quickly if you rope the dummy from different angles and distances.
-
5
When you feel confident enough that you can practically handle the task, go to a rodeo and practice in an actual calf roping event. Do not worry if you make mistakes at the start because that is natural. But make sure that you learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them in future practice sessions.
