subject: Team Roping In The Rodeo [print this page] Team roping is one of the only rodeo events that features both men and women, who can compete with and against one another. Team roping is a very popular rodeo event that uses two mounted cowboys, or cowgirls, who rope a steer. One of the cowboys ropes the front of the steer with a rodeo rope, and the second cowboy uses his rodeo rope to rope the steer's hind feet.
The "header", or cowboy who ropes the head of the steer, uses a rodeo rope to rope the front of the steer. The rodeo rope needs to be wound around the steer's horns or around the neck. There is also something known as a "half head" that can also be used, where the rope is wound around one of the steer's horns and the steer's nose.
The "heeler" is the cowboy in charge of using the rodeo rope to rope the steer's feet. The heeler is supposed to rope both of the steer's feet, though they are still judged if they only get one roped. When one leg is roped the team has five seconds taken away from their event time.
How the event works is that steers are loaded in a chute, with the header on one side of them and the heeler on the other side. A rodeo rope is placed in front of the header and connected to the neck of the steer to stop them from immediately going after the steer. After the steer is released from the loaded door, there is a short break before the rodeo rope gets taught and drops to let the header out.
The barrier rope is there to make sure the steer has a good head start. After it drops the header is able to ride out after it. Headers have to move quickly if they want good timing, as does the heeler.
The header is the first to rope the steer. There are different ways the header can rope the steer. One way is to wind the rope around both of the steer's horns, known as clean horn catch. Another way is to rope the steer's neck. Lastly, they can do the half-head catch with one horn and then around the neck. Once he ropes the steer he moves quickly to daily the rope around his saddle and moves his horse so the steer follows him.
This is the heeler's cue to throw a loop rope under the steer's hind legs to catch them. He dailies his rope and the header turns his horse to face both the steer and the heeler. The heeler and header back up their horses to stretch out the steer's hind legs. After the legs are stretched immobilizing the animal the time is taken and the competition is complete.
The steer is quickly released and trots away unharmed. Times are penalized five seconds if only one leg is roped behind, and there is a ten second deduction if the barrier rope is broken through. All other mistakes made with team roping are instant disqualifications.
