©2008 Hesperia Recreation & Parks District

Tie Down Roping/Calf Roping

Sponsored by: Daily Press

Like Saddle Bronc Riding and Team Roping, Tie Down Roping traces its roots to the working ranches of the west.  When calves were sick or injured, cowboys had to rope and immobilize them quickly for treatment.  Ranch hands prided themselves on how quickly they could rope and tie calves.  They soon turned their work into an informal contest.  As the sport matured, being a good horsemen and fast sprinter became as important to the competitive calf roper a being quick and accurate with a rope.

In today's modern rodeo, the mounted cowboy starts from a box adjacent to the chute holding the calf.  The box opens into the arena.  The calf has a head start determined by the length of the arena.  On end of a breakaway rope barrier is looped around the calf's neck and stretched across the open end of the box.  When the calf reaches its advantage point, the barrier is released.  If the roper breaks the barrier before the calf reaches its head start, the cowboy is assessed a ten point penalty.

When the cowboy throws his loop and catches the calf, the horse is trained to come to a stop.  After roping the calf, the cowboy dismounts, runs to his catch and throws it by hand, a maneuver called "flanking".  If the calf is not standing when the cowboy reaches it, he must allow the calf to get back on its feet, then flank it.  After the calf is flanked, the roper ties any three legs together with a pigging string (a short looped rope the cowboy carries in the clenched teeth during the run).

When the roper finishes tying the calf, he lifts his hands up in the air as a signal that the run is completed.  The roper remounts his horse, rides forward to create slack in the rope, then waits six seconds.  If the calf kicks free, the roper receives no time.