What rope do I need?

With so many ropes to choose from, where do you begin? I can imagine that as a beginner roper the number of ropes available in today's selection could be quite overwhelming. We are often asked to help choose a rope, so we wanted to put together a few basic recommendations. If you have a more specific request the ropers here would love to help you choose a new one, but here are a few ideas to get you started. Small children beginning to rope need a light weight rope that is easy to swing. They can begin developing the muscle memory needed for good technique, but most importantly, they need to have fun! We tend to reccomend for these littlest guys and gals (under 5) the FireCracker, Vapor, Pistol (Poly), or the ever-popular Chicken Rope. As these young kids get older, they are strong enough for a little more body. These next-level ropes are a little stiffer or heavier, but give you better tip feel and you can start to learn better control and delivery. They are good for dummy roping or even starting to rope goats. For this group, our top picks are the Xtreme, Bottle Rocket, Tomahawk, and the RK4 (Poly). When younger ropers are ready to advance to roping sleds or even live cattle, they need to move up close to a full size rope. Thankfully, there are a few great options here made just for them. The Zoom, Orange Crush, Jr Moneymaker, Sizzler, and Shockwave (Poly) are all great ropes for advancing to the next level. Beginning adult ropers have the strength to start out on a full size rope. Some are easier to learn to feel, and more forgiving. Three of our favorites for headers are the Heat, Falcon, and Centerfire. Most beginners will want to start out with an XS or even XXS until you get the "swing" of things. For beginning heelers, the heavier and stiffer ropes can be a little harder to get used to, but choosing a Raptor, Natural, or GT4 Lite can ease you in a little. We recommend starting out with a medium soft lay.