Being a beginner team roper is hard. You have to learn to master riding and roping and do it all at once. Becoming an expert roper takes a lot of practice, but with these tips, you can put yourself on the right track.
Advice for the Beginner Team Roper
Don’t Skip the Foundation
It may seem appealing to jump right into perfecting your roping skills as a beginner roper; however, your success heavily relies on a strong foundation. Developing a solid base of riding skills, training, and building a relationship with your horse can make the introduction to roping much smoother.
Get a Horse That Knows the Ropes
Older horses come with more experience. When looking into horses, look for an older horse that can help you build your confidence and correct movement patterns easier due to their background in roping.
Practice on a Dummy
Investing in a practice dummy is a great idea for beginner team ropers. With a practice dummy, you can practice off your horse to perfect your roping techniques and begin to build muscle memory, so your technique will be up to par while riding.
Try Both Ends
Before picking between heading and healing, try both a few times. You’ll likely find a natural preference for one over the other. Trying both ends will also give you a greater understanding of the entire teams’ roles, making you a better partner.
Buy a Few Rope Choices
There are tons of choices available when it comes to roping supplies like team ropes. You must choose from extra soft, medium soft, different lengths, strand counts, and core materials, and each one will have a different feel to a roper. Try to buy at least two ropes—one extra soft head rope and one medium soft heel rope. As you practice more, you will develop a feel for your rope preference.
There is plenty of advice for the beginner team roper—from riding an older horse to finding your riding and tack preferences—to help you perfect your roping skills.