The Team Roping Horse

The Team Roping Horse Richard H. Galley, DVM In recent years, team roping has become the fastest growing equestrian sport, and, according to Sports Illustrated, one of the fastest growing among all sports. For this reason, equine practitioners are presented with an increasing number of horses with specific injuries incurred during team roping. This brief description of team roping introduces the equine practitioner to the basic premise of the sport, explains some of the terminology applied to these equine athletes, and offers some insight into a few of the more common medical problems that frequently occur in these horses. Author s address: 1601 Ranch House Rd., Willow Park, TX 76087. 1997 AAEP. 1. Introduction Team roping began as a rodeo event many years ago, evolving from the everyday work on ranches by cowboys. If a cow needed to be restrained for treatment or other reasons, on the open range the only method of restraint at the cowboy s disposal was heading and heeling the cow, which required a team approach. Being of an independent nature, the cowboys soon began wagering among themselves to see which team, composed of a header and heeler, could accomplish this feat in the shortest time. The early rodeo event of team roping was called team tying and involved roping the head or neck of the animal by one cowboy, the header, followed by roping the rear legs by another cowboy, the heeler. The animal was then jerked down and stretched out. The header ran down the rope from his horse and tied another shorter rope around both rear legs, using a square knot. This was done as a timed event to determine the winner. Approximately 35 to 40 years ago, this event was replaced, in the rodeo arena, by dally team roping, also a timed event. The term dally refers to the wrapping of the rope around the saddle horn as opposed to being tied onto the saddle horn. From this early beginning, the sport of team roping has become one of great economic importance. The economic impact of this sport in 1996 was estimated to be $770 million. The United States Team Roping Championships (USTRC) began in the mid-1980 s with 370 members. In 1996, membership had grown to more than 85,000 classified ropers. It is unknown exactly how many ropers (both classified and unclassified) participate in the sport of team roping in a given year, but it has been estimated to be approximately half a million team ropers. Although there are many other team roping organizations throughout the U.S., the USTRC remains the largest and most prestigious, offering over $17 million in purses in 1996 alone. In October of 1996, nearly $3 million dollars in purses were earned by participants during a single event, the National Finals of the USTRC. The purse money for the team roping competition is usually generated by the entry fees of the participants, and this is referred to as a jackpot roping. A portion of the entry fee is held out by the producer NOTES 40 1997 Vol. 43 AAEP PROCEEDINGS

of the roping event to pay for the arena, the cattle, the advertising, the trophies, and miscellaneous expenses, and the balance of the entry fee is designated as purse money to be divided among the winning team ropers. Another form of purse money is the guaranteed money format. In this situation, the producers guarantee the purse money and prizes, and they gamble that enough teams will pay an entry fee to allow them to show a profit. Purses commonly reach tens of thousands of dollars, and additional prizes available include items such as saddles, trophy buckles, trucks, and horse trailers. If one were to attempt to single out the primary cause for the tremendously rapid growth in the sport of team roping, it would probably be the unique handicapping type of numbering system of the ropers. The numbering system, or rating system, is administered by the USTRC. The system involves assigning a number to each of the team ropers based on factors such as ability, experience, age, and physical handicaps. The roping categories are also assigned a numerical value that cannot be exceeded by the total of the two ropers entering that roping. For example, if the roping was classed as a number 11 roping, it could be entered by teams composed of a 3 and an 8 roper, or a 5 and 6 roper, or any other combination that does not exceed the total of 11. 2. Description of Competition The categories of the ropings at most events are the open roping (any header and heeler can rope together regardless of their collective number), and the various numbered ropings, which begin with the number 11 roping and progress down to the number 5 roping. The low-numbered ropings are for the beginner ropers and obviously eliminate the more capable ropers from that competition. The numbering system does, however, allow the lower-numbered roper to rope with the expert ropers in a highnumbered roping. This approach also allows the amateur roper, women, and children to compete, often successfully, with the men. Dally team roping is a timed event involving five basic elements: the header, the heading horse, the heeler, the heeling horse, and the steer. Many consider team roping to be the ultimate sport, as it requires split-second timing in addition to the ability to overcome the many variables created by the three animals involved, especially the steer. The term dally refers to wrapping the rope around the saddle horn, in a circular manner, as the only means of attachment to the saddle. This is in contrast to some of the other rodeo events (calf roping and steer roping), which allow the roper to tie the rope to the saddle horn. The team roping competitions are held in arenas of various sizes. A small arena might be 100 200 ft ( 30 60 m), but a larger arena, approaching 200 400 ft ( 60 122 m) or larger, is preferable. The surface of the arena is important, because good footing is imperative to prevent injury to the horses and ropers. A typical run in dally team roping begins with a steer contained in a chute, with the heading box to the left of the chute and the heeling box to the right. When the header calls for the steer or asks that it be released from the chute, the chute gate is opened and the steer is allowed a head start, called the score. If the header leaves the heading box before the steer crosses the score line, (i.e., the predetermined head start for the steer), then the team is assessed a penalty of 10 s. Adherence to the head start is determined by one of two types of barriers. The old style of barrier is a rope barrier placed in front of the heading horse. The rope barrier is composed of a rope stretched across the heading box in front of the heading horse. This rope is divided into two pieces and secured by a piece of string that is broken if the horse leaves the heading box too quickly. The barrier is released as the steer crosses the score line, and a spring pulls it out of the way of the horse as it leaves the heading box. The newer style of barrier uses an electronic eye. If the beam of light passing in front of the header is broken by the heading horse prior to the steer s crossing the predetermined score line, an alarm sounds and the team is assessed the 10-s penalty. The timing of the run begins when the steer crosses its score line. The steers that are used for the team roping event are usually horned cattle, called Corriente cattle. These cattle usually originate in Mexico. The term Corriente is a slang term for bad cattle, and these cattle were typically underfed and had a tough constitution when brought up from Mexico. Thus they had good horns for the size of their body and were hardy enough to withstand the demands of team roping. Now there is a breed association for the Corriente breed in the U.S., and many of them are raised here. Other types of cattle used are Longhorns or other native horned breeds, but most of the team ropers prefer cattle of the Mexican Corriente variety. Their weights may range from a small steer of 375 lb ( 170 kg) to a large steer of 800 lb ( 362 kg) or larger. After the header asks for the steer and allows the head start from the chute, he or she approaches the steer at full speed. The heading horse is trained to rate off or to slow up slightly when it approaches the steer to properly position the header for roping the steer, just behind and slightly to the left of the steer. There are three legal head catches in team roping: both horns (i.e., a clean horn catch), a half-head (i.e., one horn and the nose of the steer), or a neck. All other catches are considered illegal, and for these the team is given a no time. After the header successfully catches the head of the steer and dallies (wraps around in a full circle) the rope around the saddle horn, the heading horse drops its hindquarters and slows down somewhat, setting the steer, which brings the steer s head around to the left. As the steer s body is turned and AAEP PROCEEDINGS Vol. 43 / 1997 41

Fig. 1. Header has dallied the rope around the saddle horn and sets the steer as the heeler begins to turn into position to rope the rear legs. Note the position of the right foreleg and the left hock of the heading horse. progresses to the left, the heading horse also is turned to the left and is moved out in front of the steer to allow the header to pull it across the arena at approximately a 90 angle to the original direction of travel (Fig. 1), maintaining a constant speed, and thus allowing the heeler to get into position to rope the rear limbs of the steer. During the portion of the run that the header has roped and set the steer, the heeler has maintained his or her position just to the right and slightly behind the steer as they have progressed down the arena. As the header sets and turns the steer, the heeler turns left with the steer and positions himself or herself just behind and slightly to the left of the steer as it is taken across the arena. As the heeling horse follows the steer in this position, maintaining a constant speed equal to that of the header and steer, the heeler properly times the swing of the rope and then releases the heel rope, placing the loop under the steer. When the steer s rear limbs enter the loop, the loop is tightened. As the slack leaves the heel loop, as the rope tightens around the steers hind legs, and as the dally is made on the saddle horn, the heeling horse is signaled to drop its hindquarters and come to an abrupt stop (Fig. 2). After the heeler has completed the catch of the rear legs, the heading horse progresses away from the heeler with the steer still in tow, tightening the heeling rope. The heeler attempts to rope both rear legs of the steer, but if only one leg is caught, then the team is assessed a 5-s penalty. When the heeling rope is tight, the heading horse is cued to spin to the right, while maintaining a tight rope, to face the steer. When the facing is complete and the heading horse is facing the steer, the heading rope should be tight and in a straight line from the saddle horn of the header to the head of the steer. The heeling rope should be tight in a straight line from the hind feet of the steer to the saddle horn of the heeler. At this time the flag man drops the flag, signaling the end of the run, and the time is recorded (Fig. 3). Although there are many elements that make up a run in the team roping, the run can all be accomplished in a matter of seconds. The event requires thousands of hours of practice to get the timing down and to minimize the danger to all of the participants. A very good run may take only 6 or 7 s. There have even been runs recorded in the range of 3.7 3.8 s by the World Champion caliber team ropers. 3. Horses Used and Training The horses used in the team roping event are usually American Quarter Horses. This breed is preferred by the ropers because of their exceptional athletic ability, quick acceleration over short distances, and their good minds and calm disposition. Geldings are almost always preferred, but occasionally a mare and rarely a stallion are used in the event. It is not unusual to see a Paint horse used in team roping, but often this is just a crop-out Quarter Horse. Other breeds, such as the Thoroughbred, are very rarely 42 1997 Vol. 43 AAEP PROCEEDINGS

Fig. 2. Heeling horse comes to a stop as the heeler gets the slack and dallies the rope around the saddle horn. Note the position of both hocks. Fig. 3. Heading horse faces, as the ropes of both the header and the heeler are tight, to signal the end of a successful run. Note the position of the heading horse s left hock. AAEP PROCEEDINGS Vol. 43 / 1997 43

chosen for use as team roping horse. It takes many months and even years to properly train a good team roping horse, whether a heading horse or heeling horse. Often a horse is trained in a home arena or the smaller local arenas for 2 to 3 years prior to being used at the larger competitions. The tremendous growth of the sport of team roping coupled with the large purse money available have made a good team roping horse a very valuable commodity. For this reason, even the slightest medical problem will usually receive the attention of the equine practitioner. 4. Common Problems With a better understanding of the duties of the team roping horse, it is apparent that it experiences many of the same problems that any of the other western performance horses experience. Osteoarthritis of the distal joints of the hocks is very common, as it is in the cutting horse, reining horse, and barrel racing horse. In addition, the heading horse commonly injures the suspensory ligament, especially of the right forelimb. The hocks and the right fore suspensory ligament are placed under tremendous pressure as the heading horse sets the steer. As the heading horse sets the steer, the right forelimb is placed anteriorly and laterally to brace against both forward motion and the weight of the steer, thus placing a great deal of strain on the suspensory apparatus of the right forelimb (Fig. 1). In addition, the distal tarsal joints are suddenly loaded as a result of a slowing from full-speed motion with the weight of the rider, weight of the horse, and by the weight of the steer. These forces applied to the loaded distal tarsal joints are rotational (Fig. 1) and occur as the horse sets the steer, gets under the rope, and out in front of the steer, and as the horse pulls the weight of the steer forward across the arena. Following a successful catch by the heeler, the heading horse must face, or spin around to the right while the hocks are loaded as described, and do so with the addition of a backward motion to maintain the tightness of the rope. When attempting to diagnose an orthopedic problem or problems in the team roping horse, as in all western performance horses, one must remember that often, in the early stages of the problem, the horse may not be lame. The complaint from the owner or trainer is often of increasing behavioral, or training problems, rather than lameness problems. This underscores the importance of having knowledge of the events in which these equine athletes participate. In the case of a heading horse, the history may include a reluctance to go into the heading box, a change in the horse s attitude in the box (or how he scores the steer), a change in the way the horse rates, sets, and handles the steer, or a reluctance to face at the end of a run. All of these complaints, as well as others, usually are present if the heading horse is developing lesions of the distal tarsal joints. The clinical exam of these individuals may often show pain on palpation of the caudal lumbar area, the area of the croup, and over the point of both hips. This pain will often be accompanied with the complaint that the horse is sore in the kidneys. If the larger joints of the hindlimbs are involved, the obvious areas of effusion will, of course, aid in the diagnosis, but if only the distal tarsal joints are involved, then effusion is usually absent. As the examination progresses to the medial aspect of the distal tarsi, the horse may often show a reluctance to have the area palpated, as if it is anticipating pain associated with the palpation. Often a beginning bony proliferation of the anteromedial aspect of the distal tarsus can be appreciated on examination. Obtaining the highest quality radiographs possible is very important because some of these lesions are difficult to see on radiographs of minimal or average quality. In addition to obtaining excellent quality radiographs, it is often necessary to view the radiographs under magnification to appreciate the small beginning lesions of the distal tarsal joints. Many times, blocking these joints produces little improvement in behavior because pain is anticipated by the horse during the run, even though the area has been successfully blocked. Dread of pain, in my opinion, is the most common reason for a display of intractable behavior by a horse in the roping box. These horses often respond well to intra-articular therapy when they realize that the pain has been lessened or stopped. The heeling horse often presents with a similar history, such as behavioral problems in the heeling box, not making the corner properly as the steer is set and turned, reluctance to position itself properly in relation to the steer, or emitting a nickering or grunting sound and bouncing out of the stop at the completion of the run while maximal tension is on the ropes. Often these horses, both the heading horse and heeling horse, are unwilling to drop their heads and relax following a run and tend to prance out of the arena. Again, it is important to remember that the horse is often not yet showing signs of lameness in the early stages of these problems, making the diagnosis more difficult. Usually the horse is exhibiting a training problem rather than a soundness problem during the early stages. Another common injury of the team roping horse, especially the heading horse, is a strain or tearing of the suspensory ligament of the right forelimb. As described above, these injuries apparently occur when the horse places the right forelimb anterolaterally to brace as it sets the steer (Fig. 1). Probably the additional forces of the forward motion, weight of the rider, and weight of the steer contribute to the occurrence of this injury. Often the injury to the suspensory ligament occurs in the middle to upper portion of the structure. Thickening of the ligament may or may not be present, but pain on palpation of the suspensory ligament when palpated 44 1997 Vol. 43 AAEP PROCEEDINGS

with the leg in the flexed position is a consistent finding. Ultrasonography may be necessary to determine the extent of damage to the structure, but usually clinical examination is all that is needed to establish a diagnosis. In contrast to the problems seen in the distal tarsal joints, a lameness of varying degrees often accompanies injury of this structure. Injury of this structure can become a chronic problem in the heading horse because of the probability of reinjury. Obviously, team roping horses are also susceptible to all of the same injury problems that any of the equine athletes experience. Most of these injuries, however, produce a lameness of varying degrees, as well as effusion and pain on flexion, or pain on palpation of the affected area, making diagnosis of these problems fairly straightforward. Many of the professional team ropers do not even use a horse competitively until the horse is 9 or 10 years old. The team ropers believe that years of practice and experience on the part of the horse are required to develop the split-second timing necessary to win at the upper levels of competition. At the 1996 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association National Finals Rodeo, the average age of the heading horses used by the top 15 headers in the world was slightly over 16 years of age. Proper diagnosis and management of medical problems of the team roping horse allow the horse to be used competitively for many years. Further Information 1. United States Team Roping Championships, P.O. Box 7651, Albuquerque, NM 87194. Phone: 505-899-1870. 2. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, 101 Pro Rodeo Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80919. Phone: 719-593-8840. 3. American Quarter Horse Association, P.O. Box 200, Amarillo, TX 79104. Phone: 806-376-4811. 4. SuperLooper Magazine, 2331 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104. Phone: 505-243-9515. 5. Dally Times, 1120 Blue Mound Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76131. Phone: 817-232-9682. AAEP PROCEEDINGS Vol. 43 / 1997 45