Team Roping
Team roping -- perhaps the last remnant of traditional cowboying, and one that in West Texas and other western part of the country is now a family recreation -- is the subject my book project.
Featuring black and white photographs shot over a period of two years at West Texas roping arenas in Marathon, Fort Stockton, Fort Davis, Valentine, Marfa and Alpine, the series captures the action, athleticism and dusty camaraderie that fans of team roping find familiar. To those who have not witnessed the excitement and split-second eye and hand coordination and superior horsemanship required for two people to rope a running steer, the pictures offer a distinctive view of this activity, which seems at time as a cross between sport and social event.
Through the use of appropriate lenses certain elements of the image are sometimes emphasized -- the head of a steer, the whirling lasso, a lone spectator at the arena fence, or a young roper practicing with a dummy – to lead the eye to a single defined object. The effect sought is to bring the viewer in a mood that leads deeper into the picture, and to feel drawn into the roping arena and the event.
Team roping is not only about horsemanship and precision. It is and has always been a staple of the life as lived on a land where the size of the ranches forces people working them in virtual isolation. Gathering with friends and families on a Saturday to rope is also a very important social function. This is when one can catches up with news and gossips, exchanges information about events and happenings, and about what happened on the ranches.
So what is it all about?
Team roping evolved into a sport when a couple of cowboys somewhere, many years ago, turned a common ranching procedure into competition. The procedure, used to secure a steer so that he could be branded or doctored, is for two cowboys to rope the front and hind ends of a steer and stretch him between their horses.
A team roping competition begins with a steer in a chute and ropers on horseback to either side. A run begins with the steer being released from the chute and given a head start down the arena (known as the barrier distance , about 10-15 feet), after which point the ropers may give chase. The first roper (the header ), comes up on the steer's left side and, throwing his loop, ropes the steer around the horns or neck. Next, the header secures the steer by wrapping the rope remaining in his hand around the saddle-horn (called dallying ). After making his dallies, the header will then steer his horse to the left across the arena, pulling the steer behind him. It will now be the job of his partner (the heeler ) to follow with the steer, approach from behind, and skillfully throw his loop so that it encircles both of the steer's hind feet. The heeler will finish the run by stopping his horse while simultaneously dallying his rope around his saddle-horn. All of the action in a team roping run usually occurs in a time span under 15 seconds (sometimes even less than five). And time is of the essence, as the team that performs their job the quickest wins the event.
Time is called by an arena judge (the flag-man or flagger ) who waits until both ropes are taut and each ropers' horse is facing the steer. A system of penalties applies to incomplete actions – for exemple if the healer catches only one leg, etc…
Team roping is a combination of skill, horsemanship, team work, and luck that is fast, furious, and fun for ropers from under twelve to over eighty, and fun for people to watch. A competition is also the pretext for a day spent outdoor in a friendly ambience, where teasing, jokes and cold beer are shared and enjoyed.
In a world fast taken over by technology and the incessant pursuit of profit through efficiency, team roping is one of the last genuine cowboy activities, one that helicopters used for rounding up cattle or four-wheelers used to inspect endless miles of fences can't obliviate.
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