Setup

I’m fortunate enough that I have a barn with a platform above my dummy to rope from. I have a saddle-horse type dummy, too, and I use that all through the year. That’s what I used to get ready for the NFR, too.

Loop Work

At the Finals, I was trying to put too much power on my rope so I drop my elbow and side armed it to saw their heads off. My tip would hit the ground in front of the calf and to the left so it kills my eight. The angle of my rope is fine, but I need to raise my elbow up and that will make my bottom strand go below his nose, around the neck and up and over and not coming to the side to catch that left hind leg.

I want my elbow straight out from my shoulder at a right angle. And then I want to use my hand to turn my loop over. I’m just focusing on that when I get into the barn after feeding cows all day in the cold.

Horse Fitness

This week is bitter cold, and I had plans to go to some barns to rope. But it’s dangerously cold if something would happen. It will be -25 degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow night. So I walk my horses and ride them around to keep them legged up. It’s not much, but it keeps them moving and keeps them working so when the weather breaks I can go somewhere and be ready. BRJ