Bell collar what?
What is a Bell-Collar Catch? Primer on Breakaway Roping Rules

Get the scoop on vital breakaway roping rules right here.

Taylor Munsell tied for the win in Semifinal 1 with Jackie Crawford, roping in 2.8 seconds.
Taylor Munsell throws her rope in preparation to make a clean, bell-collar catch at the 2024 RodeoHouston. Photo by Impulse Photography

Understanding breakaway roping rules can make the difference in a fast time, clean catch and unbroken barrier.

But what do those words mean? Read on to learn more about some of the most vital breakaway roping rules.

Breakaway roping objective:

Breakaway roping is the fastest rodeo event, where the goal is to rope a calf in the shortest time possible. The rope is tied to the saddle horn with a small string and “breaks away” when the calf is caught, stopping the clock. Ropers often tie flags to the ends of their ropes to make the release more obvious to the judge, who stops the time.

Who wins at a breakaway roping?

The fastest time with a successful bell collar catch wins the event. Times are recorded to the tenth and hundredth of a second (depending on the association) and every little bit of time can make a significant difference in placing and money.

Breakaway roping barrier

The barrier is a rope or electronic sensor stretched across the front of the roping box, where the roper and horse start.

The calf is given a head start, and the barrier will release when the calf reaches a designated starting line, which gives it a head start. A longer barrier means a roper will need to wait longer, and vice versa for a shorter barrier. Timing the “go” with the barrier release is often dubbed “scoring.” A horse that “scores well” is one that will wait until a roper drops their hand and signals them to head for the line.

If a roper crosses the barrier too soon, they’ll incur a time penalty. It’s often a 10-second penalty, but some associations add five seconds.

In this photo from the 2023 NFBR, you can see how the calf is about to break it's neck rope, which triggers the rope barrier release. Kelsie Domer is experienced at timing the barrier release with coming across the line, so not a moment is wasted.
In this photo from the 2023 NFBR, you can see how the calf is about to break it’s neck rope, which triggers the rope barrier release. Kelsie Domer is experienced at timing the barrier release with coming across the line, so not a moment is wasted. Photo by Jamie Arviso.

Roping.com has an entire video explaining the breakaway barrier system with Lindsay Rosser-Sumpter.

For the catch to be considered legal it must be a “bell-collar catch.” This means the loop of the rope must pass completely over the calf’s head and close around the neck without entangling its legs or tail. If the rope catches anywhere other than the neck, the run is disqualified.

Catching a leg

This happens when a calf steps through the thrown loop. If this happens, the catch is not legal and no time is given.

Figure eight

Once a loop comes around the calf’s neck, the momentum carries bottom strand of the rope around to the left side of the calf before pulling closed. The issue arrises when the figure eight is large and continues to sweep backwards, catching the calves tail. This would be a no time.

Rickie Fanning's "Rolo" may have been the oldest horse in the field at the 2023 NFBR, but his effort earned him "The Horse With the Most Heart" award from the WPRA. Here he is winning round 5 with Fanning at the 2022 NFBR.
This photo shows the rope’s figure eight pattern. Photo courtesy Rickie Fanning.

Top knot

A top knot is when the rope—instead of going completely over the calf’s head—only catches around the top of the calf’s head and doesn’t go over the nose.

Roping.com has an entire video playlist of breakaway roping basics. Check it out here.

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