Pushing the Barrier by Speed Williams – May 2010
Source: www.fastbackropes.com
The difference between being fast and just catching
There are two very different styles of headers. One is the catcher who scores well, usually rides a nice horse, doesn’t miss much, seldom breaks the barrier, sets up his runs and wins by being consistent and not making mistakes.
The second style is a reacher who hits the barrier line, has lots of rope ability, possibly does not own a really nice horse and has learned to use his ability to overcome the lack of a good horse. This guy wins a lot of day monies and if he wins at a jackpot he wins first. But he’s not very consistent and makes a lot of mistakes.
When I started heading these were the two groups that most people fit in. There were guys that could catch and win and then the guys who could reach but struggled at the long score set ups.
When I was growing up and my dad was training a heel horse, he wanted the steers turned in the first forty feet of the arena. It didn’t matter what the steer was like, that’s where he wanted them turned and so I learned to rope fast. But when a customer was trying a heel horse, I was supposed to go catch, handle the steer and set things up for the heeler. That was good for me because it gave me a taste of both worlds – I had to be able to rope fast and also learned to go catch. If I missed when heading for a customer my dad would give me a look that did far more than any lecture and words spoken – so I tried very hard never to miss.
One of the reasons most guys from the east can reach is because of all the short score rodeos where they have to be some kind of four to win anything. Consequently they have a lot of range with their rope. The west brings more catchers because of the 18’ to 25’ feet boxes where they have to let the steer out and go run him down. That’s the way it is everywhere they go and they don’t get a chance to work on the short scores.
I recognized these different styles and realized very few people excelled at both.
That’s the problem with the two meeting in the middle. The east doesn’t have many long score rodeos and when those guys go out west they’re out of their element. It’s two totally different styles of roping. Everything about it is different and that’s why a lot of people struggle at being successful at both.
It’s important to be able to change your style and adapt to the situation. When you need to catch, use a smaller loop and run closer to the steer and let your horse do all the work. Your horse will dictate whether you win or lose.
To be fast, you’re going to hit the barrier, then fire and reach to where ever the steer is. You won’t rely on your horse’s speed as much but on how much control you have so he doesn’t duck. You’ll rely more on your arm and less on your horse and need to be able to operate in a small arena.
These are the two major heading styles that win. One is controlled and consistent; the other is creating your shot and being fast.
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