Team Roping Season is Here!

Yesterday, we got a last-minute phone call -- the boys were going to practice some team roping in Tonkawa (Okieland), about 30 minutes south of us. Now, I know the females can sympathize with me on this one -- I had to rush to get ready and since I only knew Kelly and no one else, I wanted to look presentable. ACKKKK - the big rush ensued. Of course I really wanted to go, as I had yet to see hubby do his thang. What a great photo opp!

(left to right)
Tom on Stormy, Jay on his roping horse, and
Clayton on "Bronco Billy"

A little background on Tom's roping horse situation:
He had a fantastic horse, Mike, and roped off him for years. Mike was your typical laid back quarter horse, but when the steer shot from the chute, Mike was all business. In October 2007, Tom noticed he was limping after an event. After a trip to the vet, then to Oklahoma State's vet hospital, it was determined that Mike's roping days were over, as he was beginning to develop calcium deposits on his knees. Mike is now living the high life in Wyoming with Tom's daughter Missy, and training the grandkids how to ride.



Stormy is not a finished roping horse. But we took her yesterday so she can get accustomed to the noise and craziness that goes on at a roping event. She did really good. We'll need to send her off to finishing school, where a seasoned roper will train her to be a good header horse. In the meantime, Tom will borrow a horse from a friend so he can enter some team roping events.

After riding Stormy a bit, just to get her acclimated to all the commotion, Tom parked her outside the arena and saddled up on "Bronco Billy" (the white horse) so he could practice his roping. I'm not sure what this horse's proper name was, but he acquired the "Bronco Billy" moniker early on in practice. When Clayton was roping off him, he did a few crow hops as Clayton dallied off at the end of the run. Needless to say, when you're sitting on a horse, those crow hops feel like full-fledged bucks! He did this to Tom a few times also, but luckily no one was bucked off; the saddle pad was checked for any wrinkles or anything underneath that might be pinching the horse, but nothing was found.

Backing up into the box




Tom (header) on "Bronco Billy" and Jay doing the heeling thang



Herding the cattle back to the chute

Waitin' in the chute


This gal liked to kneel in the chute...
perhaps she was praying for a quick getaway?!

jes waitin'

Maudie

Maudie was one of several dogs on the property. She's always looking for a sucker to throw her rope.... um, that sucker would be me yesterday. :-)

And last but surely not least, our host Kelly.
He has a beautiful spread and we thank him
so much for his gracious hospitality!