Calf ropers are one of the “skill positions” in a cattle branding. They must be able to lasso the hind leg(s) of the calf and drag them out of the pen to be branded. As if on queue, the calf lifts its hind leg, and “swhoosh”, there’s a lasso dragging the calf out of the pen.
The pen is a chaotic place: dusty, noisy, filled with several hundred unpredictable calves. The calves are separated from their mothers, scared and skittish; they’re moving all the time, jockeying for position far away from this monster on a horse. Horse and rider work as a team; the horse knows when and how to move and when to hold still, acting like an extension of its rider. A good roper is just average without a good horse.
The branding iron is hot and time’s a wastin’, the ropers get a calf with every throw. It’s not luck; these guys are good!
Thought for the Day: Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller
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