The Tie-Down roping event is one of the few events that served a huge purpose in the days of the Wild West. When a calf was injured or sick a ranch hand would have to go and rope the calf, tie it up and immobilize it so they could administer any kind of treatment so the calf would get better. The ranch hands of yesteryear used to take great pride in how fast they could get the calfs tied up and on its back.

These days the competitors in this event have to be a heck of a lot better on a horse then the Old West ranch hands. To start the event off, the cowboy must let the calf get a running start and if the barrier is broken the cowboy is given a 10 second penalty. Then the cowboy must ride his horse to a range where he can lasso the calf down. The cowboy will then hop off the horse while it keeps tension on the rope to keep the calf from running away. When the cowboy reaches the calf he will tie three up three of the legs. When he is done the cowboy will throw his hands in the air to signal that he has finished, then he gets back on his horse to walk it closer to the calf to give the rope some slack. If the calf stays tied for six seconds after the rope is slack then his time is official. If the calf breaks free then the cowboy gets a “no time.”

In this event every single move can equal success or disaster for the cowboy. One wrong move could be the difference between winning it all or being in the middle of the pack since fractions of seconds decide the winner.
Click here to return to Competitions