Madison County 4-H Horse Project Roping Project

Objective:  To provide 4_H Horse Project participants an opportunity to experience, learn, participate in, and compete in roping oriented horse activities.  This provides an additional and diversified western riding experience.

Practice will be held the last Saturday of each month from January through June of 2010 from 1:00pm to 3:30pm (dates subject to change if conflicts).  County Fair Roping Contest will be July 10 (Saturday before County Fair).  Practice will not be held if temperature is below 20 degrees F or over 95 degrees F out of concern for livestock and participants.

Contacts:  R. W. Smith                        515-993-5159

                   Mike Stanley                      515-462-4028

                   Rainer Hildebrand             641/344-6369 (Cell)

Practice location is Russ Parker’s home (515-462-9048)

Directions from Winterset:  Highway 169 north to County G-31 (

General Rules:

1. Participants must be 4-H or FFA members in good standing of a Madison County 4-H club or FFA Chapter and of the Madison County Horse Project.

2. Participants may not ride a horse to learn, practice, or compete in the roping project until they have passed the Madison County  Horse Project Safety Clinic and the Roping Project Safety Test.

3. Participants must wear 4-H required western attire (white shirt not necessary) and approved riding helmets when riding.

4. Good Horsemanship and Good Sportsmanship are required and will be enforced.

5. Madison County Horse Project leaders will enforce these rules.  Leaders may also encourage participants to practice at certain levels for the safety of the participant, livestock, and others.

6. Leaders reserve the right to amend these rules as necessary for the safety of participants, livestock, and others and the reasonable instruction and participation in these activities.

7. Must attend at least 3 roping practice sessions to be eligible to compete at County Fair roping contest.

Break-A-Way Roping:

Objective:  To catch animal as quickly as possible.  This is a “speed” timed event of roping an animal.

1. Participant will start from a roping box.  If calves are used, participant will start from right side of calf chute.  If steers are used, participant may start from either side of roping chute.

2. When competing, a score line or barrier string may be used with a 10-12 foot distance.  This is not required for practice sessions.  If barrier is used, there will be a 10 second penalty for breaking barrier.

3. When competing, there will be a score line judge and a field flag judge.  Time is recorded from the score line signal to the field flag signal.

4. For roping calves: head of animal must pass through loop of rope and then is “catch as catch can’.  A catch around the neck is desirable.  If steers (horned cattle) are used, the same applies or a clean 2 horn catch or 1 horn and a head catch are considered acceptable also.

5. One rope will be carried and thrown.  Only one throw is allowed.

6. Catch pen gate will be left open.  If animal enters catch pen gate, run has ended.

7. There will be a 1 minute time limit per run.

8. Rope is tied to the saddle horn with a string.  A piece of cloth at least 6 inches by 6 inches will be tied to the rope near the string.  Field flag is dropped when string breaks from saddle horn and flag moves.

9. Only roped animal can break string from saddle horn for an acceptable time.

Ranch Roping:

Objective:  To handle livestock appropriately in a group and individually and catch a designated animal.  This is not a “speed” event although it is timed.

1. A group of cattle will be used (preferably 10 head).  Each animal will have a distinct, sequential number readily visible on it.

2. Cattle will be at one end of arena.

3. Participant will start from opposite end of arena.

4. Participant MUST NOT EXCEED A TROT     while ranch roping.  A walk is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED.  CATTLE ARE NOT TO BE OVERLY EXCITED OR MOVED.  Participant will be immediately disqualified for exceeding a trot or excessively moving or exciting cattle.

5. When participant crosses the mid line of the arena (or other designated line) a cattle number will be called out.  Participant is to attempt to rope that numbered animal.

6. Time starts when participant crosses designated start line.  Time ends when break-a-way Honda breaks from roped animal.  1 or 2 judges may be used as deemed appropriate.

7. Head of animal must pass through loop of rope and then it is “catch as catch can”.  A catch around the neck is desirable.  If horned cattle are used, the same applies or a clean 2 horn catch or 1 horn and a head catch are considered acceptable also.

8. Participant may either dally rope after catch or may have rope tied hard & fast to horn.

9. There will be a 2 minute time limit per run.  Participant may throw up to 2 loops during time limit.  Participant may only carry one rope.

Dummy Roping

Objective: Dummy Roping is an event to introduce new or inexperienced ropers to the activity.  It is intended to be a contest for beginning ropers only who may not be ready to rope live cattle from horseback.  This is a judged event for points, not a timed event.

·         Scoring

• Normal Horn Catch =  3 points

• 1 Horn and Head Catch = 2 points

• Neck Catch = 1 point

• All other catches are illegal = 0 points

• Other rules

• Roper must stand behind established line to throw, otherwise a zero will be given for that loop

• Roper must pull slack at earliest available time (No Fishing), otherwise a zero will be given for that loop

• There will be 3 go-rounds.  Each entrant will rope in each go-round.

• Entrants may not enter a live cattle roping event.  This does not prevent the contestant from entering Goat Tying.

• An optional form of this contest is to rope the dummy in the same fashion described above from horseback.  This is only if all entrants are ready to progress to this level.

• In case of tie (for any one of the top 3 average positions)

• Ropers will repeatedly step back one foot from the previous spot and throw until one roper misses and one roper catches at the extended length.  Points do not apply for the rope off so that all clean catches are equal.

Madison County Horse Project Roping Activity Syllabus

Roping practice will start promptly at 1:00pm.  Horses may be exercised/warmed up prior to 1:00pm.  Contestants must be off horse and ready to rope dummies at 1:00pm sharp. 

During dummy roping warm up, those who are planning to rope cattle that day must correctly catch the dummy 10 times on foot and then 10 times from horseback before being allowed to handle or rope live cattle that day.  Correctly catching means a clean horn catch, a horn and the head catch, or a neck catch.  It does not include excessive “fishing” of the loop or a loop that would catch the animal around the body or legs.

Contestants who will be dummy roping only will be encouraged to continue practicing in the southeast corner of arena or in entry way of barn during live cattle practice

Contestants must attend at least 3 roping practice sessions to be eligible to compete at Count y Fair roping contest.