vContents

equine leg Protection 58Bridles 60 Headstalls 60 Bits 60 ChinStraps 63 Reins 63

4 Horses 67

Finding the right Horse for you 67Managing Medical Issues 69 Injury 70 InheritedDisease 74Built for Success 75 LegsandFeet 76 NeckandHeadset 77Color and Markings 78

Part tWO

BUILDING A FOUNDATION 81

5 Roper Groundwork 83

Getting Started 83 SwingRight 84 ThrowingtheRope 87Catching the Dummy 88 ChoosingaPracticeDummy 89 DummyRopingCompetition 90learn Faster with a teacher 91Getting Started without an Instructor 92

6 Good Horsemanship Skills 95

rider Pre-Flight Checklist 97Basic Ground Handling 98 SecureTying 98 Haltering 99the Five Body Parts: Drills to test Softness and Flexibility 100 Head,Neck,andPoll 102 Shoulders 102 RibCage 103 Hindquarters 104away from the Practice Pen 104

7 Roping from Horseback 108

Practice Still Makes Perfect 108 MechanicalSteer 109 Tracking 109ready to rope: Bringing It all together 111 CatchingaMechanicalSteer 111 RopingLiveCattle 113the Ideal run 114 OutoftheBox 114 Catching 114think Outside the Box 116rating your run 117

Part tHree

COMPETITION 121

8 Getting in the Game 123

UStrC Membership 124Classifications 126Finding a Competition 128Prepping for Success 131Cost-Cutting tips 132

9 Your First Competition 135

Dress Code 137Signing Up 138Getting your Draw 138Mental Preparation 140Physical Preparation 140

10 Lessons Learned 145

About the Contributors 149

Bibliography 151

Index 153

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Copyright Kayla Starnes, United States Team Roping Championships & Trafalgar Square Books www.HorseandRiderBooks.com