A Brief History of Calf Roping

What Is Calf Roping?

Roping calves features a cowboy attempting to loop a rope around a 250-plus-pound calf from the back of his horse. Once the calf is roped, he brings the horse to an abrupt standstill to help stop the calf. The horse assists its rider by keeping the rope tight while the cowboy quickly dismounts, runs over to the calf, flanks it on its side and uses a pigging string to tie together three of its legs. Once the calf is secured, the cowboy throws up his hands to call time. The calf must remain tied up for 6 seconds to qualify the time.

What Is the History of Roping?

The colorful history of roping goes all the way back to the influence of Spanish conquistadors on the cattle industry of the American West in the 1700s. Spanish ranchers and their Mexican ranch hands, known as vaqueros, interacted with the Texas cowboys, teaching them their ranching style and traditions. Their techniques for restraining cattle for branding, medical attention and selling are the basis for calf roping as we know it today. This blending of Anglo and Spanish-Mexican cultures highly influenced the ranches of the American West.

In the 1800s, the classic American cowboy was born on the frontier ranches of the West. After the end of the Civil War, cattle drives were organized to move livestock to the trains that would take them east for processing. The riding and roping skills that were initially required for breaking horses and catching cattle evolved into friendly competitions between neighboring ranches and eventually into the rodeo sport we know today.

The Lively History of Rodeo

After these cattle drives, the cowboys would spend some time together and would inevitably end up showing off their calf-roping skills. Informal competitions were held in their free time and were a great way to let off steam and socialize.

The history of rodeo is hotly debated, but some say that the sport was born in 1869 in Deer Trail, Colorado. Legend has it that cowboys from two neighboring ranches met to settle a friendly argument over who performed their everyday cowboy tasks such as breaking wild horses and cattle roping the best.

After fencing made cattle drives less common, cowboys would gather for special events, generally around holidays and participate in calf roping and bronc riding for entertainment.

What Is the Best Horse Breed for Roping Calves?

The American Quarter Horse is the dominant breed for calf roping. They are named for their superior speed in races of a quarter-mile or less. Quarter Horses are powerful, high-speed sprinters and outpace any other breed for short distances. Their compact conformation and agility make them the perfect horse for calf roping, cutting and reining. Other breeds that have a compact build, are stocky and stand less than 16 hands tall also make suitable roping horses.

Training for Modern Calf Roping

While many of the original cowboys honed their skills during their workday, modern ropers likely need some practice roping calves or a roping dummy. At NRS, we have a huge selection of ropes, calf roping dummies and other essential equipment. From stationary small calf dummies to complete training systems that are pulled by an ATV, you'll find everything you need to be competition-ready.