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Dear Al, Are Fast Back head ropes and heel ropes made the same? If i ordered a S(soft) Mach 4 head rope, is it the same rope apart from the length, as a S (soft) Mach 4 heel rope? No. All heel ropes will be slightly larger in diameter than the head ropes. As for the lay, a S (soft) heel rope will be about the same lay as a MS (medium-soft) head rope. Al Benson
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Dear Patrick, I have a heel horse with a lot of run, but he tends to ride too tight for me. Should I change the horse or change my style to fit the horse? First I would spend a little time in the practice pen pulling your horse to a stop in the corner when he gets strong. If you can teach your horse to stay in your hand, this should fix your problem. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Speed, What is the best ground practice heading dummy? The Heel-O-Matic Bones, Jake Steer or a bale of hay with a head in it? All the dummies will give you the opportunity to learn to handle your rope and get your slack. The Bones is very life like, but I don't know if there's enough difference in them to pick one over the other. I've always preferred a bale of hay with the Mojo horns. Speed Williams |
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Dear Clay, I have a 8 year old mare that I want to start heading on but wanted to know if that’s too old to start? Where can I learn more about roping and techniques. I’ve always been a barrel racer. No, that’s a great age to start your mare, especially if she’s broke. Find a roping school put on by a professional to learn more. Clay Tryan |
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Dear Patrick, I was at a jackpot yesterday and I kept slipping legs and it seemed like the steers were hopping right out of my heel loop. I use a medium heel loop, could it be that my ropes are too soft - should I change to a stiffer lay? That could be a number of things. Personally I use a hard-medium. Slipping legs usually comes from your horse being a little too short. When horse starts stopping too soon it cuts your delivery off and your loop can not complete the delivery like it should. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Speed, What kind of rope do you recommend? My personal preference is the Mach III by Fast Back. Al Benson and I designed that rope and it's worked well for me. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick, I was always told your top strand should be delivered first and that was working okay for me. But I talked to a #9 heeler and he said to throw your bottom strand first. It seems now that I can’t rope a steer unless my timing is perfect. I don’t really have the timing down prefect yet so my catch percentage went down. What can I do to help myself. It’s all about the bottom strand. Compare it to jumping rope – your timing must be perfect and your bottom strand on the ground when the legs are up. I don’t even think about my top strand. If I get the bottom strand on the ground, the top strand will take care of itself. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Clay, Everyone tells me to track down the arena. I want to make no more than 4 swings – should I keep doing this and perfect that? No matter how many swing it takes, you need to be in the correct position. That should be what you work on. Clay Tryan |
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Dear Speed, I have a horse that is fine to practice on but when I take him to the rodeos and jackpots he seems to really tense up and not stand in the corner for me. I feel really relaxed and calm when I ride him and have done lots of work with scoring and different things like that. Is there something that might help? Some horses don't like the loud music and other noise. If it's because of the music, try putting speakers in your barn to get him used to it. I've seen horses like this and it doesn't matter how much you ride them before hand. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick, How do you get into rodeoing? I am 13 years old. Practice hard and always remember you reap what you sow. You are the only one who stands in the way of where you want to go. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Al, What is the best rope for a beginner? For headers who want lighter rope try an XS Mach III. For headers who want a heavier rope, try a Grabber XXS or XS; or Instinct, Mach 4, Pink Patron XXS. For heelers who want a lighter rope try a Mach III MS. For heelers that want a little heavier rope try a Mach 4 or Ultimate 4 MS. Al Benson |
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Dear Speed, I am training a heel horse and he is really cowy and rates. He makes a quick corner but is very ratey afterwards. Do I just keep kicking him up and throwing or should I put the rope down and work on position and strides? I would put the rope down and make sure the horse is making the correct moves. Without the rope you can find out if it's you or him. If you sit up and ride to position without a problem, that means you are not riding to position when you have a rope in your hand. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick, Do you use a softer lay heel rope on fresh cattle or ones that will be wild on the back end? Why or why not? I use the same rope no matter what the cattle are. Use what’s comfortable for you, but I think the less change, the better. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Speed, I'm a #5 heeler and have always been taught when you are training a heel horse and cue him to stop he should not take another step. I have seen video where people let their horse step forward after they throw. Why are they doing that? I like a horse to stop and peddlin in the front because it allow more time to get your dally and make a smooth stop. Some people like a horse to stop all at once, but it really depends on how fast you're going. If you're running wide open you can't take a sudden whoa. Speed Williams |
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Dear Clay, I was starting to throw a rope and was wondering if you have some tips on reaching. I was also wondering when you reach do you throw your rope at the right horn as you do roping at the hip or do you throw it to the middle of his head? To improve your reaching practice alot on the ground roping the dummy and make sure you catch the right horn. Clay Tryan |
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Dear Patrick, When I am roping off my mare she has a tendency to sit in the box. She is getting more difficult to handle. I score her but when it comes to roping she pulls through the bit and gets right up on the side of the steer. Doesn’t give me any reach at all. I always end up getting one horn or a figure 8. How do I fix this? Scoring steers will always settle your horse down. Take some time in the practice pen to pull your horse to a stop without jerking on her. When she gets too close pull her to a stop and let her know she has to stay in your hand. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Clay, I am a beginner rope and was wondering what kind of rope you recommend for me. Right now I'm using the Heat which is a Classic Rope. Personally I prefer the Ultimate 4, a four-strand rope. Whether you head or heel you should be able to get along with the Ultimate 4. Clay Tryan |
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Dear Patrick, When I am roping, the loop that I throw will just go straight through the legs and all the way through. What am I doing wrong? Anytime your rope is going all the way through your bottom strand is not getting on the ground. Heeling is just like jump rope – the feet have to be off the ground and the bottom strand on the ground. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Denny, When I throw my heel loop it just goes straight through to the other side and I don't even get one foot. It's one of two things: 1) Your swing is too flat; 2) You're turning your left hand too much to the left and not getting your bottom strand on the ground. Denny Watkins |
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Dear Speed, I've lucked into a speed demon horse this year. I can run to the hip every run at the rodeos and still be a long 4. The horse rates and puts me into good position every time but I'm having trouble getting my rope tight fast around the horns. Cody Dear Cody, I would say either your horse is continuing to run after you’ve thrown or you have too big of a loop. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick, Is it better to rope with your top strand or bottom strand? I feel like I need to be able to rope both ways but my delivery seems to be so much different from one to the other. Cody Dear Cody, Bottom strand all the way. I don't even think about the top strand. It’s all about getting the bottom strand on the ground and getting the feet over that. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Ryan, My son wants to start roping, where would the best place for him to start? DVD's or lessons with someone that has experience? George Dear George, The best way is start with a professional or someone who knows how to explain the fundamentals. DVD’s are a great learning tool, but nothing replaces one-on-one teaching. Ryan Motes |
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Dear Clay, Whether on the dummy or roping steers, 75% of my catches are half-head and right horn. What am I doing wrong? Mike Dear Mike, You might be letting go of your rope too early; or you need to make surethe plane of your loop is flat before you let go. Clay Tryan |
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Dear Speed, What causes a person to figure eight a front leg when reaching? Michael Dear Michael, There are a number of things, but the most common is using too big of a loop. When reaching you need your loop to fit nicely over the horns and come tight. Reaching with a big loop will give you unpredictable results. Speed Williams |
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Dear Ryan, When I release my rope where do I need to aim my tip or hand to be successful in catching two feet more often? Royce Dear Royce, I look at the feet when I release my rope and I want the center of my loop around the toes, placing my top strand around the hocks and my bottom strand below the feet. Ryan Motes |
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Dear Speed, My brother, who is my header, has a problem with jerking the steer to the left too hard sometimes. How can I make him understand the importance of setting cattle and the handle? Wade Dear Wade, Headers don't usually understand how hard it is to heel. My advice would be to have your brother heel a little or video him heading and let him watch it. Speed Williams |
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Dear Clay, I'm learning to head and having trouble getting my slack. Can you give me some tips? Chance Dear Chance, Without seeing you rope, my best advice would be to rope the dummy a lot and make sure you don't lose contact with your rope when you get your slack. If you do this enough, it will become automatic. Clay Tryan |
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Dear Speed, Can you create a video for reaching? No one has done this yet. J Dear J, I will soon have a video available for viewing on my new video website at: www.speedwilliamsteamroping.com. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick, I am training a young heel horse and he was doing well until he started throwing his head every my rope passed his head. I've never hit him or made him think I would. Also do you have a training video? Aaron Dear Aaron, I don't have a training video at this time, but by becoming fan of my Facebook page, Official Patrick Smith Fan Page, you will receive my upcoming announcements for my new website. It sounds like you need to build trust with your young horse. Young horses tend to go through things like this. This takes a lot of repetition and patience to work through it. Be calm and patient and show your horse what you want so he's not confused. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Matt, Every now and then I have to double slack and take a coil when I’m at the jackpots. I don’t mind doing it in the practice pen, but when it’s for money I would like to be a little more efficient with my rope. What can I do to tighten things up? Tyler Dear Tyler, It sounds like your horse isn’t rating. When you throw your rope, start slowing your horse down to take out the slack so you get tight quicker. In the practice pen, work at slowing your horse down as you get ready to throw. Matt Funk |
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Dear Patrick, When I deliver my rope on the dummy the tip goes through but a lot of the times the bottom strand is not on the ground...What am I doing wrong? Thanks. Betty Dear Betty, When you deliver your rope your hand should be positioned as though you are shaking hands with someone, then turning your hand over to get your slack. It sounds as though you are turning your hand over too quickly. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Al, Please give me your best selection for a rope for single steer roping. I have heard everything under the sun and am interested in your professional opinion. The cattle are scored rather short and it seems they barely push 400 lbs. like the "old days." Jim Dear Jim, I would recommend the Iron Silk in an extra-soft in a 10.0 to a 10.5. That particular rope has been used at the NFSR with great success in the past. We are currently working on a four-strand poly as well and have great expectations for it. Feed back from the four-strand test ropes has been unanimously positive. Al Benson |
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Dear Patrick, I started heeling but i just wanted to know what rope is best to use as a beginner? What kind of rope do you use? Josh Dear Josh, I suggest using the Ultimate 4 or the Instinct and start off with a Medium Soft lay which should be fairly easy to swing. As your roping progresses you may find yourself moving to a Medium or Hard Medium lay. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Speed, Where's the best place for me to stand and watch the barrier before I rope? Taylor Burke Dear Taylor, I try to get as close to the position that I will be in when I'm sitting on my horse in the box. I want to be behind the header and see what he sees when he nods. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick, As a heeler, which one of Fast Back ropes has the most tip weight? Juan Dear Juan, The feel of a rope is usually a personal preference. If you need to feel more tip weight, try using a softer lay. I prefer the balance and feel of both the Ultimate 4 and the Instinct. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Speed, I just bought the Mach 3 and was what's the best way to break it in. Dealer Dear Dealer, I put my ropes on a pole and stretch them. Then I coil them back up and let them sit for a couple of days. I get them out and stretch them again and let them rest again for a couple of days. Most people lose value on their ropes because they don't break them in correctly where they'll last longer. Check out Al Benson's video on this site that tells you how to care for your ropes and make them last longer. Speed Williams |
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Dear Speed, Sometimes when I rope my steer and start to leave the hole, my horse turns his head to the left instead of sidepassing out of the hole. How can I fix this? Dylan Dear Dylan, This is a very common problem usually caused by roping big heavy steers where your horse is trying to gain leverage. I recommend roping a mechanical dummy and make your horse do it correctly. Break it down in steps and find out exactly what part he's dreading. On the mechanical dummy do this correctly at a walk and then trot. Start back roping light steers to build up his confidence. Speed Williams |
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Dear Speed, I have been having trouble roping short horned steers and have been roping them around the neck. Please tell me what to do. Shayde Dear Shayde, This is difficult to answer without seeing you rope, but here are the most common causes: your horse is running too close or the tip of your loop is pointed too low. Speed Williams |
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Dear Speed, I practice about five times a week and run about 30 steers per practice. I catch about 90%. What can I do to advance and start roping faster but still keep my percentage up. Chad Dear Chad, In the practice pen you need to work on things you can't do. Set up a time of 7.5, 8.5, 10.5 - whatever and try to make that time. Don't work on trying to catch every steer. You will regularly fail in the practice pen if you are doing it right. Speed Williams |
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Dear Speed, My head horse always wants to move to the right in the box, what can I do to correct this behavior? Spencer Dear Spencer, Every horse is different and you need to determine whether you are causing the horse to do this; or did he do it before you got him and it's just part of him. My good horse, Viper, had a natural move to the right that I learned to live with. If you determine that it's a habit you can try blocking him in the box with a barrel or quarter him in the box. Good luck. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick, My heel horse anticipates my throw and stops. Then I get her going again and I throw, but she won't stop. What should I do? Dylan Dear Dylan, Many times this is caused by being "too tight" or too close to the steer going through the corner. In the corner where the header and steer slow down your horse has to stop - or run over the steer. After losing her momentum she gets scared when you kick or spur her ahead which would make her not want to stop. First I suggest you keep some space between you and steer going through the corner. Make some runs to free her up and keep her moving even if it means you have to kick through your delivery and not let her stop. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Patrick, Do you think roping a goat is good practice - and why? Tristan Hood Dear Tristan, I'm a huge believer in roping goats and learned much of what I know by doing that. I had my goat staked on a 20-foot rope and roped her on foot going in a circle. Goats are fast, unpredictable and will teach you much about timing while sharpening your reflexes. It's important that you practice your position, delivery and slack correctly while roping goats and not develop any habits that will hurt you when roping steers. Good luck. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Speed, I have been a very confident and successful jackpot roper, but when it comes to rodeos, I often second guess myself and get out late. How do I make the transition from a jackpot roper to a competitive rodeo header? T. J., At rodeos it’s important to be on the barrier and score sharp. Know that you will occasionally break the barrier so expect it. You have to practice your scoring a lot. In the practice pen never take the cow when his nose is pointed forward. Always take your steer with his head turned so that you will have to react quickly. Good luck. Speed Williams |
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Hey Speed, Jordan, Speed Williams |
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Dear Speed, I'm trying to reach a little more in the practice pen and I can't seem to get a smooth head catch. Could you give me a tip that would help me out with that? Tyler Coen Dear Tyler, You have to learn to reach on the dummy before you will be successful horseback. The following exercise will help: Learn to rope the dummy flat-footed, (without using your legs) and rope it with a one-swing (swinging only once). This will teach you to use your arm without depending on your lower body. Speed Williams |
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Dear Patrick Smith, I am having trouble reading the corner. It seems I am always too close or too far back. Could you give me some tips on making a smooth corner? Hunter Smith Dear Hunter, I like for my horse's head to be even with the steer's hip when the head rope goes on. Maintaining this position and pushing through the corner, allows me to deliver whenever I want. Good luck. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Patrick Smith, I am starting a young horse. What is the best way to get them to take a jerk and stop correctly? Spencer Dicens Dear Spencer, It's very important to build confidence in a horse learning to take a jerk. I start by using my Heel-O-Matic and let him take a jerk at a very slow speed. After undallying, always make him back up after taking a jerk. Patrick Smith |
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Dear Clay Tryan, What position do you like your head horse to stand in the box before a run. Do you want him pointed at an angle towards the steer - or standing straight ready to run to a steer at a wide position? Andrew Wong Dear Andrew, I like for my horse to face the middle of the box angled toward the steer. At this angle, ultimately we will end up three feet to the left of the steer, which is where we want to rope from. Good luck! Clay Tryan |
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Dear Ryan Motes, I have a hard time picking up the hock going down the arena. What can I do as a drill to help me? Joel Brown Hi Joel, When I'm running down the arena I'm watching a larger area - from the hip or flank down. That way I have a better sense of what's going on with the whole run. If you're focused on a small area going down the arena, you won't be as prepared if something unexpected happens. Then as I'm coming through the corner and approaching my delivery, I focus on the hock. Hope this helps, Ryan Motes |
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Dear Patrick Smith, How do you make a heel horse break hard out of the box? Jay Hale Hi Jay, It’s really a matter of showing them what you want and repetition. Many times in the practice pen when my header is scoring, I’ll have my horse fire out of the box. However, here’s some things to keep in mind: • Make sure your horse stays in your hand where you still have control There’s a fine line to having your horse successfully fire out of the box – and still be able to score. This will require some maintenance on your part. Good luck. Patrick Smith |
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