EHAL Magazine - August 2016

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12 ©Everything Horses and Livestock | August 2016 |
I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July!! I think
it’s time to touch on a subject that everyone can
benefit from, partnership. (This is TEAM roping in
case anyone forgot!) What makes a good partner-
ship? Excellent question, lets dive in on some of
my past experiences.
I have had the opportunity to rope with some real
talent over the years, however, not all of them were
great partners. Not saying they weren’t good peo-
ple, they just didn’t understand what needed to be
done to win on a consistent basis. That, coupled
with unwillingness to change or compromise, made
it tough to have confidence and win. I have actually
had guys tell me “I head them and you figure out
how to be where you need to be and heel them”.
I have had guys who didn’t think they needed to
practice at all, even though I needed to rope steers
behind them to get the feel of the new horse they
bought. So, what makes a great partner?
The main thing in the beginning is to have the
same goals. Two people who share the same
vision, whether it’s winning a world championship
or simply qualifying for the USTRC Finals, makes
it easier to work towards a common goal and stay
motivated. When you can’t agree on where you are
going, you can’t practice for that situation. When
you can’t agree on where to go, practice becomes
a hassle because there is no need to practice if
we don’t know where we are going. Set a common
goal for wherever you guys are going next.
If you say you are going to go somewhere, go.
Unless something comes up, family emergency,
financial emergency, go. There is nothing more
frustrating as a partner than to practice with the
“yes man” until it’s time to go, then they back out.
Every time. That creates frustration and your part-
ners will get unmotivated quickly. Don’t be selfish,
if you think there’s even a chance you can’t go, tell
your partner so that they can practice with some-
one who can go for sure. Even if just for a back up
plan. Everyone understands an emergency, but if
you are constantly crying wolf on going places, you
are going to lose good partners fast.
Make a commitment to practice. Set a schedule for
the week. Pick a night that works for both of you.
Trust me, you are better off to rope your machine
3 times a week and practice with your partner on
the one night they can practice than you are to
rope steers every night by yourself and not rope
with your partner at all. Once again, don’t make
promises you can’t keep, if you say you are going
to practice and work on trying to get better, do it. If
you can’t, let your guy find someone who can, no
hard feelings. This goes back to having the same
goals.
Be willing to bend but not break. Make sure that
your styles fit well together. If you both work to-
wards the same goal, be willing to tweek small
things if needed to help each other out. For exam-
ple, hazing steers, slowing down in the corner, or
maybe coming back up the arena sooner depend-
ing on what your partner needs to help them thrive
and be productive and confident. However, don’t
go buy a $30,000 head horse just because your
heeler says he can’t catch behind you. Maybe he
needs a $30,000 heel horse instead. Going to a
clinician ( lol, can help you