Innholdsfortegnelse for Wesley Thorpe i The Team Roping Journal

RIDE FIRST I don’t swing from the second my header nods. I ride my horse out, get the right distance, and get to my position before I get my rope up. If I’m trying to get my rope up, I’m wasting swings when I could be getting to position and creating distance. I want to be getting my weight in my stirrups and riding to a good spot so I can set up the run. POSITION IS... At a World Series or USTRC roping, I like to ride a little narrower position down the arena because the headers get such a good start and the head horses are so fast that, as a heeler, you can get behind more easily. If I’m narrow through the corner, I can follow the…

I’ve been at home in Stephenville with my wife, Susanna, and our little boys. Matthew will be 3 on June 30, and Charlie just turned 1 on April 9. It’s been pretty slow on the roping front, so I’ve just been roping around home with friends and going to some of Austin Robertson’s ropings, where we all rope in different, staggered time slots. There have been a few little round-robin ropings to go to some mornings, too. I haven’t been too worried about being temporarily out of work. Instead, I’ve been trying to take advantage of the extra time. I needed some time to work on my roping and horses, and this is a good time to enjoy being home with my family and not getting caught up in the…

1 I’m patient when the head rope goes on, and I let the steer develop and make my entry. From the start of the run, I want to be patient, even if I get into a bad spot or feel behind. 2 What I mean by not panicking is that I don’t want to make any extra movements if I’m in a weird spot. I want to use my left hand to engage my horse as I make my entry into the corner, requiring my horse to be light and coming off my hand, allowing me to use my legs to move him. 3 I’m trying to keep my upper body still. I want to use my core and keep my right shoulder back to maintain power on my rope.…