113. Team roping

Gary heading on Bueno the horse he let me ride. 

     Our little love affair with the Wickenburg area and "the Stable" continued.  We had shared our
excitement with Barb and Warren and on Thursday the eleventh they came up for a visit.  Gary was roping in the down town arena so it should be a great day.  A chance to show off the town and our team roping friend.   They came by our place first to take a look at our "Stable home"  and then followed us to the arena.   I think they enjoyed themselves with all the action and the chance to learn about a new sport, I think Warren is sticking to golf and fishing.  Gary had a good day making several runs and placing in the money.  I'm going to explain as best as I can the mechanics of team roping that I gained from watching and asking lots of questions. 

Michelle, Joni and someones fake steer!

     We will start with a steer standing in a chute on one end of the arena, two mounted riders on either side and a few feet behind.  The steer gets a head start.   We will put you on the horse on the left, a well trained roping horse.  One of the roper's I met said he trained two roping horses and they sold for over $10,000 each.  You are no better than the horse you ride.  The steer is released and starts to run, you have to give him a measured head start.  If you break the barrier a 5 second penalty will be imposed.  Your mount has been waiting for this moment as you turn him loose, he lunges forward throwing you back in the saddle lucky for you the saddle has a curved back stop to keep you from sliding right off the back of the horse.  Within two strides he brings you to full speed.  The reins in your left  hand guides him reins close to the running steer.  Your other hand has a job of its own swinging the

Joni, she has made her dally and is starting to turn the steer. 

loop and sending it at the base of the horns.  As soon as it clears them you pull back the slack trying to save time (fractions of seconds are critical)  by encircling only the horns and not the whole head.  The loop tightens on the protective gear under the steers horns, good but not done yet.  You take a couple of wraps around your saddle horn (dally) and turn your horse to the left to keep the steer moving and in position for your team member to do his job.   They have been running on the right side of the steer to keep it running straight while trying to match the rhythm of the steers rear legs with the loop he is swinging.  As soon as the header catches the steer and turns him his job is to time his throw so his loop goes under the two rear legs while in the air.  Then a quick pull to take up the slack and a loop around both rear legs, (catch only one and get a five second penalty.  Miss both and apologize to your partner.  The judges flag drops and you hear your time announced.  Talk about multitasking.   Seems like that took some time didn't it?    If you can do it on an average of 6 seconds you might be a champion.

Gary (that's why we had trouble finding him today, no white hat)  and Joni!

      Certainly seems like a mans sport doesn't it?   Lets watch the next team.  And there she is blond hair flying in the wind, makes a perfect catch, turns the steer for the heeler and turns in a good time.  Guess I better back off of that man talk.  Gary brought her over to introduce us, Joni, mother to five lived on a dairy farm all her life and a team roping competitor.   She had noticed Michelle's bandanna and before her next round she rode over by Michelle's Harley to look at her stock,   Michelle says she always feels like she's doing a drug deal when she opens the trunk to make a sale, I'm sure this was the first time the customer was horseback.  It was great to meet you Joni, keep riding fast and safe!

Barb, hitting on one of the street people.  Is
Ruthie is planning an intervention?

     We took our guests on a little tour of our adopted town and had a bite to eat.  They left early to try and beat the Phoenix valley traffic, they didn't.
     Back at our "stable home" we were excited about this evening,  Gary had invited us over for a get together and BBQ chicken.  Sounds like fun.   Ruthie and Michelle made a dish to pass and some deviled eggs (usually a hit at any party).  We lived the closest however several people had already arrived.   From eaves dropping on the conversations you would have thought we were sitting around the dinner table on a working ranch, discussing the days activities.  "stripper chute, barrier , header, heeler, one leg, 27 flat on four head, dally, heeler run up on the steer,  header, don't babysit me!  pull that steer around. , now don't run off with him.  start with a 3 or theirs going to be a

 wreck, tie down roping, NFR,  If we hadn't have already had some exposure you might have thought you were overhearing a foreign language.  what was that “Will” said no one is more ignorant than when you get a person off the subject he was educated in.  I feel I know him well enough that I can paraphrase him now.  Rough ranchers and cow hands?  No,  back home these are successful people in "normal" occupations comptroller, machinist, pharmacist, accountants and business entrepreneurs.  When they arrive in Wickenburg they are team roping competitors, like neighbor Bob said, its a disease from which there is no known cure.  Who knows, if I had found this sport earlier and not had the nightmares from my close encounter with the milk cow?  One of the guests said he didn't start until he was 58, maybe its not to late. 

"Anyone seen any chicken?

     We should discuss Gary's get together, we were invited for BBQ chicken right, some time had passed by now people wee visiting and getting to know one another.   Met more roper's, more roping knowledge, still no chicken,  moved out by the fire pit, the fire felt good the desert cools off pretty fast when the sun goes down, good times, don't see the grill going yet, maybe I should check what's going on inside, no chicken, Did Gary forget what he invited us for?  He doesn't seem concerned.  Now there are some of the group around the kitchen island, must be getting the chicken ready, wrong, some are cutting up vegetables and putting them in a big kettle.  Ruthie is pulling meat off a carcass, doesn't look like a chicken to me.

Practical South West Decorating tips.



Choices!

 A turkey?  Gary is reading from a sheet, he seems to be organizing this little cooking show, looks like we are having turkey vegetable soup.   He is a master at organizing, I'm still not sure if he had a plan or just adjusts to the situation and gets the group involved in the evening.  Pretty soon the grill was going and I think it was Ruthie turning the chicken, he has a knack for getting people involved, "have you ever? Or can you run a grill? Or are you any good at? ". And pretty soon your involved.  The extra time and involvement gave you time to really get to know one another.  It seemed like I spent a lot of time visiting with Ben an impressive rancher/businessman from Montana.  He was staying with Gary while looking for some property in the area.   Owning a business


How about a new rope for Chrismas?

with five locations and 85 employees I was curious how he had gained his success,  it seems his mother a German war bride,  between the war and depression had seen devastation and hard times encouraged him to get a job when he was 12, cutting lawns at first by the time he was 14 was working at a Rexall pharmacy. (Ruthie worked at Ted Meyers Rexall drug in Winona MN when we started out.)  By the time he was 16 his mother expected him to choose a career path, write it down and sign it.   Writing it down, signing it,  was that the key?  I don't know, it was definitely the start, from that point his education and career path was set.  Never afraid of work, a will to succeed or the fear of failure.  Either way the end result was building a business doing $600,000 a year to over twelve million.  A satisfying evening, good food, great people and some life lessons for my grandchildren can't wait till tomorrow.  

Stir, take a sip, stir sip stir, add some to batter.
   I may have discovered why the pancakes were so thick!

     We were invited over to Gary's for beer batter pancakes.  Can't wait!  Ruthie said she was heading over early to help with the bacon, guess he's at it again.   They were great, thicker than I remember but great tasting.  Adjust for grandchildren
    A stop to see a chili cook off at a local bar/restaurant Michelle and I were chosen as judges.  I feel I should apologize to the participants somewhere between the rule session and the judging I got confused and was thinking that "1" was the best.  If they would have used Bo Derrick as an example I think I could have remembered that "10" is best.  Meanwhile inside Ruthie was making some friends over some Margarita's.   Evidently too many because when the storm clouds rolled in with some hail her new friend Karen started screaming "Vern get in her you'll get killed" not sure if she has ever seen hail before or it was just the margaritas talking, "get in here that hail will kill you.". Always an adventure.   Better leave before they check the score cards. 
     A stop at a hardware store to modify a bushing to fix our shifter problem. ( Wish neighbor Wes the machinist was here, he would make us some brass ones that would last forever.  These nylon ones will have to work till we get home.).  Seems to be working well. 
     Fortunately we were on hand for Wickenburg's Christmas light parade.  What a town.  We seen Jack the greeter a couple of more times, he seemed to be everywhere and checked out his home in the hills.  

Does this stiool make my butt look big?

    One last ride before we headed home for Christmas west to coyote flats and a little Bar/restaurant/local hang out.   It was 59 degrees outside and probably over 75 inside.  A small older weathered lady was mopping the floor over coat, some sort of snow boot, and hat with ear flaps.  "I hate winter" she wouldn't last a minute up north.  When we left she was playing a game of pool in the bar area. 
Dec 15  we all rode to Apache junction to prepare for trip home for Christmas.  If the rest of our winter trip is as memorable as our time with Gary in Wickenburg this is going to be an awesome winter trip.