Rope Can & Cases

[bruce johnson]

Johanna,

Rope cans are generally made from hard plastic, and used for carrying calf ropes inside. They have a pretty tight seal on them. Calf ropes traditionally are made from manila, grass, poly, or combinations thereof. They are a little susceptible to changing the feel with heat and humidity. Some guys use a bag of humidity absorption crystals in really swampy climates, and a wet Holiday Inn washcloth in dry climates in the center compartment to maintain the right humidity. There is usually a "well" in the center to put spurs, personal stuff, and it always ends up covered with loose powder. Calf ropes are routinely dressed with baby powder to keep them slick feeling, and the loop to pull up faster. You have your ropes inside, shake some powder in there, and do the "Shake-N-Bake" to coat them. The leather cover is glued on, and I use a few conchos drilled through the lid to further secure the leather.

Rope bags are usually made from soft side materials like quilted nylon, cordura, or leather. Team ropes are usually made from nylon or blends, and less susceptible to humidity and temperature than calf ropes. They are also generally stored coiled up in larger coils, so the rope bags are larger in diameter.

Both can have pockets on the outside to carry spurs, team roping gloves, pocket Bibles, and wallets/watches during competition. One of my customers asked me about doing a pocket on a rope can so his wallet and watch wouldn't always have powder all over them. We hadn't seen it done on a rope can before. One of the big catalog sellers of roping supplies and manufacturer of rope cans gives us credit for the first pocket he had seen on a rope can. I am sure someone had done it before, but we are world famous in parts of Oakdale because of it.

[Johanna]

Why does a calf rope have to be so special? You use it to catch a calf, right? That has to be easier than roping her mother or father. Can't you just rope calfs with plain rope from Home Depot? When you rope a calf, what next? Do you lead it somewhere, drag it around, get charged by its enraged mother, or what? Does the rope go around the calf's head, feet or where? Roping calves has to be easier than roping adults. I can understand wanting to rope (catch) a calf, but not sure what happens next. But can't you just coax a calf with a dog or some other oersuasion?

I'm not trying to be a smart ass, I just never heard of putting talc on a special kind of rope to catch a baby animal. Understand I'm in Ohio where a herd is probably 40 dairy cows, and they don't look like they move very fast or are particularly smart. When they are led from the pasture to the milking barn (usually across a road which blocks traffic) they seem to move in an orderly fashion, just slowly. (trains pass more quickly!) I know they do take calves from their mothers almost immediately, long before they would wean if left alone, and the bewildered mother lows a little and gets restless, but the farmers say the cows forget quickly. My grandmother used to wonder if cows were either so smart they knew where their own stall was, or so stupid they wouldn't think to go anywhere else.

~J

[Art]

Hi Johanna,

Happy Birthday!

Calf is quicker, spookier, and smaller. What happens to a male calf after roping is something they really don't want any part of, hence they are quicker and spookier. Knowing where their stall is can be attributer to the love affair they have with their milking machine. There is a big difference in the calf cycle of beef and dairy. In dairy cattle the calf is necessary to maintain milk production, they are taken from the cow early. Beef cattle have their calf for quite a bit longer and the cow is pretty much ready for them to go.

I've seen dogs work dairy but not beef, the dogs are usually put down after 6 or 7 years as they can pose a problem for sheep and goats if not watched all the time so when the dog stops working, it usually gets put down.

In sports where they time things in hundredths and thousandths of seconds, I guess everything used in the sport is special. Bruce will have forgotten way more about this than I will ever know.

Art

[bruce johnson]

Ahhh, these are for rodeo guys to carry their ropes from one event to the next and keep them clean, organized, and protected. Think of them as a case for a shotgun for the trapshooter, or Tiger Woods' golf bag.

Calf roping (now the PC term is "tie down roping") is a timed rodeo event. A rider starts from behind a barrier, the calf is let out a prescribed distance, the barrier drops at that "head start" distance, and the rider chases the calf. The calf is roped, the rider steps off his horse, runs to the calf, lifts it and lays it on its side, ties three legs together to keep it tied down. A good time for doing this is 8-10 seconds. The rider remounts their horse, slack is given in the rope, and if the calf remains tied for 6 seconds, the time if official. The ropes used in this event have a softer feel, and the good ones generally will last for 40 runs or so before they start to wear and lose the consistant feel. They generally sell for about $35 each. They are powdered to be slicker and pull up faster once it goes over the calf. LIke I said yesterday weather affects them especially the grass or grass blended ropes. they can get really soft and have no "life" and close up as they are swung and thrown or want to remain stiffer and hold a coil pattern like new fishingline or a garden hose. Hence the drying crystals or washrag for humidity. These are the guys that use the cans. A custom or trophy rope can just makes the statement that "This is mine, and I am here to win". This event developed out of roping calves on the ranch for doctoring, tagging, branding, and processing.

Team roping is another event. These guys are roping steers with horns. There are two partnered ropers in this event. Again they start behind a barrier, and the steer is given the headstart. One roper (called the header) will rope the steer around the horns. They will turn the steer's direction and lead him off, generally in a large counter-clockwise arc. The second roper (the heeler) will ride behind the steer and rope him around both back feet. As the heel rope comes tight, the header will turn his horse so both ropers are facing each other, and the steer is stretched between them. That is when the time is called. A good team roping time is 5-7 seconds long. These guys use nylon ropes, less susceptible to weather. The headers use a rope that is spun a little looser when it is made. It will have a softer feel and pull up around the horns quicker and not be as prone to bounce off. Heelers use a stiffer rope, so the loop will stay open more when they throw it in front of the back legs of the moving steer and he will step into it. These guys usually carry their ropes in soft side bags, and may carry several ropes, depending on wind (heavier rope vs. lighter and faster), the shape of their steer's horns (softer and quicker for small horn spreads), and what they like. This event was developed to simulate catching and doctoring large cattle in a ranch situation.

Calf roping is a younger man's sport. Getting off a running horse, lifting a 250# calf, laying it down, and tying it's legs are physical. Old guys still do it because they are either really competitive, rope in senior divisions, or do it at home to train horses for the guys going down the road. Actually when I was in Indiana, I went to a lot of calf ropings in Ohio. THere are/were some really good calf ropers there in the early 80s. I roped at Columbus at the Quarter Horse Congress, and at Washington Court House, Fort Recovery, Coshocton(sp?), Hilliard, Eaton. I was in the Indiana Ropers and Bulldogger's Assoc. and we had weekend calf ropings all over Indiana and year end high point awards.

Team roping is something for all ages. You don't get off, basically ride your horse, rope, and catch a steer. Not as strenuous. It started off as a west coast event, and has spread nationwide in a big way. There are several associations besides rodeo that exist for team roping. Young kids, ladies, families do it up to ancient guys. There divisions for the beginning roper to compete with each other up to seasoned top guys. Families that 30 years ago would have gone to the lake, go to team ropings on the weekends now. There are weeknight jackpot ropings, kind of like beer league softball games. They put their money into trucks, horses, trailer with fancy quarters to stay in, and hopefully custom rope bags. There are national team roping associations (besides rodeos) that have regional or state divisions, and the top placing riders qualify for an association national finals. There are a lot recreational ropers who have a roping arena at home to practice, have friends over, and play around with it. Much like a guy might take up golf, people start team roping. They probably have no ranch background, but they are chasing cattle, having fun, buying the stuff, and living the life of their dream. Some get pretty darn good and competitve at it. One guy summed it up. Cowboying is the only lifestyle he could think of where a guy who earns $150 thousand a year dresses up and wishes he was like a guy who makes a thousand a month and is perpetually broke.

[Johanna]

I wondered what a rope can/case was, never saw one before and still am not real sure if the rope actually goes inside? I asked Bruce, and of course, he knew. Thought I ought to share with anyone else who didn't know either.

Johanna