Includes bibliographical references (p. 151) and index.

As team ropers we've all been there - it's incredibly frustrating to come up empty handed, and even more so when we "don't know what we don't know." I wrote Team Roping Tips to help you get started on the right foot and shorten the learning curve if you're new to team roping, or make adjustments to reveal you and your horses greatest potential, even if you're a seasoned pro. It's not being an action-taker alone that ensures our success. It's taking targeted and intentional actions to build solid fundamentals that will truly move the needle forward (and the clock back). The specific steps for doing so include, but go well beyond roping and also require a never-ending commitment to improving our horsemanship, as well as up-leveling our mental game and the horse health care we offer. I've included short, easy-reading tips for all of the above in this book. There's more to team roping than team roping. I believe our passions come with a purpose, which is to follow them in a way that leaves the world a better place because we did. I've been blessed with a fulfilling and successful team roping career, and yet it's just getting started. Team Roping Tips is a contribution and collection highlighting some of the lessons I've learned so far. I hope it makes a positive difference in your life and your roping. - Craig Smith

The most important tool for a cowboy is a rope. What he has done with it in the last 200 years is amazing. The evolution of the cowboy from taking care of cattle on the range to his competitive, top-level professional roping is all covered here. Why did calf roping replace steer roping? What kind of rope is best for each roping event? Since ranch cowboys have been team roping forever, why has it just become so popular? What makes a good roping horse? The answers to these questions and many more are in these pages, as are the stories and lives of ropers, and some of their mounts, from every era. As J. Frank Dobie once said, ?Facts are stubborn things. but they do make a good read!

You are holding a book that can enhance your knowledge of the sport of team roping even if you don't want to produce an event, but only enjoy the sport as a spectator or participant. Maybe someone in your family id involved in the sport and this book will help you enjoy it more fully. You will understand what is going on and why things happen the way they do. You will know the in'sand out's of the sport of team roping and you will learn the terminology and background of this sport in order to appreciate it more. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in any aspect of team roping.

Ranch roping is at the heart of all ranch work, and unlike the rodeo variation of calf roping, the “vacquero” tradition calls for techniques that result in a skillful and graceful throw and catch. Buck Brannaman, a world-renowned master of the art, describes the essential tools, the partnership between horse and rider (incorporating the Natural Horsemanship approach for which the author is famous), and the mechanics needed to become a successful ranch roper, whether in competition or in actual cattle work. One-hundred full-color photographs of Buck in action enhance the step-by-step methodology that leads to mastering this essential Western skill. Whether you ride or rope or just wish you could, here’s a book for everyone who is captivated by Western traditions and contemporary life.

Examines the history of rodeo, the skills needed for the team roping event, and some of the legends of the rodeo arena.