# Working in new rope



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

First off, howdy and welcome to the forum .

In my experience, the best and only way to get a rope broken in is to use it. However, something you need to look at is the stiffness of the rope and what you plan to do with it. Are you going to try team roping, breakaway, ranch roping, etc? Pretty much every different part of roping, whether you are heading or heeling or breakaway or roping on the ranch, that will dictate the features you might like to have in a rope including the lay (how stiff the rope is). You should be able to look on the rope-label near the knot end and it will have printed on it letters (XXS-xtra xtra soft, S-soft, MH-medium hard, H-hard, etc) Those letters tell you what the lay is. Personally, I prefer either an XS (extra soft) or an XXS (xtra xtra soft) because they have a bit more bend in them and they are easier for me to maneuver, especially when heeling tiny calves. Generally speaking, headers want softer ropes and heelers want stiffer ropes.

Unfortunately, if the rope is too stiff for you to be able to use effectively, then you'll likely just need to find a rope that is in a softer lay. If you aren't roping _lots_ of cattle every day, it takes a long time to get a rope broke in to the point that it's softer and more flexible.


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## fastbackjack (Jan 4, 2013)

Thank you for the info! After i wrote the post i went out and practiced for well over an hour, i think i kind of got the hang of it as i was able to catch my dummy over a dozen times. 

It is an extra soft, I found that once i played around with the rope a little bit it was easier to work with lol i think i got lucky considering the rope was bought online. Id like to try either team roping or breakaway, but that won't be for a while as I don't have a horse for either. Hopefully will be going with a friend soon to go to some team roping clinics, so we'll just see.

I'll probably be posting more questions here as i've found the feedback to be quite helpful, even before i joined lol


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

I've found tempature makes them act funky too. My rope would be like a frozen garden hose right now but is pretty loose at 80*
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## fastbackjack (Jan 4, 2013)

I can see how that would make sense


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, it also depends on what the wind is like. When my brother was working in a feedlot in the OK panhandle (pure flat ground and constant high winds), he would use some sort of rope that had a lead strand through the middle of it to add weight so it would still swing instead of flopping around in 40+ mph winds. I tried to swing it once and simply didn't have the upper body power for more than about 2 throws...and I missed both times:rofl:.

No more often than I rope (or practice), I have a hard enough time catching in ideal conditions so if it's windy, I try to chase the cow with the wind instead of against it. Granted, I only do ranch type roping so I have that luxury...arena ropers are just kind of stuck out LOL.


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## fastbackjack (Jan 4, 2013)

so far i've only roped inside, I hopefully will be able to practice on my friends cattle so i'll find out soon enough what that's like lol wind plus moving targets...i hope i'll be half as successful as i was with an immobile dummy lol


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Depending on your dummy, you could have someone drag it for you. But I'm sure you've thought of that lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## fastbackjack (Jan 4, 2013)

Yes! I have, I just need to make a stand for my current dummy that i actually made out of an old bicycle. I just need to figure out how I want to make it so i can drag it


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I stretch every new rope I get. I stretch them again whenever they get a kink I don't want to deal with.

I put the hondo end, with a loop, around the trailer hitch on a truck. I tie the other end to a round post, using a square knot and pull until there is a good bit of tension. Then I leave it all day or overnight.

Really, really gets a rope into a nice, using condition.


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## fastbackjack (Jan 4, 2013)

Thanks, i will definitely try that


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## Tate (Sep 19, 2012)

Keep your roping dummy off the concrete or asphalt unless you like your ropes fuzzy.


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## fastbackjack (Jan 4, 2013)

Ok, thanks. Guess I'm roping out in the snow for now lol


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Everytime I get a new rope, the only prep I do with it is the day I'm going to use it  I find a post and put it around it and take the tail end and dally it up and stretch it from my horse. Works the easiest for me.


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## ropinbiker (Aug 3, 2012)

I do what QHrider said, just stretch it with your horse. Since you don't have one, you can use a riding lawn mower, etc. ....just go slow. You also need to put the rope away properly to help it maintain the proper coil...after roping, coil the rope into nice 12-16" coils, then grab with both hands and "push" your hands together kinda in a bouncy fashion; repositon hands to new spots and repeat. This helps get any kinks or unwanted twists out of the rope. Then, before you put the rope in it's bag or can, put some baby powder on it so it will help it stay slick so as to feed better and to keep it from fraying due to the friction caused by the loop cinching down on the dummy or cow or whatever you are roping.


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## HorseGuru (Feb 28, 2012)

boots said:


> I stretch every new rope I get. I stretch them again whenever they get a kink I don't want to deal with.
> 
> I put the hondo end, with a loop, around the trailer hitch on a truck. I tie the other end to a round post, using a square knot and pull until there is a good bit of tension. Then I leave it all day or overnight.
> 
> Really, really gets a rope into a nice, using condition.


That's what my boyfriend does. If your going to ranch roping. Use a soft. If your gunna do tricks. Go extra extra soft with leather Hondo


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