# Proper way to hold a rope for a ranch class



## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I feel really lame for not knowing this, but I show on saturday in a working rancher class and I forgot to check on the "proper" way to hold my rope. The pattern states to enter at the lope with your loop built, and coils stored under your arm. Stop, perform a right rollback, then form a large fast circle while swinging the rope. Throw rope while in motion, stop, dally, and secure it to the saddle.

My lame question is how do I "properly" hold the coils under my arm? I'm assuming I'm holding them in my left arm so I don't send them flying :lol:? Whenever I've roped or practiced the pattern before I never paid a lot of attention to just how I was doing it or whether it was the "right" way.  Help would be appreciated.


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Coils under your arm?  I'm boggled.
LOL what do I know? I'm just a lazy-*** team roper XD

Not like this:








I'm sure the judges wouldn't be too impressed if you held your rope like that.

Unless they mean that you're supposed to hold your coils in your left hand and tuck your loop under your right arm. It's kind of the "team roping ready position" or at least, that's what I call it.


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## HorseGuru (Feb 28, 2012)

Qhrider. Ok first you want to tighten your coils a little bit. It will clean them up and have them tighter.


Now does your horse know how to neck rein? I'm guessing he does. 


What I would do about those reins. Is get a shorter pair. Put a knot right where it sits above the horn.. Use a thin rein. Almost like cord. This will give you ease to loop the rein on your index finger. Gives you more control
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Uhhm. Everything you said is what I do...


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## HorseGuru (Feb 28, 2012)

I just see your coils are out of wack. Tighten them up.

Leather or raw hide hondo
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

For roping at a branding, I'm not peculiar about my coils, because it takes too much time to make every coil even just to throw and have to coil your rope up right away again. If I were to make a team roping run, of course I'd be peculiar about my coils, bu when you have to coil your rope up 50+ times, you get kinda lazy about your coils. 

I use wrecked or well used heading ropes for roping calves, so rawhide.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Haha, no, not lame, as I don't even know how to rope yet (that's on my "to do" list!!!)

So you're wondering how to hold your extra coils under your arm??? 

Or how to hold the loop in your roping hand?

For the coils, since the rules state to hold them under your arm, I guess I would hold them under your arm (that you'll be holding them with, when you are ready to rope).

But then I would be confused if the rules don't state how you are supposed to put the coils into your riding hand?

Okay, I'll quit rambling now because I don't know the answer either, lol.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Wow, in a ranch roping class, they want you to keep the coils under your arm? I've never heard of that either and never seen an actual ranch hand do it:?.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Or do you think they mean hold the COIL (your loop coil) under your roping arm? You'll see cowboys doing that sometimes as they get their horse set in the box, by holding their loop under their roping arm, to keep it out of the way.

Either way, I"m confused by these rules too! I looked up some ranch horse competition videos on Youtube and no one is holding the coils under their arm. They either have their rope completely down and just attached to the side of their saddle, or they've got their extra coils in their riding hand like you normally would.


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

It would just be natural to have your coils in your left hand, so my guess is that the "coil" they're talking about is your loop so your right hand is also free if you need 2 hands on the reins to do something....? Makes sense, especially for, say, 3 year olds in the class.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

SorrelHorse said:


> I feel really lame for not knowing this, but I show on saturday in a working rancher class and I forgot to check on the "proper" way to hold my rope. The pattern states to enter at the lope with your loop built, and coils stored under your arm. Stop, perform a right rollback, then form a large fast circle while swinging the rope. Throw rope while in motion, stop, dally, and secure it to the saddle.
> 
> My lame question is how do I "properly" hold the coils under my arm? I'm assuming I'm holding them in my left arm so I don't send them flying :lol:? Whenever I've roped or practiced the pattern before I never paid a lot of attention to just how I was doing it or whether it was the "right" way.  Help would be appreciated.



SH, I would love to know who the dumb *** is that designs these classes for you guys. Not sure why they don't model your classes using ASHA, SHOT or other ranch horse show organizations so if guys decide to show anywhere else you are prepared to do so.

I remember last year when had posted about in the roping part of your ranch hand class they wanted to see you leaning forward or standing in your stirrups. That is team roping, not ranch roping. Leaning is bad form in ranch roping and on some smart, quirky ranch horses will buck your *** off if you lean out or get off your pockets. 
And like smrobs pointed out I have never seen or done myself, put my coils under my arm. If my rope is down my coils are in my hand. And if I have a large loop built and I am chasing something through tall brush I will tuck the bottom of my loop up under my arm so it doesn't get caught on the brush.

Good luck!


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Hahahaha you guys, I was totally talking to my trainer last minute about this and she threw a fit about storing coils under our arms too. So I showed her the exact wording of the pattern, and she goes "...You dumbo. It says loop under your arm and coils in your other hand."

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: I'm dyslexic okay?

Anyway I placed fourth even with just barely dragging the log (My poor pony was NOT prepared for how heavy that was, it was heavier than previous years o.o Everyone else had trouble too though and they had bigger horses so it wasn't just me) That puts me in a VERY good position for qualifying for state.

As for the leaning forward, it says "Athlete should come slightly forward in the saddle while increasing tempo of the lope" (Which was when I was swinging it, on a large fast circle like in a reining pattern)

I wish we could of gotten it on video, except for the log part it was a beautiful pattern on Selena's part!


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