Breaking It Down with Blaine Vick

Situation

Second round at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston, Oregon

Time

4.7 seconds

Results

Third in the go-round and average win with 9.1 seconds on two-head, worth $2,986 a man

a) Horse

My horse broke on the right lead and it caused me to run by the steer about half a stride. He’s really not as square stopping as I want him to be right there. I really had to make sure to move my left hand back farther to the left, so I could see the steer’s left leg.

b) Loop

I was just making sure with my loop that I held on to it all the way until it got to the steer’s legs to make sure that I got the left leg roped. When you get by on one, a lot of the time it’s hard to get the inside leg because you really can’t see it. That’s really what I was working on with my loop right there—just hanging on to it as long as I could.

c) Steer

The steer was good. They were 6-flat on that steer in the first round. I think Aaron Macy ran it. [Lane] Ivy did a great job. He got a great start and hung it on him fast. He really brought him back, which opened him up and helped me a lot.

d) Mindset 

At this point in the year, I’m a little behind and, after winning the first round, I hate getting in just catch mode because now-a-days it’s so fast out here that it almost makes it easier on you because you have to try to go as fast as you can every time. So, my mindset was trying to get in a good position, which really didn’t happen, but the first good jump that I see, I set it down there.

e) Left Hand 

I’ve been concentrating on keeping my left hand more straight and up on my horse’s neck. On that steer, with getting by him, I really had to pull my horse around farther to the left, so my left hand is a little more on the left side of my horse’s neck, which is more than I would want on a normal shot.

f) Feet

In the picture, I see I have him roped, and I stayed down until the steer gets in it. Then, I’m sitting back on my pockets with my feet out, making room at the saddle horn.