Winning the USTRC Cowboy Capital Classic Open with Tyler Wade

Tyler Wade and Paden Bray win the USTRC Cowboy Capital Classic Open produced by X-Treme Team Roping in Stephenville, Texas, with a time of 30.78 seconds on five head, worth $12,000 for the team.

Situation:

Third steer at the USTRC Cowboy Capital Classic Open produced by X-Treme Team Roping in Stephenville, Texas.

Time:

6.75 seconds

Outcome:

Won the roping with a time of 30.78 seconds on five head, worth $12,000 for the team.

a) MINDSET:

Two weeks prior was the first roping out of quarantine. I’ve been roping every day, but I don’t guess on a professional level like I needed to be. I roped terrible. I went back to working at it a little harder and doing a little better. Paden and I were 23.1 on four to be second callback at Austin [Robertson’s] big roping and we had to be 5-flat to take the lead, and I broke the barrier. I could tell that the little bit more hard work I put into it obviously worked a little bit more because I got close to winning. This was the next roping after I broke the barrier, and I was just trying to stay on course and stay sharp. We don’t go to quite as many so it’s not as easy to be sharp, but that was our plan anyway.

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b) SLACK:

It’s kind of a weird angle because that steer is coming straight left so I moved my horse over. After you move your horse over to come left, it’s a do or die spot when you throw to not keep going left and stay in your lane. My loop went on pretty sharp and tight. I’ve got my left hand about to be pushed forward to keep my horse going forward. I think my width is good right there considering how hard that steer came left. When you get in that spot you have to be sure to not keep going left too much because if they step back to the right they’ll take your rope and handle back. Ideally, the timing was right.

Mid-Roping Horsemanship Fix with Tyler Wade

Score, Ride, Rope with Tyler Wade

c) STEER:

The barrier was decently long for an electric eye. That steer wanted to step left a little bit. Sometimes I go into the box making a game plan instead of just roping the steer. We’ll be 10 on two and I’ll tell myself, ‘Just go be 7 and you’ll still be winning the roping.’ I need to just rope the steer whenever I can rope him, whether it’s 4 or 6. That was my plan and then when he stepped left I got it on him. I don’t think he cleaned up very well. I don’t think I handled him very well. I had to come back up the wall a little bit. Paden did a good job getting around him and heeling him.

d) LEFT HAND:

I try to take my slack out with my left hand. You have to push your left hand forward to do that. You don’t just jerk it with your right to get your slack out.

e) LEGS:

My right leg right there is going in her because that steer is coming left so I’m trying to move my horse over. When I go to dally, I take my left leg in her to keep her pushed forward and around the corner. Right there with the steer coming left, it’s a tricky spot. I use my right leg and my left hand to move my horse over and then I swap and hold my horse up with my left hand and I use my left foot to keep her pushed up too—keep her shoulders pushed forward.

f) HORSE:

That’s a head horse that I call Glow. She’s 9 this year. She was pretty good. She has some days that are better than others. I won the Capitalist on her three years ago. She is a mare, and she acts like it sometimes. She can run and usually does best in a jackpot-type setting. She doesn’t really feel that good at the rodeos yet. She feels a little bit green, but when she works good, she’s really nice to have. She does better the more you ride her.

g) PADEN:

All day he did an outstanding job. We’ve only roped twice together and he’s 10 for 10. I think we’d make a pretty good team one day. I go fast a lot, and I didn’t handle a couple steers great and he took his time and roped them good. Then when I set them up to throw fast, he threw fast just like he should have. It was a pretty good example of professional heeling that day. On this steer, he needed to keep his distance to keep it from coming too far left but he still needed to be there when the time came to rope him too. It’s a tough spot to be in.