Freeze Frame with Ryan Motes
Motes breaks down his second round run of day two at the Lone Star Shootout in Stephenville, Texas with Lane Ivy.

Game Plan 

We were 4.2 on our first one, which was probably seventh or eighth in the first round. Our first one tried, and we went at him. This steer was pretty good, and this was a spot where we could see the roping was reasonably tough. We had a pretty good one and we needed to capitalize and stay close to the leaders. We could see we’d need to be a short 8 on two

Time

4.0-second run.

Outcome

Set up a third callback in Round 3; won the roping and $60,000, plus new Bloomer Trailers.

Start

Lane (Ivy) had a hell of a start. He had to have just nailed it. The steer was just slow enough, and he caught up really, really fast. He was a good chance to capitalize on.

Head catch

That was the closest Lane had got to one. He reached at our first one, and this one was good. That little horse of his can run. He didn’t have a ton of rope out there. The head rope came tight fast. I’m pushing down the arena to get around him.

Horse

This is Rockstar, the 15-year-old full brother to my great horse Starbucks. Rockstar is pretty fast, you can pull and get all the way down the pen to where you want to be. He’s got a lot of similar traits to Starbucks. He can really run, which is one of his and Starbucks’ best assets. They can go from not just running to sliding but to running to collecting themselves to getting stopped. On that particular run, we broke pretty hard, and Lane sticks it on him, and he backs off really, really easy. He lets you get your timing and finishes really strong. He’s the closest thing to Starbucks I’ve ever been on.

Eyes

I’m starting to look down. At a fast setup like that, I won’t watch the head catch go on. When it’s super fast like that, I leave the chute and start to watch the hind end of the steer because I already have an idea of when the header is going to be throwing. I’m really trying to pick up the left leg. I’m all the way around the steer, so when I can find the left leg—particularly the left toe­–I can read where it’s coming as he starts to switch. My eyes are to the left of my horse’s head and I need to know where he’s going because I’m going as he switches past my horse’s nose.

Throw

The feet are on the ground about to come up, and I want my swing just past the steer’s back—just to the left of the steer’s left foot. As they’re coming off the ground, I want my swing just over the steer’s left hip. It seems like I heeled him right after the switch. I’d have heeled him the first jump basically. In this photo, he’s about to switch, and I finished that swing and heeled him as he comes out of the corner on the first jump.

Left Hand

That steer was good and half a step to the left. I left the box and got a little bit of width, so my left hand is reining my horse over there. It’s up and square, I’m not really in the bridle at all. I’m not pulling, but I’m not throwing the reins to him, I’ve got him collected and balanced. We caught up really quick so I’m just helping him to the left.

Feet

When it’s fast like that, and I’m planning to go all the way around one, I kick pretty hard going down there. He switched out a little and I’m kicking pretty good to get all the way around the end of it to make a fast shot.

Body Position

I try to keep the steer between my shoulders at all times. I really want my swing over the back as the steer is coming off the ground, and keeping my shoulders square allows that to happen. I want to be able to just open my loop up. My right arm is back and open and I’m able to deliver from anywhere and my shoulders are really square to the steer if my body is opened up toward the steer.

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