Cesar de la Cruz joins Roping.com’s coaching lineup this winter, bringing a one-of-a-kind series that incorporates dummy roping, goat-roping, donkey roping and live-cattle practice sessions for the whole family.
A nine-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo heeler, de la Cruz cut his teeth in Arizona’s rough-and-tumble roping scene and had to learn the game from the ground up, practicing on goats and donkeys before getting horseback. He’s kept them as part of his practice regimen, and he’s taught his three sons to rope the same way.
“We’ve worked with Cesar since he and Colter Todd first cracked out in the mid-2000s,” Content Director Chelsea Shaffer said. “He’s always been ready to help the next generation learn, and his hard-knock education make him an exceptionally relatable and knowledgeable teacher.”
Now residing in Casa Grande, Arizona, de la Cruz was raised in Tucson and mentored by his grandfather, NFR Qualifier Victor Aros, and uncle, George Aros, also an NFR Qualifier. The profound influence of the legendary “Aros Arena” in South Tucson has been instrumental in shaping de la Cruz’s journey.
de la Cruz’s wife, Arena, won the College National Finals Rodeo in the heading, and after having three boys, she joins de la Cruz in some videos in this series to rope as a family with their boys.
OTHER CONTENT DROPPING FROM ROPING.COM
- Colt-starting for the roping pen with Trinity Haggard
- DT Horses’ Lead-Steer Sessions
- Miles Baker’s 2-year-old program
- Shad Mayfield and Sarah Angelone’s breakaway roping practice sessions
- The Wildfire Open to the World, 2013-2017
