Scoring and The No Barrier

In Section: General Posted By: Ray Siggins

Hello ropers, since scoring is crucial for any horse competing at any level, a lot of ropers were concerned over the no-barrier and it's impact on their roping. I have had many ask me if the new no barrier system will mess their horse up in the box and my answer was it shouldn't make any difference if there was a barrier or not, the horse should leave off you hand. Pro ropers go back an forth from literally no barrier to long scores on a weekly basis. The horse that truly scores off of your hand can leave when sent no matter how long the barrier is. The people that have trouble with the start are the ones that score with a loose rein and have no way to consistently start their horse. I see ropers every week using multiple cues that confuse the horse and are not that effective.

Starting on a loose rein and then picking the horse up will cause them to break in the air. Having a horse break in the air keeps lots of ropers from winning. This type of start makes the roper either early or late. As everyone knows six inches at the barrier is about twenty feet in the arena, so if a person is six inches late five times in a roping, that is spotting the field one hundred feet. Scoring for most people is an art that will never be learned with the electric eye (The best you can do with the electric eye is plus or minus 3ft to start with). So the no- barrier system and a head horse that leaves off your hand evens the playing field considerably.

Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
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jon

I have read your writings on the no barrier and still wonder about the last comment on the even playing field. I have no doubt that it allows the ropers to start at the same time and a good scoring horse is still an advantage but this leave the last ingedient to decide the race and that is the steer. A fast steer, the same start, a slow steer, the same start. With a barrier a roper can start sooner on a fast steer and he has to wait on a slow steer and I think this is a more even game. We have had this discussion before and I appreciate your time. Thanks Jon

Ray Siggins

Jon, we are probably wasting our breath on each other, but I respect your opinion, and I will respond. There are two points I want to make. First, I guess I don't understand your statement that with a barrier you can start sooner. Unless the barrier is even (you start when the gate opens) or negative, you can't start sooner than leaving when the gate opens. In addition, if you leave when the gate opens the steer and horse are starting the same, instead of letting the steer take a run at you. I never complain about slow steers, I just don't draw enough of them. Point two, I always have guys telling me they can recognize and adjust their speed when they see they have a slow steer or fast steer. I only know of a hand full of professional ropers that can do that. Generally, when you commit, your committed. Thanks for your comments. Ray Siggins

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