Horses and Cowboys...what's not to like?

Another thing you wont see much in Vermont - today I watched the US Team Roping Championships. I actually meant to go to a crafts festival and do some christmas shopping. However I had the wrong weekend for that so I went to the Farmers Market which was also at the fairgrounds. And then I noticed lots of horses (and cowboys) so I went and watched horses (and cowboys) compete in team roping.  A speedy little calf wearing a helmet (seriously, it is to give him tiny little horns I guess) is released from a chute. One guy ropes him around his "horns" and the other gets him by the heels. I am not sure when the time starts (they are required to give the calf a head start) but it ends when they have both ropes on him and both horses are facing the calf.

Being the animal trainer, I would love to know how much of this depends on the skill of the horse vs. the guys doing the roping. Obviously you have to have some precision "steering" to get the horse in the right spot to throw the rope? Anyway it was very entertaining. I wasn't sure about taking pictures because no one else watching was, maybe they are just not from Vermont and see this all the time? I grabbed some pics though, without using my flash of course, and no one yelled at me or gave me dirty looks so here they are.

That horse looks like he has a plan:

Stand-off: "You move." "No you move."

 Is it just me or does it seem like it would be easier to rope the horns rather than the back feet? Easy is probably a relative term.

Coming from the land of over indulged, catered to horses who are practically wrapped in bubble wrap it cracked me up how these guys left horses pretty much anywhere. This guy jumped off of his horse in order to get a calf through the gate. Look at his horse waiting patiently....

Same with this guy. I swear his rider said "stay" as he left him tethered to the fence.