A PRETTY THROW 



Hootcha la! If you have never seen the "outringess" kind of 

 steers overtaken by the "knowingest" kind of cow-ponys, and 

 roped and thrown by the cleverest experts of the lariat, you still 

 have something to live for. 



The cowboy's success in range work with cattle depended 

 first on possessing a cow-pony, secondly on his own roping 

 ability with all the innumerable minor arts of the vaquero's call- 

 ing. The cowboy who was a handy roper easily found com- 

 petitors to determine who was the best of "the bunch." Men of 

 a ranch or champion ropers from neighboring ranches held rop- 

 ing contests on the open prairies with only cowboys as spectators. 



Thus these contests developed into open-to-all competitions 

 and today we find the public interested and these roping contests 

 brought to cities. In the arena at Pendleton the great experts 

 of the lasso, compete in the steer-roping contest for the cham- 

 pionship of the world. Certain rules have been adopted by the 

 ropers. At Pendleton the contests in this, as in all the competi- 

 tive events, are done on ''time." The steers must be roped, 

 thrown and hogtied within a minute and a half. The purpose 

 of throwing a steer on the range may be to brand, mark, identify 

 or inspect an animal or perhaps to kill it. 



The chase and capture of a wild steer is so familiar to an ex- 

 perienced cow-horse that even bridle, reins and a guiding hand 

 are not necessary. Into a moving prairie herd he will proceed 

 knowingly toward a certain steer. Furtively, avoiding any haste 

 which might cause a stampede, he quietly forces the animal out 

 of the herd where danger of excitement is over. 



Responsive to the slightest lay of the rein, or often without 

 guidance he follows the quarry at every turn, bringing the cow- 

 boy into the best position for the throw. So these cow-ponys 

 used in the Round-Up contests are some of the best the ranges 

 of the Northwest produce, bringing even five hundred dollars 

 in the open market. 



Bang! The steer shoots into the arena like a deer. Thirty 

 feet start and the cowboy and cow-pony are after him on the 

 jump. Around and above the cowboy's head swings the revolv- 

 ing noose of his rope.. Swish! and the long coil snakes through 

 the air, the noose opens fairly then drops in a neat throw over 

 the horns and tightens on them. The pony changes his direction 

 at an angle. Thud ! the steer is thrown. So ends the first and 

 second phases of the steer-roping contest. 



