Tiedown & Breakaway Ropes

Tie-down roping is another way for working ranchers to catch calves for branding and doctoring, but while working alone. Calf roping, however, is a solo event in rodeo. The rider chases and lassos the calf around its neck. After the calf is caught, the rider must dismount their horse and run down the rope towards the calf. They then lift the calf off the ground and onto it's side, tie three legs together with piggin string and stop the clock once they throw their hands in the air. The fastest time wins.

Breakaway roping is a type of calf roping, but the rider doesn't dismount their horse or tie the calf. The rider leaves the chute once the calf has crossed the barrier line and attempts to rope the neck of the calf as quickly as possible. Once the rope is around the calf's neck, the rider stops their horse, pulling the rope tight and breaking the string attaching the rope to the horn. Once the string breaks, the clock stops and the fastest time wins. 

Both calf and breakaway ropes are softer than team ropes and aren't waxed, allowing the rope to close quickly, which prevents the calf from running through the loop.