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Breakaway Calf Roping From range to arena, calf roping is the oldest of rodeo's events. It came about from the necessity of the cowhand to be able to do "doctoring" on the range and to handle roping duties at the "branding". Though no longer on the range, the roper now tests his/her roping skills against the clock. A timed event, breakaway calf roping is a contest between a quick, agile calf and a skilled roper mounted on a lightning-fast highly trained horse. The contestant calls for the animal and the calf leaves the chute. The contestant then ropes the calf and releases the rope which is tied with a string to the horn of the saddle. Once the calf pulls the slack out of the rope and pulls hard enough to break the string, the judge will drop the flag stopping time. The fastest time wins. This is the IRGA's version of regular rodeo's lassoing the calf, yanking it to the ground, and tying 3 of its legs together. Much easier on the calf, don't you think? Sorry no video available.

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