Could Breakaway Roping Push Tie-Down Out Of The Performance?

               Breakaway roping is nothing new it's been around for many years.
 Only recently has the spotlight been turned on giving the ladies an opportunity to shine. In recent years a few more rodeo associations have 
added breakaway to the performance giving the ladies another event to compete in, but now it's time to get paid!


Madison Outhier
Getting in on the big money payday's the WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance)  added breakaway roping and the legend Jackie Crawford took home a $50K check. Next up the  RFDTV's The American added breakaway to the event and breakaway roping winner Madison Outhier took home $100K. This is just the start of what's to come and a lot more barrel racers who roped from youth through college rodeo are hauling a breakaway horse too and heading down the road. 

Madison Outhier



Breakaway is fast, exciting, and easy to follow for the spectators without a lot of ohs and ah's that tie-down roping brings. I chopped down the original story as it was lengthy and bound to ruffle a lot feathers. So I left it to this, There are states in the US that do not allow tie-down roping in their rodeo's. The state of Rhode Island banned tie-down back in 1989. I Visited with a top rodeo producers who said they would like to take tie-down out of the main performance all together. Wouldn't surprise me if one day you could see breakaway at the NFR?

Similar to Steer Roping that takes place only in certain places, banned in a few and your average rodeo fans thinks it's means Team Roping. You don't hear much about steer roping these days and there is a reason for that. Could this be the future of Tie-Down roping, could it end up in off site competitions too or only held only in the slack? Don't take this story as an attack or tie-down ropers or rodeo, just an observation in the progression of rodeo as we know it today. 

Those who know history and how the west was won nearly all rodeo events started from everyday ranch work. You have working cowboys and rodeo cowboys there is a difference.  Even in 2019 real cowboys still exist and tend to cattle daily even as times change and expanding cities takeover cattle country. Rodeo itself has changed and will continue to do so as long and the fans show up to be entertained.  ~ Pepper Stewart




                              Back to the original question: 
      Could Breakaway Roping push Tie-Down out of the performance?





PepperStewart.com






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