The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-07-05
R0PING TEXAS STEERS.
. REMARKABLE CONTEST At 4
COUNTY FAIR IN THE SOUTH.

Mon and Ponies to Tussle With-Pe-
culiar sngacity of the Little Ponies.
Men Who Have to Be Quick.
One of the most interesting things saw
while I was in Texas was a roping contest
at the Concho county fair. The winner of
the first prize-a beautiful cowboy saddle
was to be the contestant who should rope
and tie down q steer in the shortest time.
The second prize was n gorgeous gold and
silver trimmed sombrero, and was to be
won by tho contestant making second best
time.
It is the intention to run up as close
alongside or behind the steer as possible,
and, while going about his own gait, throw
the rope over his horns; then by following
along with the rope slack it may be gotten
clear under him as he runs; then by taking
a turn around the pommel it is secured,
the pony suddenly stopped, braced with all
his strength, and the steer Is thrown clean
heels over head literally. By a dexterous
thrown when the rope has caught but one
horn, but it will usually slip off.
If, when he has been roped and the rope
made fast to the pommel, a steer suddenly
bolts sideways, he is very apt to pull horse
and rider over-cspecially if he be big and
the pony little. When the steer has been
thrown all right the rider jumps off and
runs to tie him, leaving the pony to hold
him by keeping the line from the pommel
to his horns taut.. And this was to me the
prettiest picture in the whole panorama.
The sagacious little pony standing with
hts nose to the fallen adversary, straining
at the line, and watching the steer with
bright, knowing eyes. He realizes that he's
in a bad fix if the steer gets up, and he
hasn't the least intention of letting him do
80.
In the first place, all the wild and vicious
steers that can be found on the ranges and
ranches about are gathered up and brought,
fighting, believing and protesting, to the
fair grounds and put in a pen there.
HOW H STEER is ROPED.
When the fair commences the steer is
hailed about with sticks, clubs, yells and
whoops, until perfectly maddened, when
the outer bars are suddenly withdrawn
and he leaps out into the opening. The
contestant whose turn it is is stationed
close to one side, and is after him like a
shot.
The first steer was q big, lean, sorrel col
ored one. with horns about four feet
across at the points, and that ran like a
deer. The cowboy was IL fine, handsome,
keen looking fellow, and his pony one of
the best COW ponies in the country, a little
white fellow, bearing the ~favorite name of
Possum, with big, bright, black eyes, as
quick as a cat, n Irregular trump" They
got a fair start with the steer, the throw
was made successfully, and then came the
moment of suspense, when tho pony was
straining every nerve to keep with the
steer, while the rider watched each turn to
catch and throw him by IN endwise jerk.
This he succeeded in doing, then leaped
from the saddle to cite him down." leaving
Postum to hold him. He had but touched
the ground when the steer made a sudden
conclusive effort and rose to his feet. But
Possum's eye was on him; he instantly ran
backward and jerked him fiat. BY this
time the cowboy. reached the steer, jumped
on him and tied his feet and the business
was completed.
Now recommended the yelling and whoop-
ing, and q big white steer tears into tho pen
and is half across the bars before he can be
beaten back. He finally bursts through
the bars before they can be taken down.
This time it is the deputy sheriff that after
ward had the scrimmage with the Next
cans at Knickerbocker, mounted on a lit
tie claybank with silvery name and tail
Capt. Scott. and a captain he proves him
self.
A sAGACIoUs, PONY.
H equickly overhauls the steer, the throw
is made, tho rope secured, and then the big
brute bolts sideways like lightning, and
bOrse and rider go over in horrible confu-
don.
Hurrah for the captainl He's up and
off! It's he and the steer for it. And now
there were screams n roars of laughter
and shouts Of admiration as the plucky lit
tle fellow lodged and tackled and jerked
the big animal about till attendants could
come up and cut the rope and dlire him
into the outer regions.
Here comes the next candidate for She
rope. This time the roper is a handsome
boy of 81 or q, whose father owns q biz
ranch, of whichthe young man is manager.
OFF they go, the fiery little pony fairly fly
ing over the ground. The steer is roped,
thrown-not without a struggle-and has
only to be tied to complete the job. But
the moment he feel the young fellows
weight upon him he rises like q shot.
Everybody is breathless-we hardly know
whether to laugh or be terrified.
But the pony doesn't debate. Heprompt-
~ hauls the would be "ridin' hoss'' down
with. a backward plunge, md keeps drag
ging him q little as he struggles to rise, I'M.
til his master has him safely tied; and all
with such little snorts, such tossings of his
pretty head, and kickings out of the little
slim heels, such sharp neighs and FITTINGS
sf his tail as were for all the world like ar
ticulate speech.
This was the very cutest pony of all, and
when his master got On him after tying
down his steer he went off fairly dancing
and swelling with pride and high spirits.
y. II PRIZE WINNER.
After this there were one or two failures,
one horse falling in a prairie dog hole and
one man missing the throw it had taken
him long to get close enough to make.
And now came an unusually wild, ugly
steer, and the funniest kind of a pair to,
run after him and catch him. Tho pony
was q little, ratty roam, and the man big,
heavy and awkward looking. Everybody
laughed when they sailed in close on the,
heels Of the vamoosing, buckskin colored
steer. But that little beetle bug of a pony
just caught up with the great long legged
creature, the big. clumsy looking man
threw his rope like q streak of inebriated
lightning over his horns, threw him end
wise till I looked to hear his neck crack,
then hoped out of the saddle like a little
circus boy and tied him with neatness and
dispatch. He, out of all the fine athletic
Looking men on fleet ponies. was the one