Buford

After playing in our Sandbox Riding Arena back home, I realized we needed something to rope. Remembering a roping dummy that a buddy had, I went searching online. I found what he had, which was way more than I could justify spending. So I called another buddy to do a regional search on Facebook marketplace. Lo and behold, Buford popped up.

We did a couple modifications to make it more personally tailored. In the end, Buford is all I could ever ask for in a roping dummy. 

Martin in Gillette brings the plastic parts over from Mexico and then builds the metal frame and attaches the back legs. Much cheaper than the name brands. Keep up the good work, pal. 

First stop was Paul's place where Doug gave us a free lesson in heading and heeling. 

The coolest feature about this style of dummy is that the horns fold up when you dally, allowing your rope to pop right off. No getting off your horse or walking up to the to remove your rope. Beautiful. 

Back legs do something similar. When the slack is pulled, they come together and pull back. This is usually enough to let your rope slip by. But if not, just let off the slack and the legs will widen back out, allowing your rope to gain slack and fall off. 

After we branded Buford and made him part of the herd, I introduced him to the horses. A bit unsure to say the least. 

So I hitched him to Dad and we trailed behind. Once the horses could see that it wasn't a grizzly bear that wanted to kill them, they calmed down and we could rope. 

Money.

Fun stuff. I don't ever plan to get any steers or really ever team rope. But to have a dummy on hand to rope around with, is right up my alley. Buford serves that purpose. Weather standing still or being drug by a four wheeler or horse, this roping dummy will provide horse and rider with all the practice necessary to keep their cowboy skills sharp. The heading part is easy. Heeling is a different story. Just gives us a reason to saddle up and rope. Practice makes perfect, or at least passable. Buford the Roping Dummy is a great gift to the ranch. Special thanks to Martin and all who keep the cowboy spirit alive. Ranch on.