TORRINGTON – The Torrington Youth Series Rodeo had its second rodeo of the summer recently, with goat tying as one of the events for participants 8-14-years old.
According to Jake Clark, who helps run the TYRS and is the rodeo coach for Eastern Wyoming College, goat tying comes down to three phases; from the starting line to the get-off, then the moment when an athlete hits the ground to when they get to the goat, followed by the flank and tie.
“You can perfect them all separately and then put them all together to be a good goat tier,” Clark said. “Just like any skill, you can learn from other people who have done it, but you take what you’ve learned and find what works best for you and go with it.”
When it comes to the first phase, Clark said there are several factors that go into the ride from the chute to boots on the ground. The biggest thing is knowing how to ride a horse and having the right horse to competitor marriage.
“No. 1, you need to be able to ride a horse and know your skill level as far as what horse you’re riding and how fast you want to go,” Clark said. “At a young age, the horse and horsemanship is probably the most important.”
One part of the first phase is the dismount. Youth at the local rodeos generally subscribe to the run-by or the stop method. In the run-by, a competitor will dismount the horse while it is still moving, while someone who uses the stop method will stop the horse completely, before putting boots on the ground.
In the second phase, from boots on the ground to getting to the goat, athleticism is key. The goat is tied to a stake, but it can be elusive while still tethered.
“You’ve got to be able to react. If the goat ducks left or ducks right, you have to be able to react in the quickest manner,” Clark said. “You can prepare yourself, but it also just becomes instinct eventually.”
Once an athlete learns to track a goat and can get to it quickly, the next phase is the flanking and tying. According to Clark, there is no specific rhyme or reason for the best way to flank and tie, with many methods and techniques that can be successful.
“Just like anything, there’s several different styles of flanking and gathering the back legs,” Clark said. “A young goat tier just needs to find what works best for them and perfect that.”
With three clear phases, it can be easier to trim time off of their total tying time. A competitor could know they are a bit slow out of the chute and work on their horsemanship and getting to their boots on the ground first. With eight rodeos throughout the summer, youth can continue to build off of the week before and can diagnose their weaknesses to work on for the next week.
“To see a 9-year-old girl go from tying 21 (seconds) to by the end of the summer tying 12 (seconds), that’s just awesome,” Clark said. “That’s progress.”
Full results for the
May 23 rodeo include:
5-7 Barrel Racing:
Kaige Reisdorfer, Cheyenne, 18.09 seconds
Juston Keener, Mitchell, Neb., 19.97 seconds
8-10 Barrel Racing:
Juddy Farella, Cheyenne, 16.08 seconds
Rylee Griffis, Wheatland, 19.82 seconds
11-14 Barrel Racing:
Shelby Petersen, Douglas, 16.20 seconds
Baliegh Lane, Torrington, 16.85 seconds
Jade Painter, Scottsbluff, Neb., 16.95 seconds
5-7 Pole Bending:
Hattie Haeffelin, Torrington, 24.39 seconds
Kaige Reisdorfer, Cheyenne, 32.23 seconds
Tatum Wiedman, Torrington, 41.33 seconds
8-10 Pole Bending:
Kamry Stratton, Torrington, 21.83 seconds
Juddy Farella, Cheyenne, 21.99 seconds
11-14 Pole Bending:
Shelby Petersen, Douglas, 21.51 seconds
Teryn Stokes, Torrington, 22.21 seconds
Baliegh Lane, Torrington, 23.22 seconds
5-7 Dummy Roping Fast Time:
Zane Zurcher, Morrill, Neb., 2.7 seconds
Cade Zurcher, Morrill, Neb., 2.8 seconds
Tatum Wiedman, Torrington, 3.2 seconds
5-7 Dummy Roping Average:
Zane Zurcher, Morrill, Neb., 8.5 seconds on 3
Cade Zurcher, Morrill, Neb., 9.2 seconds on 3
Tatum Wiedman, Torrington, 11.0 seconds on 3
5-7 Goat Untying:
Jack Hartman, Veteran, 11.5 seconds
Hattie Haeffelin, Torrington, 12.0 seconds
Juston Keener, Mitchell, Neb., 12.6 seconds
8-10 Boys Goat Tying:
Juddy Farella, Cheyenne, 15.2 seconds
8-10 Girls Goat Tying:
Anna Hartman, Veteran, 16.1 seconds
Kaycee Kosmicki, Yoder, 16.7 seconds
11-14 Boys Goat Tying:
Cael Stratton, Torrington, 11.5 seconds
Jaxon Farella, Cheyenne, 12.1 seconds
11-14 Girls Goat Tying:
Baliegh Lane, Torrington, 14.0 seconds
Shelby Petersen, Douglas, 15.8 seconds
Afton McIntosh, Torrington, 20.7 seconds
11-14 Breakaway Roping:
Cory Bomhoff, Cheyenne, 2.7 seconds
Sid Petersen, Torrington, 3.6 seconds
Jaxon Farella, Cheyenne, 4.0 seconds
Rayne Grant, Wheatland, 4.4 seconds
Team Roping:
Kyler Clark, Yoder, 7.8 seconds
Cael Stratton, Torrington, 8.6 seconds
Brenna Herring, Veteran, 14.5 seconds
Kyler Clark, Yoder, 14.9 seconds
