Heeling
9 Seasons
Dive deep into the fundamentals of heeling in team roping with our instructional video collection, led by a lineup of coaches including Clay O'Brien Cooper, Rickey Green, Miles Baker, Joseph Harrison, Dakota Kirchenschlager and more. Our video library is organized into distinct subcategories, each designed to enhance your heeling skills:
Fundamentals: Build a strong foundation in heeling with comprehensive lessons on the core principles and techniques essential for success in team roping.
Dummy Work: Practice your heeling technique with purpose and precision using dummy work exercises that help you refine your accuracy and consistency.
Box Work & Scoring: Heel horses don’t get as much focused instruction in the box as head horses, but the way they stand and leave is still important for good position and timing down the arena.
Swing: Learn the nuances of achieving a balanced and effective swing, optimizing your chances of making precise catches during roping runs.
Delivery: Explore the mechanics of delivering your loop accurately and efficiently, enhancing your ability to rope the steer's hind legs consistently.
Dallying: Discover the intricacies of dallying, including proper technique and timing, to secure your catch and keep your fingers.
Stopping: Gain insights into stopping your horse effectively, maintaining control, and setting up the ideal shot for successful heeling.
Corner Work: Control your horse through the corner with proper position and spacing, ensuring you're in the right spot to execute flawless heel shots in various arena scenarios.
Position and Timing: Fine-tune your positioning and timing skills, crucial for achieving a higher catch percentage, better horsemanship and a more controlled run.
Our video collection offers a comprehensive and detailed exploration of these critical heeling subcategories, with guidance from world-class coaches who share their decades of experience and championship-winning strategies. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned heeler, our instructional videos will help you refine your skills, gain confidence, and excel in the exciting world of team roping. Start learning from the best today to elevate your heeling game to new heights.
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Wesley Thorp: Keeping a Finished Heel Horse Sharp and Tuned
Episode 1
In this video, Three-time World Champion Heeler Wesley Thorp works a seasoned 9-year-old gelding that’s seen plenty of runs—from amateur rodeos to World Series jackpots. This horse is solid, but after a few days off, it’s time to knock the rust off and get him sharp before the next jackpot.
Wesle... -
Wesley Thorp: Tuning Up a Heel Horse After Time Off
Episode 2
Three-time World Champion Heeler Wesley Thorp shares a detailed, no-frills session bringing a 10-year-old mare back into form after time off. This video shows how he builds a horse’s confidence, balance, and timing from the back end—focusing on collection through the corner, holding position, and...
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07:33Episode 3
Heel Loop Angles
Episode 3
Clay O’Brien Cooper is the master of the heel loop, and in this video, he explains a common problem he sees with lower number heelers who come to his roping schools. Cooper explains how the angle of the heel loop stays consistent throughout the heeler’s delivery.
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On Heeling and Baseball | Loop Placement
Episode 4
American Champion heeler Ryan Motes talks through heeling theory and loop placement in an exclusive clinic to Key Card members at the 2022 US Finals.
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Full Lesson with a Standout Junior Rodeo Heeler
Episode 5
Two-time World Champion Patrick Smith spends a day fine-tuning a teenage 3 heeler, working on ground-fundamentals, position, timing, delivery and more. Smith addresses the often-overlooked horsemanship aspects of heeling, too, in order to get to the root of any issues.
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01:07Episode 6
Learn to Let Your Heel Rope Slide
Episode 6
Are you slamming your rope down to dally? Matt Sherwood explains how you should finish your run with your heel rope.
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00:47Episode 7
Sticking with the Fundamentals
Episode 7
Keeping your tip down over the steer's back is critical for catching two feet. In this quick tip, Patrick Smith works with a student to emphasize sticking to fundamentals throughout the learning process.
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Heeling Donkeys Part 1: The Benefits of a Heeling Donkey
Episode 8
A good heeling donkey can be a critical element to a heeler and horse trainer's program. Clay O'Brien Cooper has long kept a burro around his arena to heel. Here's why.
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01:52Episode 9
How To Hold The Reins And Coils
Episode 9
How should team ropers hold the reins and their coils? World Champion Matt Sherwood shows the right way to control your horse and your rope with your left hand.
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07:12Episode 10
Heeling Tips Roping the Smarty
Episode 10
Junior Nogueira breaks down sled roping runs at the Smarty Young Pro camp.
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07:15Episode 11
Why Heelers Miss
Episode 11
There are two common misses in heeling, and Clay O'Brien Cooper breaks them down.
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Roping 101: Basic Bits, Tie-downs & How To Bridle A Horse
Episode 12
Jake Barnes explains the fundamentals of bits and tie-downs and how to bridle a bit for a beginner.
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Fundamentals Of A Solid First (Heeling) Swing
Episode 13
The heeler’s first swing is critical. Here’s how to master it.
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07:49Episode 14
Trap Vs. Scoop
Episode 14
Trap vs. scoop: What's the difference? Clay O'Brien Cooper explains the difference and the perfect combination of the two.
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12:06Episode 15
Fundamental Heeling Lesson
Episode 15
In this iconic Roping.com throwback, the late, legendary Rickey Green walks you through the fundamentals of heeling.
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Heeling Donkeys Part 3: Drills on the Heeling Donkey
Episode 16
How should you heel a heeling donkey or burro? Clay O'Brien Cooper breaks down his practice plan on a heeling donkey based on what he's trying to accomplish on each horse.
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03:21Episode 17
The No. 1 Reason People Can’t Heel
Episode 17
Position is crucial when heeling. Walt Woodard breaks down why heelers struggle when heeling.
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01:41Episode 18
Distance Between Your Hands
Episode 18
How much distance do you need between your hands and why? Clay O'Brien Cooper explains how the balance between his hands affects his roping.
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02:09Episode 19
The Heeler's Grip
Episode 19
The way the heeler holds the rope in his or her hand affects the ability to swing fast and hard and control the tip.
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02:47Episode 20
Measuring, Swinging and Feeding Your Rope
Episode 20
Jake Barnes explains how a newer roper can measure out their spoke and loop and how to feed their rope.
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05:44Episode 21
Heeling Theory
Episode 21
American Champ Ryan Motes explains his theories on heeling and competition to Key Card members at the 2022 US Finals.
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01:05Episode 22
Tip Control
Episode 22
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05:36Episode 23
The Bottom Strand
Episode 23
The key to a heel loop that catches two feet is the delivery of the bottom strand. Clay O'Brien Cooper explains the importance of using the bottom strand of your rope.
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Heeling Practice on the Sawhorse- How and Why
Episode 24
Heeling the sawhorse has been a part of Clay O'Brien Cooper's regime for years. In this video, Clay explains how to rope the sawhorse and why it's so important.