Mental Aspect of Team Roping
Barnes & Cooper: Inside the Practice Pen
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18m
In this practice session, Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper switch things up—Jake rides a 7-year-old who hasn’t had a full year of roping yet, while Clay’s on a 6-year-old green horse. Together, they break down each run, how the muleys handled, and how their horses responded to different cattle and pressure situations.
In this video, they explain:
Why roping slow to medium steers helps riders and horses learn better than relying on a machine
How beginner ropers can use live cattle to develop real timing and confidence
Clay’s approach to the mental side of roping—staying positive, grounded, and focused on long-term progress
Jake’s strategy for scoring head horses: using walk scores, avoiding over-scoring, and keeping horses sharp in the box
How to recognize when a horse needs a break during practice and why stopping at the right time matters
Managing fast-footed cattle and keeping control without overexposing green horses
Real talk from Clay on balancing life, competition, and staying motivated through the ups and downs of rodeo
Part of the Barnes & Cooper: Inside the Practice Pen series, this episode blends practical roping fundamentals with honest advice about mental toughness, horse management, and what it really takes to keep going in and out of the arena.
Up Next in Barnes & Cooper: Inside the Practice Pen
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Evaluating Horses, Fresh Cattle, and ...
Team roping greats Jake Barnes and Clay Cooper take a deep dive into evaluating horses, managing fresh muley calves, and building timing as both a header and a heeler. This practice session blends practical horse training tips with mental strategies for improving consistency.
In this video, the...
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Horse Quirks, Scoring, and Muley Prac...
Jake Barnes and Clay Cooper share stories of quirky horses, the importance of scoring, and why practicing on muley cattle sharpens ropers of all levels.
They explain:
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- Scoring tips and the cues that make a head horse leave the box
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Roping “Draggers”
In this in-depth discussion, Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper break down one of the most technical—and often misunderstood—aspects of team roping: how to handle dragging or heavy steers.
Clay explains the difference between a steer that’s dragging versus one that’s getting heavy, and how the...
