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If you are going to watch a breakaway calf roping, don't blink or you might miss it. In this all or nothing event, the contestant's goal is to throw his rope as fast as he can. Winning times often range in the 2-3 second zone and times are recorded in the tenths of a second.
Like the calf roping, the contestant and his horse
start from behind a "barrier", whish is a piece of equipment designed to give the calf a head start and to ensure that all contestants begin their competition run at the exact same point. If the cowboy starts too soon and "breaks" the barrier, their time is assessed a ten-second penalty. In a speed event like breakaway roping, that penalty can be devastating.
Horse and rider pursue the calf and as soon as the cowboy comes into range, he throes his loop and catches the calf around the neck, while simultaneously stopping his horse.
The rope is tied to the saddle with a piece of string and when the horse stops, the calf continues to run and the string breaks. The flagger drops his flag and the time stops. The only "legal" catch in the breakaway is around the calf's neck, all other catches receive a no time. Unlike the calf roping, in the breakaway roping, the rider never dismounts from his horse and does no have to "tie" the calf.
