Ep 36: On the Trail with Kelsie Chace
In this week’s episode, I had a chance to sit down with Kelsie Chace to recap our breakaway clinic in Dickinson, North Dakota. Kelsie is an unbelievable talent in the breakaway roping, but she is an even better human being. If you ever get the chance to learn from Kelsie Chace, I highly recommend you take advantage of that opportunity.
Phil: How does horsemanship affect your job as a breakaway roper?
Kelsie: Horsemanship is everything. This is an area that I have really started to focus on over the past few years because it makes my job as a roper that much easier, and it enables me to maintain my horse’s level of performance. If I run 10 calves in a row, I need my horse to work consistently all the way through that 10th run. Horsemanship allows me to do just that.
Phil: What is one of the biggest factors in your confidence as a roper?
Kelsie: Having confidence in my horse’s consistency is a big deal. When I back in the box, I want to know that my horse is going to do its job no matter what. Knowing that allows me to focus on my job of seeing my start and roping the neck.
Phil: One of the main issues we worked through at our clinic was fixing horses that have a tendency to get “sticky” in the front end. Talk a little bit about your practice routine and how you help prevent this issue from happening with your horses.
Kelsie: If my horse gets sticky in the front end, my body position gets thrown forward, and I’m not able to deliver my rope correctly. That’s why I always focus on keeping a smooth motion through their stops during practice. When I practice, I want my horse running all the way through my throw. This allows me to get into a consistent position where I have a high catch percentage. I don’t sit my horses in the ground hard very often. Instead, I just let my horses slow down and make sure their front feet are always moving. I want them pedaling their front end and easing into their stops. When my horses run all the way through my throw and maintain forward motion, it gives me a much wider range that I can pull off a shot. And, by maintaining that smooth forward motion, I’m helping my horse prepare to stop.
Phil: What are some of the main challenges that students work through at your schools?
Kelsie: The biggest thing that stands out for me is seeing the transition from ground work to horse work. Most of the time, students are very strong ropers on the ground roping the dummy, but when we move to horseback, some of them will turn into completely different ropers. I think this just emphasizes the importance of horsemanship in the roping. I don’t care how good you can rope the dummy on the ground if it all falls apart when you get on a horse. Sometimes, making this transition isn’t easy, but it’s essential. I try to teach people how to use your horse to support their roping. The second thing that stands out is being able to maintain their horses. A lot of times, the first couple of runs will be good, then we start to have problems and spend the rest of the time fixing them. I want to create consistency with each horse so that they can be just as strong on the 10th run as they were on the 1st.
Phil: Let’s talk about the start.
Kelsie: I talk about the score with people a lot, but I believe it is a very individual decision. I encourage people to figure out their timing and what they want to see, and learn to be confident with it. The start for you and the start for me might be two totally different things. When I’m trying to figure out the start, I like to sit behind the box and get a feel for the timing of the start for this pen of calves. I also take into account what horse I am on and how quickly they come across the line. Another thing that plays a big role in my start is my horse. I have to be able to know that my horse is going to score solid no matter what. If I cheat the start, it just sets my run up for failure. So, in the practice pen, I score a lot.
Phil: How do you like to describe the start?
Kelsie: A lot of people will say “see a step,” but this isn’t my favorite way to describe the start. My version of a step might be different than your version of a step. Because, if you say “see a step” or “see a head drop” that calf’s step might be smaller or larger than the one before or it might drop its head and not take a step at all. If I’m trying to watch for something around the end of the gate, I will probably be late. Instead, I like to watch the body of the calf and see how far it moves.
Phil: I think it’s realistic to estimate that a world champion will win 20-30% of the time. Even at the highest competitive level, we know that we are going to lose a few. Our win percentages may fluctuate. How do you keep your mind right from run to run?
Kelsie: Backing in the box feeling confident is my number one thing. I always try to find at least one positive out of each run to carry with me to the next run. “I scored good, my horse ran hard, I roped sharp.” That’s what I told myself after my last run. Even though I didn’t win anything, if I can take that with me to the next roping, my mind is set up for me to win. If I’m going to put my money up, I am at least going to fake it, even if I’m not feeling 100% confident. There are some days I have to really convince myself to feel confident, but the more I do that, the more confident I become. Some days, I am not going to draw the calf that allows me to win first—and, that is okay.
Phil: What advice do you have for young ropers?
Kelsie: I absolutely love what I do. I try not to take any opportunity for granted. I am so excited for the breakaway roping industry and the new opportunities that are unfolding for us every day. The thing that really excites me is knowing that the youngest generation of ropers will never know anything different. The future for breakaway roping is so bright, and I encourage everyone to embrace this and never quit trying to improve themselves. Horsemanship is the foundation of great roping, so if you aren’t confident in this area yet, find someone who will help you get confident in this area.
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