Women’s breakaway roping to be added to Badlands Circuit Finals in Minot
Des Lacs cowgirl qualified for the circuit finals
Minot, N.D. (September 23, 2019) – A new event has been added to the Minot Y’s Men’s Rodeo.
Women’s breakaway roping will be held during the rodeo October 4-6 at the State Fair Center in Minot.
The breakaway roping is similar to the tie-down roping but the cowgirl is not required to dismount from her horse to flank and tie the animal. A string is tied from the rope to the saddle horn, and after the animal is roped, the rope “breaks away” from the saddle horn. Times in the breakaway roping are often two to four seconds, making it a fast-paced event for spectators.
A Des Lacs, N.D. cowgirl knows all about breakaway roping.
Jordyn Schaefer is ranked fourth in the Badlands Circuit, pro rodeo’s designation of rodeos in North Dakota and South Dakota, and will compete in Minot.
The 24 year old has been riding since she grew up as a kid on her dad’s family’s ranch. She competed in high school rodeo and in 2013, her senior year of high school, was the North Dakota State High School Rodeo champion breakaway roper.
A cowgirl’s horse is an important part of the breakaway competition, and Schaefer has a special one. Robert, a seventeen-year-old palomino quarter horse, is a “grade” horse, meaning he has no special breeding. But he is good at the breakaway roping and loves to run. “He’s special,” Schaefer said. But he’s not always fun. “He’s miserable to ride in the pasture or the field. He has a lot of energy and he likes to run. He wants to go and work.”
Robert carried Schaefer to the National High School Finals Rodeo in 2012 and 213, and she has won two reserve breakaway titles on him in the N.D. Rodeo Association.
The bond between the horse and the cowgirl needs to be strong for a good partnership in the arena, Schaefer said, and she is attuned to her horse. “I know him like the back of my hand,” she said. “I know how he works, and what he’s like.”
Schaefer is excited about the inaugural year for the breakaway roping at the Y’s Men’s Rodeo. The top twelve breakaway ropers will compete at the rodeo, which plays host to the Badlands Circuit Finals.
It’s an honor to rope at the rodeo, she said. “I never could imagine roping with all the pros,” she said, “especially at a hometown rodeo for me. It’s pretty special.”
The breakaway roping will be held immediately after the bull riding during each performance of the Y’s Men’s Rodeo. The rodeo takes place October 4-5, with 7 pm evening performances on Oct. 4-5 and afternoon matinees on Oct. 5-6.
Tickets range in price from $8-$33 and can be purchased online at http://www.MinotYsMensRodeo.com and at the gate. Tickets are also available at the Minot Family YMCA from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.
Tickets for the 1 pm matinee on Sat., Oct. 5 are discounted.
For more information, visit the website.
–Minot Y’s Men’s Rodeo
