Is there a hooey in your plan?

"Careful you've got a hooey!" the words were becoming all too familiar. In this context hooey isn't nonsense or silly talk, it is a warning.

My efforts to manage the 40 foot ranch rope proved the skills I'd developed thus far in life, seemed of little use. Setting the loop was one thing, throwing it presented a whole different set of challenges. My eye hand coordination was pitiful!

If you are of the mind that working with a horse represents a life and death scenario, you'll warm to the fact that adding a rope, and a calf, increases the risk exponentially.

The ranch roping clinic reinforced the importance of preparation, planning and adaptability in most everything we do. Demonstrating confidence that I could do it was one thing, but more importantly I had to provide leadership to maintain the trust of my horse.

Being committed to your leadership values and goals throughout a process of change is critical to the outcome and the relationships you need to maintain. While my vision may have been to get out there and rope a calf there were a number of short-term goals I first had to achieve.

I've read "credibility is one of the hardest attributes to earn and sustain - and the most fragile - It is earned minute by minute, hour by hour, month by month - but can be lost in very short order."1

In my attempts to swing the rope my horse was making her concern of this new venture quite clear. Without some careful preparation she was more than ready to leave me in the dirt. I had to demonstrate credible behaviour. My actions had to support my horse and allow her to prepare so she understood her job, only then would she be a willing participant.

When I finally got the hang of the rope I could focus on the plan. When my enthusiasm got in the way and my actions didn't include my horse she would backed off and we would have to start over. As with any activity with a horse you have to remain emotional neutral continually demonstrating you are there to support them and ready to adapt to what shows up.

Like my loop, the whole process could all fall apart in a moment and once again in the midst of the herd I'd hear. "You've got a hooey!"

For those of you questioning the practice of roping. Ranch roping was required long before team and calf roping became a pastime. The goal in ranch roping is to move slow and minimize stress in order to doctor a calf. Keith Stewart even demonstrated how to rock a calf to sleep. The calf was so relaxed she laid there for a while after the ropes were removed, got up, stretched and walked over to the rest of the herd.

1- Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge