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Trick roping

Trick roping is an entertainment or competitive art involving the spinning of a lasso or lariat. It is particularly associated with wild west shows or western arts in the United States.

The lasso is a well known-tool of American cowboys, who developed rope spinning and throwing skills in using lassos to catch animals. Cowboys developed various tricks to show off their prowess with the lasso and demonstrations of these tricks evolved into entertainment and competitive disciplines.

There is a well-established repertoire of tricks that can be divided into three fundamental categories: "flat loop", "vertical loop" and "butterfly". In addition there are thrown loop tricks and tricks that involve the use of two ropes. Among the vertical loop tricks is the "Texas Skip", which involves the performer spinning the lasso in a wide loop in a vertical plane and jumping through the loop from one side to the other on each rotation.[1]

Actor Will Rogers, known for his roles as a cowboy, was an exponent of trick roping.


  1. Bunks, Carey D (1996), The Lasso: A Rational Guide to Trick Roping, Carey Bunks (Boston), http://www.juggling.org/books/lasso, retrieved 2007-04-16 

See also

  • Bullwhip
  • Impalement arts
  • Knife throwing
  • Wild West Shows

External links


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