Tremendous effort has been put into taking Women‰Ûªs Breakaway Roping to the next level by Jennifer Casey. A sport that had once hit a ceiling once girls reached college has gained new life. With the support of great committees, we will have WPRA Breakaway Roping at eight Pro Rodeos in the 2017 rodeo season. As a Breakaway Roper, myself, I am very excited about where the future of Breakaway Roping is headed, and Horse Guard is proud to support the growth.  

WPRA Breakaway Ropings Held At Pro Rodeos

Last Stand Pro Rodeo in Coulee City, Washington kicked off the first Pro Rodeo Breakaway Roping Memorial weekend, having Breakaway in both performances and slack. Then in August, Moses Lakes Round-Up had Breakaway in two of their three performances and a slack. Canby Rodeo took the top ten contestants from a qualifying round for a special showing in their Saturday night performance. The following week, Kennewickhad Breakaway Roping in two of their four performances with women roping in the slack as well. The next day, Coeur d' Alene, Idaho had a two head slack with a short round held in conjunction with the Extreme Bull Riding. There have also been some great WPRA sanctioned Breakaway jackpots held in the Pacific Northwest through the month of July in Royal City, Washington; Oregon City, Oregon; Port Angeles, Washington, and Cottonwood, Idaho, just to name a few. The support that has been shown by producers has been incredible.

Big Pro Rodeos to Hold Breakaway Roping this Fall

With some of the biggest rodeos in the Northwest still to come, Breakaway Ropers are excited to have more opportunities to compete. Ellensburg Rodeo will hold a one-head Breakaway Roping slack Wednesday. The top 16 women from Wednesday will compete in a performance Saturday or Sunday. Horse Guard is extremely proud to have the opportunity to sponsor the first-ever Breakaway Roping at the Pendleton Round-Up. Breakaway Roping will be held on the Wednesday and Thursday performances. The top 16 Breakaway Ropers in the Columbia River Circuit will be competing. The women are very excited to have the opportunity to run "down the hill" for the first time. Roping at Pendleton Round-Up has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, as I can only imagine it has been for many others. The top 12 Breakaway Ropers in the Columbia River Circuit will then qualify to compete in the Sundome in Yakima, Washington in conjunction with the Circuit Finals in November. The women will compete in a 3 round format, after which the Circuit Champion will be determined. The WPRA roping regular season ends September 6^th for 2017. Othello PRCA Rodeo will be the kick-off Pro Rodeo for Breakaway Ropers for 2018.

Showing Promise for the Future of Breakaway Roping

It is so exciting for us to be able to showcase our roping skills on a professional level. It also provides the spectators with a new event, where they can see the versatility of the women competing. The Breakaway Ropers of the Columbia River Circuit have taken full advantage of the newest opportunity. In only the first year of Pro Rodeos having Breakaway Roping in the performances, there are already 50 Columbia River Circuit WPRA Breakaway Roping cardholders. Horse Guard will continue to support the growth of Breakaway Roping and provide the best supplements so these horses can compete at the highest level. The Breakaway Roping event has been very well received in the performances. Audiences are excited to see women compete in such a fast-pace event. The next level in Breakaway Roping looks very promising. More Pro Rodeos are already committing to having Breakaway Roping next year. It looks as though there will be more added money as well. It will be fun to see what the future holds for Breakaway Roping.