November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Senior Tie-Down Roping

Twisters Enola Gay wins rope-off for the world championship.

by Laura Stevens
The American Quarter Horse Journal

The best of the best battled it out in the senior tie-down roping finals November 19.

Fifteen contestants threw loops, but there was a surprise in store: both Robbie Schroeder on Irish Whiskey Mix, and C.R. Bradley on Twisters Enola Gay had tied with a score of 223.5.

Each cowboy made another run, but in the end, C.R. emerged victorious with a 225 to claim the senior tie-down roping championship at the 2010 AQHA World Championship Show.

Heading into the finals, C.R. had a pretty simple plan to “catch and make as good of a run as I could.”

C.R. roped off of his 18-year-old mare, whom he affectionately calls “Roanie.” As announcer Zeb Bell noted, she’s like a fine wine: she just gets better with age. The mare already has three world titles to her name in senior tie-down roping.

“She’s been working really good,” C.R. said.

“I just wanted her to work her best.”

Roanie certainly worked well. The Bradley family tries hard to keep the experienced mare fresh. They gave her last year off, and C.R.’s mom rides her occasionally.

“I didn’t rope a calf on her this year until May,” C.R. said with a smile. “I roped one calf, went to the first horse show, and qualified her.”

Besides a few rodeos, Roanie has had “a real relaxed life,” according to C.R.

Wife Rosie and son Cooper help keep Roanie legged-up, too.

“We ride her every day,” C.R. said. “But she doesn’t get roped on too much!”

C.R. said tie-down roping requires a horse with a lot of heart.

“It takes a tough horse … They have to work on their own. There’s a lot of pressure because the calf runs really hard.”

Roanie is “real solid,” C.R. said. “She scores really good; she tries really hard.”

“The bigger the event, the harder she tries.”

Roanie will be giving her all to another rider soon; C.R. said she may be heading to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in a few weeks.