A few months ago, I was roping in Hays, Ks.  It was cold and I had a glove on.  Well to make a long story short, I dally thumb down instead of thumb up (stupid).  Roped this steer, cut loose, felt something funny in my hand. I pulled my glove off and a whle lot of blood and a thumb fell to the arena floor.  Well everyone around went ape-sh!t.  Tried to rush me to the hospital, so we get outa the arena and relize that I don't have my thumb.  So we all go bad in and follow the blood trail to try and find it.  Found it and had it reattached.  Not something I would reccomend--nothing quite as refreshing as have your thumb rope burned off.

Goat roping is dangerous stuff!

Were you heading or heeling?  

I do a little roping from time to time (heeling).  I know plenty of folks that have lost or have mangled fingers from getting them caught in the dally.  My dad gets pretty pissed when I try to rope now because I am a general surgery resident and he is concerened that I won't be able to operate as a 9 fingered surgeon.  

Where abouts are you from?  I live in Wichita and graduated from K-State in 1997.

Heading, Yeah--it is probably not the smartest thing to to.  


North of Colby originally

Hey Wildcat,

Only a few problems with your post:

1. Nobody goes to Hays except people that go to Ft. Hays State University.
2. IF someone had to go to Hays, they would not go there when it is cold because it is usually windy AND cold, the combination is miserable!
3. Dally thumb up at all times. If you can't find the horn thumb up then quit riding some sort of circle Y, cheyenne roll, swell forked saddle with a little nubbin' for a dally post. What you need is a slick fork, bukaroo seated saddle with a 5 or 6 in dally post that looks like a fence post stuck on the top of the fork.

I saw a guy, tied off hard and fast, doing some steer jerking, doctoring yearlings in a pasture. He roped a big steer and his horse started bailing off to the left hard, but a loop of his rope snaked around his right leg just below the knee. When the steer hit the end of the slack and flipped, his leg just popped off right below the knee. It was really bad but he lived through it they could not reattach his leg. I hate roping on horses trained to steer jerk or ones that like tied hard and fast. Whe you are heading, as soon as they hear that slack go by thier heads, they bail off hard to the left and can unass you pretty easy. Very embarrassing in an arena, potentially deadly in a big pasture 20 miles from home!
BTW, Go 'Cats! K-Stater, 1989. I loved Rockabelly Deli in Aggieville!

My sister-in-law teaches at K-State.  Works in the equine department.

I only went there for a year before moving out of state.

1. Now how can you not like Hays, great party town!  Gotta love the Sip 'n' Spin.

2. I grew up in cold and windy--way-western Kansas/eastern Colo---So it doesn't bother me at all.

3. Yes daddy, never quite heard the end of that one... (it just doesn't feel natural--although I do it now religiously)

4. Rockabelly is a gay bar---did you know that?


Go Kats!  KSU Vet Med 1991

Really is she the new girl?  I get down there quite a bit

No Shit?!?!?! When I was there it was a sandwich place. If it is, then I emphatically rescind my earlier comment and officially deny that was ever there!

Yeah, I go there occasionally when I get down to Manhattan---still a cool place to eat and have a few drinks----until they start coming out