4-H Roping Clinic Brings in World Champ to Teach Ropers of All Ages and Experiences

By Anthony Bailey

LSU AgCenter

LEESVILLE, La. — On a cloudy day in Leesville a group of 16 ropers crowded around Matt Sherwood, a two-time world champion of roping. Sherwood spoke to the group, made up of children, men and women from 10 to 70 years old, about the dedication needed to succeed in roping.

“The great thing about roping is you and your horse can do amazing things if you put the time in,” Sherwood said. “That’s the great thing about roping is, man, it’s up to you.”

Sherwood led a class at the Vernon Parish Covered Arena on Jan. 17 and 18 through the Beauregard and Vernon parishes’ 4-H programs. The course was designed for ropers of all experiences to improve their skills and technique under the supervision of a great in the sport.

The participants focused on team roping and were separated headers and heelers. To start with, dummies that had horns and hinged legs allowed the ropers to practice on a stationary target. The students did this for the first few hours of the event.

To be at the course, participants were expected to bring their own horses from home and, before lunch, they were able to hop on them and begin practicing roping from the horse. To imitate the movement of a steer, a four-wheeler was used with a cow dummy attached to the back, which gave the ropers a moving, but more forgiving, target.

Through these sessions, Sherwood gave advice, encouragement and suggestions on how to improve. His ability to push and motivate was exactly the reason Maddy Guitreau and Chad Hagan, 4-H agents with the LSU AgCenter, wanted Sherwood to teach this clinic in the first place.

“I presented the roping clinic because of what our mission is at 4-H — just making the best better and improving life skills, let alone just the skills that you’re interested in right now,” said Guitreau, a 4-H agent in Beauregard Parish.

After a lunch break, participants got back on their horses and began chasing real cattle. The steers were herded and controlled with help from Hagan, Guitreau and volunteers.

Once the cattle came out, the ropers ran in pairs to practice the different roles of header and heeler. This also allowed less experienced ropers to work with and watch more experienced ropers, like Mike Beasley, a dentist who works in Oakdale.

Beasley, who has been roping since the 1960s, signed up for the course to brush up on his technique before embarking on a monthlong roping trip to Arizona. At the clinic, he appreciated not only the tips that Sherwood gave him, especially on his rope handling skills, but also how much of a community was being forged with the younger generation.

“That’s the way it is in the Western world, especially around rodeo, where everybody helps everybody. And even if I wasn’t roping, I’d enjoy being here just watching the kids, really. He’s already improved them so much in just half a day,” Beasley said about Sherwood.

One of those kids is Cash Williams, the son of Kenny Williams, who also took part in the roping clinic. The elder Williams wanted to brush up on his roping skills alongside his son.

“It’s better for him to learn from somebody else than me. This is a good, good experience, especially for kids as well as older folks, too,” Kenny Williams said.

For Sherwood, he just hopes these kids stick with it and continue to work hard.

“My favorite part is seeing somebody’s been working for months and they’re just starting out, but then I come back in two years and they’ve progressed,” Sherwood said.