DALLY TEAM ROPING

DALLY TEAM ROPING
I. Time Limit:
There will be a thirty (30) second time limit with optional one (1)
minute time limit at state/province rodeos. There will be a mandatory
thirty (30) second time limit at the National High School Finals
Rodeo.
The judge will determine legitimate time allowed before contestant
calls for animal.
II. General Rules:
1. Contestant may change horses in team roping.
2. Roping Box — shall be a part of the arena during team roping.
3. Refer to page 120 for Score Line Diagram.
4. Once score line has been set in timed events, it will not be changed
in that go nor can length of box be changed.
5. Lap and Tap - no barrier to be used. If barrier judge is used to flag
the start, he shall flag the animal when animal’s nose crosses the
starting line.
6. The line judge must have a tape measure in his possession in case
the short end of the barrier is carried. The pigtail of the barrier should
not exceed 10 inches in length. A longer pigtail on a barrier will often
be carried when the barrier should have been broken. If the pigtail is
carried more than 10 feet from the pin, the barrier may be waived,
providing the contestant did not obviously beat the barrier. However,
if the contestant has obviously broken the barrier you may still
impose a beating- the-barrier penalty.
7. Should the barrier break at any point other than designated breaking
point, the decision is up to the barrier judge. If contestant obviously
beats the barrier, but the staples are pulled or barrier rope is
broken and string unbroken, barrier judge may assess a ten- second
fine. Otherwise, this will not be considered a broken barrier.
8. If automatic barrier does not work but time is recorded, team will
get time, but there will be no penalty for broken barrier.
9. If automatic barrier fails to work and official time has not started,

contestant will get stock back if stock is qualified on in the field, therefore,
entitling contestant to a rerun without penalties.
10. If automatic barrier fails to work, and stock is brought back, contestants
must take the same animal over during or immediately after
the same performance.
11. If barrier equipment hangs on animal and contestants try the animal,
they accept animal. If contestants pull up, they will receive the
same animal back.
12. Steer belongs to contestants when they call for it, regardless of
what happens with the following exceptions:
a. In any timed event, if an animal escapes from the arena, the
field judge will drop flag and all watches will be stopped. Contestant
will receive original animal back with a lap-and- tap start. Time
already accumulated will be added to time used to complete the qualifying
run. If time is not recorded, the contestant will receive a 10- second
penalty for any jump or any loop used.
b. In cases of mechanical failure.
c. If, in the opinion of the line judge, contestant is fouled by barrier,
contestants shall get their steer back, providing they declare themselves
by pulling up.
d. In case the field judge flags out a team that still legally has one
or more loops coming, the judge may give the same steer back, lap
and tap, plus time already lapsed and any barrier penalties. If time
was not recorded, the team will receive a 10- second penalty for any
loop used. Team to only get to use remaining loops.
13. A contestant must be on his/her horse and his/her horse must
break the plane of the barrier with his/her draw breaking the plane of
the score line before he/she is allowed to compete.
14. Time to be taken between two flags.
15. It shall be the arena director’s responsibility to see that contestants
compete on the stock drawn for them. In the event of a mistake, stock
drawn for must be run during that performance and only that time or
score taken.
16. This event shall not be conducted with an open catch pen gate at
any rodeo.
III. Event Rules:
1. This event is to be one event only. It may be entered as 2 boys, 2 girls,
or 1 boy and 1 girl on one team. Only four teams may qualify for
National High School Finals Rodeo, except for all ties for fourth position
team.
2. Partners’ points shall be added together to form a team at
District/State/Province Finals. If either partner is disqualified, both
are out of team roping.
3. A dally team roper can only enter once at any rodeo with the part99
ner of his or her choice OPTIONAL AT STATE/PROVINCE LEVEL:
however, a team roping contestant with no partner may request a
partner be supplied as a drawn partner from a volunteer list of
entered team roping contestants. This option is available only three
times. Thereafter, the team roping contestant must enter with a partner.
No points will be awarded to the drawn partner. No drawn partners
will be allowed at State/Province Finals Rodeos. They must, however,
use the partner with which they qualified at the State/Province
Finals to enter the National High School Finals Rodeo, unless his or
her partner can not attend the National High School Finals Rodeo,
then he or she can pick a new partner, provided the new partner had
competed at their State/Province Finals in Team Roping.
4. All changes in lists of roping order to split horses, etc., must be made
before any stock for that event is loaded in chute.
5. After stock is loaded, ropers must rope in order listed.
6. Header will start behind barrier using either box, and must throw
the first loop at head.
7. Heeler must start from behind barrier line.
8. Time will be taken when steer is roped, both horses facing steer in
line with ropes dallied and tight, horse’s front feet must be on the
ground.
9. Each contestant will be allowed to carry only one rope.
10. Each team allowed three throws in all.
11. At the National High School Finals Rodeo only, a team can carry
only two loops in the first two go- rounds.
12. Roping steer without turning lose of the loop will be considered a
no catch.
13. Roper must dally to stop steer or change steer’s direction.
14. No tied ropes allowed.
15. The word “dally” means one complete turn around the horn.
16. Ropers must be mounted when time is taken.
17. Steer must be standing up when roped by head or heels.
18. No foul catches can be removed by hand.
19. If steer is roped by one horn, roper is not allowed to ride up and
put rope over other horn or head with his hands.
20. If the heeler ropes a front foot or feet in the heel loop, this is a foul
catch. Neither contestant may remove the front foot or feet from loop
by hand. However, should the front foot or feet come out of the heel
loop by the time the field judge drops his flag, time will be counted.
21. In case the field flag judge flags out a team that still legally has one
or more loops coming, the judge may give the same steer back lap and
tap, plus time already lapsed and any barrier penalty.
IV. Scoring and Penalties:
1. In order for time to be considered official, barrier flag must operate.

2. Timed event judge will not flag contestants out until time is recorded.
3. Judge is to flag time, then flag contestants out if run is not legal.
4. There will be a ten- second penalty assessed for breaking the barrier.
5. Roping steer without releasing loop from hand will disqualify
catch.
6. Contestants will be disqualified for any abusive treatment of steer
or their horses.
7. There will be only three (3) legal head catches:
a. Both horns.
b. Half a head.
c. Around the neck.
8. If hondo passes over one horn, the loop over the other, the catch is
illegal.
9. If loop crosses itself in the head catch, it is illegal. This does not
include heel catches.
10. No rattling of chute. A timed event contestant may not have someone
rattle the chute for him/her. This applies in both the performance
and the slack. The contestant and/or person rattling the chute shall be
disqualified.
10. Any heel catch behind both shoulders is legal if rope goes up heels.
11. One hind foot receives five- second penalty.
12. The steer’s entire body must be turned and moving forward in tow
before the heel loop can be thrown. However, if the steer stops it must
only be in tow for the heel loop to be legal. Any heel loop thrown in the
switch is considered a crossfire and is illegal and will receive a no
time.
13. Steer must not be handled roughly at any time, and ropers may be
disqualified if, in the opinion of the field judge, they have intentionally
done so.
14. In the event a team roper is disqualified or injured, that team will
be eliminated from that event.
15. If header accidentally jerks steer off his feet or steer trips or falls,
header must not drag steer over eight feet before steer regains his feet
or team will receive no score.
16. If any part of the pusher breaks the plain of the chute gate before
the steer releases the barrier, the contestant receives a no time.
17. Broken rope or dropped rope will be considered no time.
18. If the front foot is in the loop when the header dallies, turns off
and changes the direction of the steer, it will be an automatic no time.
19. Time should be taken with the average of two (2) times at all
Rodeos.

V. Reruns:
1. In any timed event, if an animal escapes from the arena, flag will
be dropped and watches stopped. Contestant will get animal back
with lap and tap start, and time already spent will be added to time
used in qualifying plus barrier penalties, if any.
2. If rope is on animal, contestants will get animal Lap and Tap with
rope on it in chute.
3. No rerun will be given due to faulty or broken equipment furnished
by contestant.
4. If the judge sees he has made an error in flagging, he must declare
a rerun before the contestants leave the arena.
5. A steer must be rerun before it is used by another contestant.
6. When both the digital clocks malfunction and no time was recorded
from digital watches, if stock was qualified on in the field, contestant
will be given a rerun at a time designated by the Judges and the
Arena Director, plus any barrier penalties. If barrier penalties, then
lap and tap start.
7. If artificial horns are jerked off, contestants will receive rerun on
same steer, with no penalties other than barrier penalties.
8. In team roping, if an animal fails to break the neck rope and time
is officially started by the contestant, that animal belongs to the contestant.
However, if time is started by the animal and the header and
heeler remain behind the plain of the barrier for approximately 10
seconds that animal should be considered a sulking animal and
replaced using the misdraw procedure.
VI. Officials:
1. There shall be two or more timers, a field flag judge and a barrier
judge.
2. A field flag judge must ask contestants if they want a second loop.
Once contestants have been flagged out, they will receive no stock
back.
3. Barrier judge is responsible to change barrier string whenever it
may have been weakened, or on request of next contestant.
4. Barrier judge shall keep a record of the length of the barrier trip
rope each performance to assure the same start for contestants, each
performance.
5. Barrier equipment must be inspected by the judge before each
timed event. If equipment is faulty, it must be replaced.
6. If barrier flagman is used, the animal is to be flagged when crossing
starting or deadline, in front of flagman.
7. Barrier judge shall be sure than nobody can stand close enough to
barrier or barrier equipment to tamper with same.
8. A tape must be on hand for the barrier judge to measure score line.
9. Height of barrier in timed events shall be from 32” to 36” measured

at the center of the box.
10. Adjusting length of barrier trip rope will be accomplished only by
tying knots in the rope on either end.
11. Any questions as to catches in this event will be decided by the
judges.
VII. Optional Rules:
1. At any rodeo in any roping event, State/Province Associations may
implement a ground rule limiting team ropers to one loop each roper.
Not to apply to State/Province or National Finals.
2. Electric timers are optional at State/Province level.