#Inthearena365: Second day less shiny

So yesterday was the second day in the rope pen for me. As promised with #inthearena365 I would share the less shiny side, the less sexy side. The process is not always butterflies and roses. 

It seems to me, that the second day returning to an activity, it should be expected that the tarnish appears. The rust really shows up. The first day is exciting and butterflies and some beginner's luck always creeps back in. 

You think, " Gosh, how can this be bad? It is only up from here!" 

Well for me, it was a tough day. A tough day does not have to equal a bad day. Although, I'll be honest it took me a minute to work through that. 

So I had a hard time with position. The key to roping fast is getting into position fast. Period. There is a lot of rust and a lot of things that have to happen quickly to get your calf roped. The weakness that I'm working through definitely reared its head yesterday. If you don't have the strength to take the hit of leaving the box, then you won't have control over your tip. Your tip needs to be at your target not in the air or pointing anywhere else. Power and control come from the core and pelvis. 

As many cowboys have said before you have to have a short memory in rodeo. So I'm taking the positives: my start was better, position started getting better towards the end, my horse stopped better. I'm working on the negatives: weakness, reading cattle, positioning, etc. And we're on to the next one ol' son! 

​I have a plan for this week. I have a plan for when I step In the rope pen again. Hurry up sunshine and better weather, ready for more consistency!