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The goat bolls out of the chute with a rider in hot pursuit. Then the roper's loop finds its target, and in a cloud of dust, the cowboy jumps from the horse and quickly ties three legs. The tinier waves his flag, the goat bleats and another run has been made. Goal roping has been a source of entertainment l'or many years among West Texas ranchers. This event grew out of the necessity to pen the evasive Spanish goats thai roamed the pastures back in the 1920s and 30s. The San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo had goat roping as an event in 1934. and 24 goat ropers competed.
In the early days, many ranchers had goat ropings at their ranch and invited the neighbors. Very tew people had horse trailers at this time, so [he ropers rode their horses to the event. The whole family came along to these gatherings, and a biirbequc lunch made the all day goat roping a neighborly event. Eventually ranchers decided to have a big roping to determine the best roper around
Freddie Fields says, "I know they had the World Goal Roping Championship contest as early as 1982." He explained that this event drew a lot of ropers at that time. He said there was a novice and a senior division. Lady ropers either competed in the novice division or in a separate women's division. Freddie won the senior division in 1990 when it was for the "forty and over" age group. He remembered that it was held in Abilene, Texas at the time. As ropers aged, the divisions changed. Freddie said the senior division became the "fifty and over"...