Comments & Testimonials

Hi Bobby,

Dear Bobby, Just a quick not to let you know how much I enjoyed the school and how helpful what I learned will be in the future. Something's I knew but did not practice. I've had my boys to roping schools in the past, but never had the opportunity myself. I feel your explanations and presentations far exceed those of other instructors. Thanks again I feel I made a good friend Thanks again J.J. Cocke

I attended the five day Roping Camp in June of 2004. I have been roping for about 10 years and just had my number raised to a #3 in May of 2004. I am a 63 year old header. Previously I had been to three weekend schools, at two of them Bobby was the healer instructor.... so I knew of his style.
The Roping Camp was a truly an outstanding experience. Outstanding in terms of environment, amount of roping done and the lessons learned. It far exceeded my expectations. In terms of the environment I mean: the people, the location, the arena, the cattle, the meals and mostly Bobby, and his family and friends. We were made to feel totally welcome, treated like very special guests and fed like kings and queens. Once we arrived, unloaded our horses and unhooked our trailers our only responsibility was to care for our horses, be ready to rope at the appointed time and come to the table when called. The rural ranch setting is beautiful and void of distractions. A great opportunity and place to learn.
We did a lot of roping in spite of a few challenges thrown in by the old weather man. We roped for five days and by my count about 130 steers. There were only five teams and the pace was perfect. We would rope a line or two, take a break to freshen up and relax mentally and physically, then back at it again. When Bobby sensed we were more or less just going through the motions he would call a halt and get us thinking about what we came for again. It was just great.
In terms of learning, it was a fantastic experience. Bobby is a great teacher and coach. He requires you to work to get the mechanics correct and them seems to somehow give you the freedom to still rope with your own style. His coaching on horsemanship is superb. He won't let you... let your horse cheat you. He can tell you what is wrong, how to fix it and coach you through making the change. I was able to make and then maintain some important improvements in horsemanship. Just as a reference, I have ridden since I was five.
As an example of the learning: starting with my second steer on Wednesday morning and going until late Thursday afternoon I was able to rope 38 steers in succession, slick horned, using 3 different horses. This was and remains a personal best for me. The constant, accurate feedback and coaching are what made this possible. Having five days to work on this, giving it your undivided attention, with great coaching is a win-win situation. Since returning home, I have had the best summer ever in terms of roping ability and results. To me that says it all. I am going to go back next summer if possible for more "therapy" (smile).
On more thing I really enjoyed was the other people at the camp. We got to know each other quite well. All the ropers were extremely supportive of one another and we provided a lot of encouragement to each other. I believe this fed off of Bobby's approach to teaching and coaching. This added significantly to the enjoyment and the learning process. Bobby is an excellent host and truly enjoyed having us there. His son Ryan and daughter Kendall were a lot of fun and a big help. Then there was Alice, the main cook, what a great job and what wonderful food, morning to night.
I can heartily recommend this camp to anyone who sincerely wants to improve his or her roping skills, and is willing to work at it. I think it is obvious from the comments that I really had a good time. Monte Alkire, Cazenovia, Illinois.

Dear Bobby,

I just want to Thank-you for the time that you spent on me in helping me become a better roper. On the way home on Sunday I told my mom that I feel that I have learned alot. I have the confidence now tht I need to help me do good in the rodeos and roping that I will be going to. Your school was the best that I have ever went to and I had a great time! Thanks again for such a fun and eventful clinic. I hope that some day I can be like you. Friends Nolan Echhardt