It’s time to do a little re-riding. I have been going at this writing business for quite a while now and am really enjoying doing it. I have time when I am traveling by air that I used to fill by reading or trying to watch all the women and keep up on all the latest fashions for my wife.

What it does for me is really makes me think about a topic and try to explain my way of thinking about it. It is real important for me to get my feelings known without offending anyone too much, but also be man enough to stand up for what I believe.

The goal for me in doing this is to promote proper stewardship of our resources, and the proper care and handling of all animals, including humans.

The person that makes all this happen after I finish putting my thoughts on paper is Jesse Bussard. I really wish I had paid attention in school more. I must have been preparing myself for watching women’s fashion later in life to help my wife, because I sure missed a bunch of the things you are supposed to know. Jesse fixes all that and then puts it on the air.

It’s never late and she doesn’t make mistakes. If she wasn’t so dang opinionated and independent she might even be married. She also edits some things she does not think are appropriate. All kidding aside, she does more than I expect and I enjoy paying her for her skills.

Jesse tells me some of my posts are too long. I will try to shorten them up a bit. I renamed this from a blog to a scoop loop. I find the name “blog” silly.

In roping one of the most difficult loops to master is the loop called a scoop loop. You must swing and deliver it at a different angle than any other throw. It is a throw that takes lots of thought and dedication to practice to become effective at it. The thing I like about the loop is it can be thrown a short distance if needed and be effective, or you can cover a long distance with a little more energy in your swing and still get the critter you are roping caught.

So that’s what this deal is, a scoop loop. Most of the time the shorter shot is the most effective and you need to keep short, but sometimes you just have to take a longer throw to get the job done.

Again, my main goal is to promote good stockmanship for animals and good stewardship for our land. Hopefully while doing it have some fun, get some emotions going, and get you to appreciating all the wonderful things this life gives us, especially the agricultural way of life.

I sure want to thank everyone that gives me encouragement. It gives me lots of confidence, and the desire to get better at this.

As far as the folks that criticize, I am going to coil my rope up and build another loop for next week. It will be thrown with lots of enthusiasm.

~ Curt Pate