Hoolihan Roping Trick by western author Stephen Bly

Western cowboys roping wild horses

I never laid any claim to being a roper, but I do enjoy tossing a loop now and then. One thing you learn right away. There are different types of throws to lasso a critter. One of the slickest is what old timers call the hoolihan.

Most often used when the cowboy worked from the ground, the hoolihan proved to be a favorite throw on cattle drives for roping the next horse out of the remuda. This quick, accurate throw doesn’t spook the other horses in line to be caught.

Here’s how to do it. Carry loop in your hand. When you get close enough to the horse, swing one brisk rotation in front of him toward the right. Then pull the loop over this head. When done right, the loop falls on the horse’s head flat and open, then drops straight down with the honda sliding down the rope. It takes up slack as it moves, so avoids the whirling around the head of standard roping procedure.

The other horses don’t know what’s happening. Quick, fast, sneaky, like the secret stalk of temptation that plays on the mind. No pre-warning to you or to others close by who could also get caught in the trap.

2 Corinthians 2:11 cautions to be prepared “that Satan might not outwit us … for we are not unaware of his schemes.” Our main enemy ropes us in with subtle attacks more often than outright assaults. We can get grabbed while we’re on the way to do something else, just minding our business. That’s why we need to be alert at all times.

Some Hoolihan Advice

We all face temptations. They can’t be prevented. But we can watch out so we aren’t caught in a sinister, spiritually damaging hoolihan. Shake free of that loop at the first sign, as soon as you sense the shadowy presence nearby, hovering over you.

Stephen Bly, Copyright©1993,2010

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“How’s Your Hoolihan?” AUDIO PODCAST EPISODE by award-winning western author Stephen Bly:

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Check out this Code of the West series western novel by Stephen Bly: I’m Off To Montana To Throw The Hoolihan ... Off To Montana To Throw The Hoolihan western / Bly Books