Utah barn builder now making Roping Buddy - just in time for Christmas
Looking for that special gift for a young cowboy or cowgirl on your Christmas shopping list? Well, S & S Barns and Buildings of West Jordan, Utah has the perfect Christmas gift for young rodeo fans. How about a Roping Buddy practice device that can be used indoors and does not require a bale of hay.
Steve Mills of S & S Barns and Buildings teamed up with Salt Lake City Radio Host and Rodeo Journalist Cowboy Ted, to create the Roping Buddy. Mills and his staff are now building the Roping Buddies in a variety of colors for young ropers.
Cowboy Ted has been taking a prototype version of the Roping Buddy to schools and libraries for nearly two years as he uses the device to teach kids to rope the indoor bull during his Healthy Lifestyle visits with kids across the state of Utah and western Wyoming. Mills added some improvements on the design and started painting the Roping Buddy with a black and white cow print design and later adding red, white and blue Roping Buddies and recently adding a variety of colors to choose from as you customize your own Roping Buddy.
The Roping Buddy consists of a heavy plastic steer head mounted into a sturdy metal frame that will easily fit into the trunk of most cars and also easily fit into a horse trailer tack room or pick-up truck. The Roping Buddy is also compact enough to be used indoors for winter roping practice sessions in basements, garages and playrooms.
The Roping Buddy has a retail price of $65 and is available in Utah at Saddle Up tack, feed and western wear store in South Jordan, Utah which is located on Redwood Road near the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park. Mills also plans to have Roping Buddies available at his S & S Barns and Buildings booth at the big Country Christmas exhibit, which is held during the week of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
Cowboy Ted also has a few Roping Buddies that he takes to events and which he offers for sale to the public. However, he suggests that young cowboys and cowgirls take their parents to S & S Barns or Saddle Up so they can choose from a larger assortment of Roping Buddies. Families that already own a plastic or fiberglass steer or calf head can take it into to Saddle Up or S & S Barns and see if it fits the Roping Buddy frame, which can be purchased separately for a reduced price.
"I think the Roping Buddy is great for kids and they can learn to rope in almost any environment and location and the weather wonÕt slow you down because you can easily take the Roping Buddy indoors for practice sessions, Cowboy Ted reported. I have been taking my Roping Buddy to rodeos and schools and libraries for a few years now and the kids love to rope with the help of this device."
"Steve Mills from S & S Barns & Buildings has made some great adaptations to my original frame and now I use the new design exclusively and it has been well received by kids and adults all over the Intermountain West. Steve and I have made sure the Roping Buddy is durable, practical, and affordable. It sure is nice to be able to practice roping without having to haul a messy bale of hay along with you"
Educators, parents and rodeo fans have praised the Roping Buddy and the convenience it provides for young roping fans across the western states. The Roping Buddy is the answer for the long winters along the Wasatch Front and other mountain states. Take your roping practice indoors with the help of the Roping Buddy.
Bring a smile to the face of the young cowboy or cowgirl on your Christmas list with a Roping Buddy priced at only $65 and sold exclusively by S & S Barns and Saddle Up. Stop by S & S Barns during the Country Christmas in Las Vegas, or stop by Saddle Up Tack, Feed and Western Wear, located at 11445 South Redwood Road near the Salt Lake Equestrian Park in South Jordan, Utah.