Blaine Redhorse flips script, wins NNF with heeling partner Ty Romo
Special to the Times | Lee Begaye
Blaine Redhorse of Rough Rock, Ariz., gets his rope on the steer’s horn during the short round in the team roping event at the 77th Annual Navajo Nation Fair. Redhorse teamed up with Ty Romo as the duo won the aggregate race in 16.90 seconds, which included a 6.16 run on Sunday afternoon at Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena in Window Rock.
WINDOW ROCK
For Blaine Redhorse, he’s finally flipped the script at the Navajo Nation Fair.
After several near-misses, the 31-year-old cowboy earned his first NNF title at the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena in Window Rock on Sunday afternoon.
“I’ve come back high-call a few times, but I never got one,” Redhorse said. “I either got the barrier or my heeler got a leg, so I’ve come close a few times.”
This time around, Redhorse capped this year’s fair on a positive note with heeling partner Ty Romo as the White Mountain Apache cowboy has won numerous titles at the Window Rock tribal fair.
Special to the Times | Lee Begaye
Ty Romo of Whiteriver, Ariz., captured the steer’s hind legs during Sunday’s short round in the team roping event at the 77th Annual Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock. Romo won the aggregate title with heading partner Blaine Redhorse.
“I just wanted to catch and give my partner a chance,” Redhorse said of Romo. “We’re roping at the INFR in Las Vegas, so I’m pretty excited and I don’t want to miss for him.”
The pair roped three steers in 16.90 seconds in the aggregate race as they earned three go round checks. They won the opening round with a 4.94 run, placed second in the second round with a 5.8 and first in the short go with a 6.16 run.
“Roping with Ty, it’s like I have to be more on my game,” the Rough Rock, Arizona cowboy said. “He comes here, and he means business, so if you give him a chance to win, he’s going to get it. That is the way I see it.”
In the Final Four showdown, the pair turned in a 6.16 run for the winner-take-all round.
“We drew a good steer,” Redhouse said of the bonus round. “It’s the same steer that we had in the first round, so I knew that I had to let him out slow. Once I caught him, I knew Ty wasn’t going to miss.”
Redhouse is hoping that they can replicate their success during next month’s INFR.
“We’ve never roped at the finals and when he asked me to rope with him, I was pretty excited,” Redhouse said. “I think roping with him is what I need. I’ve roped with different guys but roping with (Romo) I feel like I have a chance.
“If I can get my ducks in a row, I think we’ll do good,” he added.
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