Roping is in Matt Switzer's blood.
"Some people love fishing and boating. I love rodeos," he said.
"I've just roped all my life. I've never rode bulls, or anything like that, but I love roping."
Switzer grew up on a purebred Angus ranch in the Swift Current area, so learning to rope was gaining a skill useful around the cattle.
"It helped on the ranch to know how to rope," he said.
But rodeo was in the blood too.
"My Dad (Blaine) has made the finals 28 straight years," said the younger Switzer. "So I've always kind of wanted to calf rope and team rope."
Little sister Jillian is in college, but she is also a team roping header, meaning one day it could be a brother sister team at work.
"You never know. It could happen" he said.
But for now Dad heads and Matt heels, and it has been working.
Switzer, who has lived near Yorkton for the past three-plus years, took part in the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Associations final held at the Wheat City Stampede in Brandon on the weekend. He competed in both calf roping, and in team roping with his father.
While falling short of the title in either event, Switzer did come away with the season title as heeler in the team roping event. The title was based on results at MRCA events throughout the season.
"I went to 23," said the 26-year-old cowboy, adding that took up many weekends from May through until the end of September.
Overall, there are nearly 40 sanctioned events, but Switzer noted "I didn't go to as many as I had been going to (in previous years)."
The lighter event schedule may have been something of an advantage.
"I felt a lot better, more rejuvenated all year," he said.
Fewer rodeos meant his horses were also fresher than when they were going hard to attend every rodeo they could get too.
Switzer's calf roping horse is 17, and he has ridden Smurf for years now. And keeping with the families ties for the Switzers, the horse comes from Matt's grandfather.
When it comes to heeling with his Dad Switzer borrows 10-year-old Gus from friend Ron Gillis.
"He (Gillis) gets a lot of thanks for the buckle I have in my truck," offered Switzer.
So which is tougher, to rope a calf on his own, or to tie up the heels in team roping?
"There's so many variable roping calves I can't ever say it's easy," he said, adding as a heeler he has to rely on his partner getting the head before he even gets to throw his loop.
Switzer said sometimes the horse is ready, the calves are good and it all falls into place for a run you should win on.
But the key to season success is getting into the money on nights the horse is off a little, or the calf is not the best in the pen.
"Winning the little cheques when everything's not perfect adds up, and really count," he said.
Not that there is any real money to be won in rodeo.
"It's like boating, but you don't have to pay for everything at once," he said, adding when asked how many miles he put on this season, "I don't want to know."
It helps keeping on the rodeo trail that he has found local sponsors in Flaman Sales, Fountain Tires, Hector's Auto Body and Century Glass.
In both events Switzer says he tries to practice, but added "you've got to give the horses a couple of days off, and then it's a day to pack for the next rodeo, so you don't have a lot of time."
And since Dad still lives at Swift Current they meet at rodeos, leaving little time to practice as a unit.
It helps that he has roped with his Dad for years.
"I think it helps a lot. I pretty well know what he's going to do with a steer," said Switzer. "I'm very confident in Dad."
The MRCA final was his 10th - six Manitoba events and four with the CCA -- having made it the first time at age 16.
"So I've been rodeoing 10-yrears, and I started roping when I was younger than that," he offered.
One reason for a few less rodeos this season was that Switzer took time to get married. However, he said married life is not likely to crimp his style in terms of hitting the rodeo trail in the years ahead.
"She's (wife Danielle) a barrel racer, so she'll be going with me, or going her own places," he said with a smile.
Having a rodeo performer as a partner helps too.
"She knows it's not all peaches and roses all the time," said Switzer, adding she accepts he can show up at home late after a bad run and a lot of miles, and just need time to settle.
So what makes for a good roping run?
Switzer said a lot of factors must come together to put together a great time.
"You've got to try and pick the best steer," he said, adding while rodeo organizers try to put together a pen of equal quality animals, not all calves are created equal. He added it is easy to find good calves earlier in the season, but by the time the finals roll around in October there are simply less young calves to pick from.
Switzer has one rodeo left on the schedule, already scheduled for Friday night action at the Grain Millers Harvest Showdown Rodeo, an event sanctioned by both the MRCA and the Canadian Cowboy Association. He added with a smile that he had to enter for Friday "because our wedding dance is on Saturday."
And then it's a few weeks off, and then he'll refocus on readying for another run to the finals. Switzer said his goal remains a finals win one day.
"That's always the main goal. If you don't want to win, you might as well not go," he said.
