Hot Heels Patents Steer Roping Practice Apparatus

United States Patent No. 11,040,261

Recently, our firm successfully assisted one of our clients, Alan Copenhaver and Hot Heels of Hinton, Iowa in obtaining U.S. Patent No. 11,040,261 on a “SYSTEM FOR TURNING A STEER ROPING PRACTICE APPARATUS.”  Hot Heels produces and sells steer roping practice apparatus for participants in competitive team steer roping competitions, and strives to develop apparatus with body parts that have highly realistic movements to provide the most effective roping practice experience short of working with a real steer.  Mr. Copenhaver realized that realistic movement of the roping practice apparatus across the ground is also important for effective practice, and developed a system for towing the practice apparatus across the ground while guided by a tether to a central post.  Rather than simply following a circular path about the post, the system has a turning device that causes the practice apparatus to move along a straight line for at least a portion of the path about the post to provide predictable movement of the practice apparatus that simulates the way that a steer would run away from the practicing roper.

Written By: Jeffrey A. Proehl