'Fast-paced and exciting': Ladies breakaway roping added to Calgary Stampede rodeoon March 14, 2025 at 8:24 pm

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is adding one of the fastest-growing rodeo events to its 2025 show. Read More

In the event, the rope breaks away easily from the saddle, preventing injury to the calf

Ladies breakaway roping — Ashlee Keith of Barrhead competes in the ladies breakaway roping event at the Whitecourt Woodlands Rodeo. Postmedia file photo

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The greatest outdoor show on earth is adding one of the fastest-growing rodeo events to its 2025 show.

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Ladies breakaway roping will debut at the Calgary Stampede this year, the first time the southern Alberta staple has added a rodeo event since 1979.

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Presented in partnership with the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), the event is officially sanctioned — meaning prize money counts toward competitors world standings.

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It’s an “extraordinarily” fast-paced event, with winning times clocking in under two seconds.

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“It really is a momentous occasion,” said Navada Phipps, western events specialist for the Calgary Stampede in a Friday interview.

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Breakaway roping has taken a “significant trajectory of growth” over the last five to 10 years, she said.

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Exceptional horsemanship and roping skill come together to make ladies breakaway roping come to life.

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The goal of the event sounds simple: rope a calf, stop the horse, break the rope from the saddle horn and record the fastest time — but flawless execution requires years of training.

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A competitor will race out of the box after a calf, swinging their rope before throwing it.

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“Once that rope has been thrown … the horses stop very quickly,” said Phipps.

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“Very fast-paced and exciting for our crowd, and our crowd is going to get it very quickly … even if this isn’t an event that they’ve seen in the past,” she said.

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For the athletes, the sport is a year-round commitment.

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“No different than an elite hockey player, all sorts of elite athletes,” said Phipps, adding the women at the Calgary Stampede are “at the highest of the professional ranks.”

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It’s also about being “premier” horse-women, she added, training horses to do the job they need to to be successful in competition.

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“These are truly elite athletes, elite ropers, elite horse women that really now get to showcase that on the world stage,” said Phipps.

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In a Wednesday media release, Joel Cowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede, said the event celebrates the “incredible talent of female ropers” and the Stampede’s dedication to elevating women’s events in rodeo.

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WPRA president Heidi Schmidt added that not only the move to add Breakaway Roping to the daily rodeo but to include it at equal money is “exceptional.”

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“Showcasing our members in Barrel Racing and now Breakaway Roping in 2025 and beyond reflects our shared conviction of the importance of providing equal opportunity for women in rodeo,” Schmidt said in the release.