In The Can

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No, no that kind of can, although this may be one of my favorite cartoons of all time:

(If any of you can read the signature, post it in the comments. I'd love to give the cartoonist full credit)

Anyway, what I'm talking about are rope cans. Go to any rodeo and you will find a spot where the calf ropers park their horses and their gear, and it will look something like this:

Rope cans are mostly fiberglass these days, though we still have an old tin one up in our tack room. (We also have harness collars for work horses. We don't use those anymore, either.) Rope cans have two purposes: to keep the rope clean and dry, and to keep it kink free. The poly and poly grass ropes used by calf ropers are much higher maintenance than the stiffer nylon ropes used by team ropers. (For more on the subject of how ropes are made see A Rope by Any Other Name.) Rope cans keep them in a flat position, nicely coiled, and seal out moisture. Even if you hang the can in the tack room, the rope stays put:

That flat round top just begs to be decorated and personalized. Some of the most gorgeous leather and silver you see at rodeos is on the top of rope cans:

Rope cans are also very popular awards. I believe this one was made by Shane Crossley from Hermiston, Oregon, who made most of the Nationals Finals and World Champion awards last time I checked:

Since I brought a few souvenirs home from the Pendleton Round Up, I think it's time we had a little contest. Study the photo below. The guy on the left is a Cooper. Either Clif or Clint, I'm not sure. Your assignment is to identify the cowboy on the right. Even those of you who aren't rodeo fans should be able to figure it out, with a little help from an online search engine. Your clue: It's in the can, of course. 

And for the winner: In keeping with today's theme, your very own Pendleton Round Up can cozy, designed to look like the Kevlar vests worn by bucking horse and bull riders. We'll talk more about these vests and the story behind their origin when I announce the contest winner. And since this particular prize will fit in a standard mailing envelope, I'd like to give a special shout out to my international readers to be sure and enter. 

You can post your entry as a comment below or email it to me at the link up at the top left of the blog, or even DM me on twitter. I ain't picky. The contest runs until next Wednesday at noon Mountain Time. I will draw a winner from all the correct answers.  In order to make it fair, I'm going to hold the comments so you can't see anyone else's answer. (I'll make all the comments visible at the end of the contest, if you've got anything else you want to add.)  So as we say in rodeo land...enter up!

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