Young roper takes second in Billings roping contest

It was only a year ago that 6-year-old Mason Green of Lovell wanted to be a pirate. Now, he’s a trophy-winning roper, which isn’t much of a surprise to his family since he’s a fifth-generation roper.[caption id="attachment_10459" align="alignright" width="200"] Mason Green beat out about 40 other young ropers in the 5- to 7-year-old dummy roping division with his second-place win at the Wrangler Team Roping Championships in Billings on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Patti Carpenter photo[/caption]Green beat out about 40 other young ropers in the 5- to 7-year-old dummy roping division with his second-place win at the Wrangler Team Roping Championships in Billings on Saturday, Oct. 3.“I wanted first place, but I did my best,” said Mason, who practices roping a dummy kept in his backyard at least four times a week.Mason said he learned to rope from his dad, who learned from his father at about the same age.“I like to swing the rope,” he said, “and I can already do a few tricks like spins and stuff.”This was Mason’s first serious competition. And, according to his dad, he can already rope off a horse. The horse he ropes on, Easy, was passed down to him through his family. Mason said he likes the 22-year-old horse and trusts him and that he’s pretty sure he can make him do just about anything.Mason, a first-grader at Lovell Elementary School, said he would like to try other rodeo events in the future. In the meantime, he keeps practicing his roping and horsemanship skills. He said he’d like to be a team roper when he grows up, but maybe a policeman, too.Green is the son of Sara and Preston Green.

By Patti Carpenter