What are the keys coming out of the box for a header in team roping how fast should they go?

Coming out of the box clean is where team roping runs are won or lost before the loop ever leaves the header's hand. A bad box — a stumble, a sideways jump, a horse that breaks early or leaves flat and unorganized — puts the header immediately behind the steer and in recovery mode for the rest of the run. Everything about a great box departure is built on preparation, timing, and a horse that's collected, confident, and ready to rate the steer the moment his feet hit the ground outside the barrier. Speed out of the box for a header is not about being the fastest horse in the pen — it's about being the most correct one. The header needs to get to the steer's left hip in a position to deliver, and that requires a horse that leaves with explosive but controlled forward motion. A horse that explodes sideways, ducks a shoulder, or leaves strung out takes three or four strides just to get organized, and by then the steer has widened the gap and the run is already compromised. The ideal departure is straight, balanced, and fast — horse driving out of the ground with his hind end engaged, tracking directly toward where the steer is going to be, not where he is. The header's job is to anticipate the steer's path and get there, which means the horse has to be controllable and adjustable from the first stride. A horse that leaves the box and immediately locks onto maximum speed with no rate available is a problem horse for a header. Work your box daily — not just roping, but standing, backing, and relaxing in it until the horse treats it like any other spot in the arena. A confident, quiet horse in the box produces a clean, explosive departure. That departure sets up every other part of the run.