How does getting out of position cost heelers catches?

Position is as critical for the heeler as it is for the header, and arriving at the steer from the wrong angle or distance is responsible for a large percentage of missed heel catches in competition. The correct heeling position places the horse directly behind the steer with the heeler's body lined up to deliver a loop that drops in front of both hind feet simultaneously. When the heeling horse drifts too far to the right, the heeler is looking at the steer from an outside angle that makes it very difficult to throw a loop that reaches both feet — the inside foot is often missed, resulting in a one-leg catch that carries a five-second penalty in most formats. When the horse gets too close to the steer, the heeler has no time or space to swing the loop and deliver it correctly. When the horse falls too far back, the heeler must throw a longer, more difficult shot that is harder to place accurately. Getting into and holding the correct position requires the heeling horse to rate correctly and the heeler to recognize when position is correct before throwing. Many heelers throw out of position because they feel pressure to throw quickly, particularly when the steer is running hard or the header is pulling at a faster pace than expected. Throwing from a poor position produces a lower catch percentage than waiting an additional half-second to achieve correct position, which is a discipline that separates consistent heelers from inconsistent ones.