"I got the idea after I was injured in a rodeo and was sitting around doing nothing. I spotted a cowboy who had parked his horse trailer and motor home side by side with two heavy cattle panels across the front and back to pen in his horses. I thought it was a great idea but figured there had to be an easier way to do it," says Tony Tice, inventor and manufacturer of new portable rope corral panels made out of high-strength nylon cord.

Tice, with help of rodeo friends, has been testing prototypes for the past five years, constantly improving on the idea until he now feels he's got a market-ready product.

"What's great about them is that the 4 by 10-ft. panels are ultra strong and will hold any livestock and yet each panel folds down to a 12 by 18-in. size and fits into a plastic back about 6 in. thick. Weighs just 6 lbs. Even a child can set one up. There's no need to drag along heavy metal panels which are hard to handle and need a lot of storage space," says Tice, noting that in addition to horses, the panels are being used at dog shows, in turkey barns to separate flocks, for cattle, hay retainers on trucks, and could be used in many other situations. Some owners even use them as hammocks (they're big enough to comfortably hold two people).

Tice says you can tie as many sections together as needed. They're made of inter-woven nylon with 1 1/2-in. sq. openings -- too small for a horse to get a hoof caught in. They've got a vinyl border fitted with tie-down grommets. Tear strength of each strand is 320 lbs.

You can tie them between two trailers, two trees, etc. "Some professional cowboys and cowgirls who have used them say they like the way the panels allow them to let animals roam while resting on the road without being tied up or hobbled. Animals perform much better when they're well-rested," says Tice.