A Bozeman, Montana, woman has returned home following a 24-day hospital stay after her hand was ripped off in a terrifying horse accident at the Montana State University rodeo practice arena.
Presley Whitaker, wife of Montana State University Head Rodeo Coach Kyle Whitaker, arrived home from Salt Lake City via a private last Thursday, nearly a month after the May 4 accident.
She came home wearing a neck brace, having also suffered a broken jaw in the altercation, and her right arm tucked into a black sling, without her hand.
“She’s still in a lot of pain,” Kyle Whitaker told Cowboy State Daily.
The reality of hard days ahead started sinking in for the mother of two when she arrived home and saw her saddles for the first time since the accident, Kyle said.
“She’s really frustrated,” he said, adding, “that’s part of the process.”
The Accident
On May 4, Presley was pen roping a young horse — a horsemanship technique that teaches young horses how to handle cattle and grow accustomed to working with a rope — when the horse she was on threw her and took off.
Presley was dragged behind with her right hand wrapped in the rope.
She was thrown into a fence, which broke her jaw and severed her hand, Kyle said.
Kyle was moving some other horses out of the way of where his wife was working when he heard a commotion.
He said he was a couple hundred yards away and didn’t see what happened, but his assistant coach, Savanna Bolich, saw the whole thing.
She called out to Kyle and then called 911.
Kyle ran to his wife.
“I was holding Presley and I really thought she was going to die,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
Two members of the MSU rodeo team who were there searched for the missing hand and found it outside the arena.
“The boys, they had to go find her hand — it had gotten thrown out of the arena,” Whitaker said. “It’s big stuff for college kids.”
Presley was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and then flown by helicopter to Salt Lake City.
That was the only way she stood a chance of getting her hand reattached, Kyle recounted.
However, the damage proved too severe for surgeons to reattach her hand.
MSU Family Springs Into Action
Dean Folkvord was getting on a plane to Italy when he heard about the accident.
Folkvord is president of the Chute Boss Club, an organization that supports MSU’s rodeo team by donating and raising money to cover travel, equipment and ways to enhance the college rodeo experience.
Right away, he reached out to members asking how the club could best support the Whitaker family.
The most immediate need: get Presley’s husband and mother to Salt Lake City as fast as possible.
“They were lining up planes and getting that all taken care of,” Kyle said.
Kyle was flown to Salt Lake City in a private plane owned by Brett Walker of Walker Excavation. Walker is a member of the Chute Boss Club.
“He grabbed Kyle and got him down there,” Folkvord told Cowboy State Daily.
The Chute Boss Club rounded up another private plane to pick up Presley’s mother in Minnesota.
“We grabbed her and got her to Salt Lake City,” Folkvord said. “It was a pretty spectacular situation to get them both there. Presley’s situation was unknown at the time.”
Kyle said the fast, respond-at-any-cost support from the Chute Boss Club was amazing.
“It just shows how generous people are around here,” he said.
‘Just Working With A Horse
When Kyle recounted the horrific event to Cowboy State Daily, he spoke as if his wife were performing a routine task.
“She was just working with a horse,” he said. “It was the first day she could get out in the arena and do some stuff.”
The accident happened the first day after the college rodeo season was over in the arena the MSU rodeo team uses to practice.
The Whitakers live on site at the MSU rodeo practice arena, and Kyle said his wife rides out there almost every day.
“She was just wanting to pen rope on a young horse,” he said. “I just sorted off a couple (of horses) for her to (work with).”
What caused the horse to spook and throw her off remains a mystery.
“Nobody really knows what happened,” Kyle said. “She just somehow got thrown off. The rope must have half-hitched around her arm. That’s the only thing I can think of.”
According to Kyle, Presley was using only a breakaway rope when the accident occurred. A breakaway rope is a type of lasso used primarily in women’s and youth rodeo events. The rope is tied to the saddle horn.
Presley grew up around horses in southwestern Minnesota. For years, she competed in rodeo events and even climbed atop a bull once at a high school rodeo.
Kyle stayed with his wife for the first week she was in the hospital while friends cared for their two young daughters back in Bozeman.
Presley underwent multiple surgeries on her right arm and her jaw.
In a May 25 Facebook post, Whitaker shared an update on Presley’s condition, writing, “I spent the afternoon with Presley yesterday and I’m so impressed with her attitude and determination. Guess I shouldn’t be too surprised from the girl who once rode a bull.”
May 4, the day of the accident, also happened to be the first day of finals week at MSU.
That meant Kyle didn’t get to see most of his 50-plus-member rodeo team before they took off for the summer.
Still, he said, he heard from almost all of them. They signed cards for his family
“That’s pretty neat,” he told Cowboy State Daily. "Everybody says it’s one big family at MSU, and that’s because it is.”
Casey Rae Sellers coaches the Gillette College Rodeo team and knows Kyle through coaching. They have some mutual friends.
“The rodeo world is small,” Sellers said.
“I know that the Whitakers are great people,” she said. “They’re strong in their faith and strong as a family and if anybody can get through this it’s going to be them.”
Kyle is described as “one of professional rodeo's most decorated athletes with expertise in all event areas” on the Montana State University website.
Bittersweet Homecoming
On May 28, Presley arrived home via another private plane owned by another local businessman and member of the Chute Boss Club.
The private flight home, courtesy of local businessman Mark Bretz of Bretz RV, cut down on travel time, Kyle said.
“I don’t think I ever even met that guy,” Kyle said. “He was just another guy who wanted to help. It’s amazing.”
Getting the pain under control is priority No. 1 for Presley as she adjusts to life back at home, Kyle said.
“Seeing her saddles for the first time it really hit her,” he said.
Her teeth need a lot of work, but nothing can happen with that until her jaw is healed, he said.
The family is hopeful that her arm will eventually heal enough to be able to support a prosthetic right hand.
Presley is right-handed.
“It’s going to be a long process,” Kyle said.
He admitted that life for Presley was easier in the hospital, surrounded by professional support.
“It’s a huge change for all of us,” he said. “But we’ll get by. It’s just going to take time.”
Meanwhile, the Chute Boss Club has raised more than $85,000 for the Whitaker family, with future fundraising events in the works.
“People are resilient,” Folkvord said. “They want to be involved and they want to help other people. In this kind of situation, it’s step up with your checkbook — and they did.”
Sellers told Cowboy State Daily she had never heard of a hand being severed in a horse and roping accident, but she’s heard about plenty of fingers getting ripped off.
“I’ve seen some wrecked legs,” she added.
“I think it just gives you perspective on how fast how this stuff can happen,” Sellers said. "We make a million runs a year. It’s bound to happen at some point.
“We work with animals. Accidents happen fast.”
A day after the accident, Kyle shared on social media a photo of he and his wife before the accident.
In the photo, she is wearing a sparkling blue floor-length dress. He is dressed in jeans, a dark suit jacket, a white tie, and a cowboy hat.
"Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement," he wrote. "It’s going to be a tough road but with all of you in our corner I know we can adjust and still have a good life."
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
