When Montana State University rodeo coach Kyle Whitaker recruited steer wrestler Jaden Whitman to compete for the college, he never imagined the young cowboy would one day help his family through one of the darkest chapters of their lives.
Whitaker's wife Presley lost her right hand and suffered a broken jaw after being thrown from a horse and dragged into a gate at the Montana State University rodeo practice arena last month.
She spent 24 days hospitalized in Salt Lake City before returning home May 29 to begin a long recovery after essentially having her hand ripped off by the accident.
Just days later, Whitaker got a text message from Whitman. Whitman was just days away from graduating at MSU and had — largely thanks to Whitaker’s coaching — secured a spot at the College National Finals Rodeo.
"Would it be OK if we did a bulldogging benefit for your wife?" the message read.
Bulldogging is the common rodeo term for steer wrestling — a fast-paced rodeo event in which a mounted cowboy chases a steer, leaps from his horse and wrestles the steer to the ground by its horns.
Whitaker was stunned.
“It’s pretty neat that a college kid could organize something like that,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
The Presley Whitaker Benefit Steer Wrestling Jackpot happened last weekend in Whitehall, Montana, raising nearly $40,000, most to help cover Presley’s mounting medical bills.
"I got a little choked up," Whitaker said about the effort where winners chose to give portions of their earnings back to the family. "I rodeoed. I know how hard it is to make money in this industry and get ahead."
‘I Got Choked Up'
Whitman and his older brother, Jaret — another former MSU rodeo competitor coached by Whitaker — had been driving home from a rodeo in Washington when they began discussing how they could help their rodeo coach’s wife.
They knew stock contractor Jhet Murphy was looking for an opportunity to season some young steers. From that conversation came an idea that seemed perfectly suited to the rodeo world: organize a steer wrestling jackpot that would both break in Murphy's cattle and raise money for the Whitaker family.
"Everybody jumped at the chance," Whitman said.
Members of the Chute Boss Club, a private organization that supports the MSU rodeo program, along with other supporters, donated money to create a $20,000 added jackpot.
Thirty-five competitors paid $500 each to enter the event, which nearly doubled the purse to $37,500.
Then something remarkable happened.
Many of the contestants who won money donated part of their winnings back to the Whitakers.
"They basically just made a $500 donation and then shared some of their earnings," Whitaker said. "I got choked up."
By the end of the event, all but about $5,000 of the purse had been directed back to the Whitaker family.
"That's a big deal," said Mark Norem of the Chute Boss Club. "Cowboys didn't only show up for the event, but they left the money in the pot."
Serendipity Strikes Twice
The fundraiser carried another twist of fate.
The jackpot winner was reigning world champion steer wrestler JD Struxness, who happened to be stranded in Montana because of horse quarantine restrictions tied to a recent screwworm outbreak in the southern United States.
Struxness also happened to know Presley Whitaker. The two attended the same small high school in Minnesota.
After winning the jackpot, Struxness donated a portion of his winnings back to the Whitakers as well.
For Whitaker, however, the most meaningful sight wasn't who won.
"It meant a lot to me to see kids — students, current and past, that I've coached — up there competing," he said.
According to Norem, the fundraiser reflected the close-knit culture that exists within steer wrestling circles and throughout rodeo.
Of all the events that could have rallied around Whitaker's family, it was fitting that it happened through steer wrestling — the event that defined much of Whitaker’s own rodeo career and one that has become a signature strength of the MSU rodeo program.
"These are really, really good people," Norem said of the Whitakers.
As Presley continues occupational therapy and follow-up appointments, Whitaker said she remains remarkably positive despite losing a hand and suffering serious injuries.
"Any one of those things would be a devastation," Norem said. "And here she is walking around with a smile on her face and a brightness in her eyes."
For Whitman, the fundraiser ultimately became a chance to repay a coach who had invested in him years earlier.
"Kyle showed me the ropes of pro rodeo," he said. "This was a way to give back."
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
