Breaking it Down by Speed Williams – July 2025
Last week I had a little horse wreck while heading at the house. Jennifer and Hali were on the rodeo trail to Woodward, OK, Sisters, OR and Nampa, ID. Gabe and I were roping with clients at the house. I headed a steer pretty fast over the chute and my horse was stepping left and stumbled. Nothing abnormal, no hard moves, he just stumbled a little with his left front and went down. In my younger years, when I felt a horse stumbling, I would kick my left stirrup and pull it up by the saddle horn. That way if they hit the ground, it would eject me forward. I’ve done it over a dozen times and walked away from horses that fell, without any injuries.
My first thought was he just stumbled and wasn’t going down. Boy was I wrong. When he stumbled the second time, we went to the ground hard. I remember coming to and telling everyone to give me a minute, then I don’t remember anything for about five hours. Gabe was trying to get me to go to the hospital. Then I passed out and fell to the ground. Afterwards there was no debate, they put me in the truck and headed to the hospital in Comanche. Evidently, I was arguing and telling them I didn’t need to go to the hospital, and then proceeded to cuss Justin Cowan for hitting too many bumps on the way.
I remember coming to in the hospital room and asking Gabe if I could talk to Mom (my wife Jennifer). Since the kids were little, we’ve called each other Mom and Dad. Gabe said, “Dad you’re starting to scare me. We’ve had this exact conversation several times.” Evidently, I talked to my wife four or five times and repeated myself to her. I do remember telling Gabe I would tell Jennifer not to come home, but I’m aware I’m not doing that good and I don’t think she’ll listen to me. He just laughed and said, “No, Mom is on the way home.”
Once I realized Gabe and I had conversations where I kept repeating myself, I tried to stay alert and that’s where my memory starts. The doctors came in and said I had some broken ribs, but they were more concerned that I had some bleeding on the brain and in my chest. They were going to life flight me to Dallas. They gave me some good drugs because the helicopter ride was very peaceful. With Jennifer on her way home, her family stepped in, and her sisters were at the hospital in Comanche and her brother met me at the hospital in Dallas.
In Dallas we got good news from the CT and X-rays. I no longer had bleeding on the brain and what was there had dispersed, though I did have a serious concussion. Believe it or not, this is the fourth time I’ve broken my ribs. Two different times I’ve rodeoed over the fourth of July with broken ribs. There are so many rodeos that week I thought I could at least catch a couple of steers.
The accident happened on a Monday, and I quit taking my pain pills on Wednesday. I don’t like the way they make me feel. Sleeping with broken ribs is nearly impossible. Jennifer got in Monday night and stayed with me through the worst of it. She left the following Monday to go back and help Hali. I told her I’ve survived broken ribs before and I have my mom and a young man helping me, and I’ll be okay.
For all you cowboys and cowgirls rodeoing this summer… if things aren’t going the way you want, remember it could be worse. My son left today for Fallon, NV and Reno. He is going to try his luck rodeoing this summer. I talked to Hali today and told her I do not remember telling her not to come home, but that would have been my answer anyway unless it was much more serious. I was pretty sure I couldn’t get Jennifer not to come.
This Fourth of July will be interesting. For most of my life I’ve been at a rodeo somewhere over the fourth. Now both my kids and my wife will be on the road while I’m at home mending and not being able to do much. I retired to raise my kids, but now with one 18, and the other 21, it’s a new chapter in life and we’ll have to see what our future looks like.
There’s no blame for this accident. My horse did nothing wrong, he just stumbled. Though I’m in pain, I can still teach but riding and roping is not going to happen for a while.
