ProRodeo Sports News - June 9, 2023

Following lengthy recovery from brain injury, saddle bronc rider Taylen Nelson returns to competition BACK Saddle IN THE

BY ALEX RILEY Special to ProRodeo Sports News S ince late 2020, there were days when saddle bronc riding seemed like a lifetime ago for Taylen Nelson. The Wibaux, Mont., cowboy grew up in a family of bronc riders, going all the way back to his great grandfather. He can barely remember a time when he wasn’t on the back of an animal that was trying to buck him off. After buying his PRCA card in 2019, Nelson was in the early stages of his career, hitting the road hard in 2019 and 2020. Everything changed on Aug. 9, 2020. While helping his family move his younger brother, Gavin, to college talking to me, I understood every word they said, but I couldn’t say words. I just didn’t know what to say or I couldn’t say words.” Along with re-learning to speak, Nelson also faced ongoing seizures, which required medication to control. Untreated, grand mal seizures can cause a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. Because he was on medication, competing in rodeos was no longer an option. For more than two years, Nelson slowly recovered, and doctors began weaning him off the medicine. In November 2022, he was finally off the medication and given the green light to compete again. Nelson opted to jump back in the saddle – literally. Aside from sitting in his saddle on the living room floor, he had no warmups or practices before competing for the first time since July 2020. His restart came at the Gillette (Wyo.) Buck & Ball Futurity event on Dec. 30, 2022. “When I got on the first one, I was riding in a new saddle and once I got on, my stirrups were too tight, but everybody was kind of yelling at me to hurry up. So, I just

went out and got bucked off in about four or five jumps,” Nelson said with a laugh. “But not enough people made the short-go, so I got to go back into the short-go and on my second horse back, I was 81 points.” Since then, Nelson has begun making his way back to PRCA events. Because he was unable to compete for more than two years, Nelson hasn’t been eligible for some rodeos as previous earnings are needed to qualify. The PRCA Championship Rodeo in Fargo, N.D., back in late March looked like it might be the launching point for Nelson’s comeback. He rode for 77.5 points to win the title and earn almost $2,000, marking the biggest payday since his rookie season.

With a little money earned and some renewed confidence, Nelson has already made a schedule for the coming months. He’s got stops in Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming planned. Being back on the road and in the saddle is exactly where he wants to be. “Now, I can actually do something fun again besides sit at the ranch and work. There are fun things to do at the ranch, but it wasn’t like I could just get away and go rodeo,” Nelson said.

in Texas, Nelson suffered an injury that left him with a fractured skull and significant bleeding on the brain. He spent two weeks in the ICU at a hospital in Fort Worth before being moved to Craig Hospital outside Denver, where his stay lasted around two months. “I just couldn’t talk. In my head, I knew what everything was, I just couldn’t spit out the words,” Nelson said. “It was weird. If somebody was

Jackie Jensen photo Saddle bronc rider Taylen Nelson was unable to make the whistle on Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Zip Code on May 21 at the World Famous Miles City (Mont.) Bucking Horse Sale Matched Xtreme Bronc Ride. Nelson has made an amazing comeback to be competing again in ProRodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/9/2023

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