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Always a rodeo manLARAMIE, Wyo. (AP)--Billie Sutton slipped his left foot through the stirrup and swung his body over the saddle. The smells of horse and hay and manure seeped into Sutton's lungs. A closed iron gate separated him from the open arena, beyond which lay a soggy surface of dirt imbedded with horseshoe prints. The scene epitomized Sutton's lifestyle. The young man was carrying on a family tradition, happily inhabiting the gritty comforts of the rodeo circuit. And then, in one of life's unpredictable instants, everything changed. On Oct. 4, 2007, Sutton--a 23-year-old former University of Wyoming rodeo standout--was paralyzed from the waist down while preparing in Minot, N.D. to do what he loves: compete in the saddle. "I didn't lose consciousness," Sutton said. "The horse smashed me and just stood up. "It's kind of a one-in-a-million deal," Sutton said. "I've had that happen 10 or 15 times before, but never like that." Before his right boot touched the worn leather of the saddle strap, Sutton's horse reared up and squatted. He was pinned beneath the mare at the back of the chute. "When she stood up, I knew that my back was broken," Sutton said. "I was holding myself up on each side of the chute and it felt like my hips were two feet in front of me. "It was a weird feeling, and probably more painful than anything I'd ever felt before." Sutton had not done anything out of the ordinary in his usual pre-riding routine. He even knew the horse well enough to feel at ease atop the wild shoulders tensing up before an inevitable outburst of bucking. "I'd had that horse earlier in the year and won a rodeo with her in Clear Lake, S.D. in May," Sutton said. "I was pretty excited to have her, but she just had a bad day--so did I. "She hadn't had a history of doing that. There's things you can do to prevent them from doing that--you can put a rope around their neck and tie them in the chute so they can't flip over and I didn't do that in Clear Lake. "Sometimes that can hinder them from being as good as they can be. If they fight it, it can make them tired in the chute." Sutton's T-12 vertebrae shattered as the horse drove him to the ground. Medical staff hurried to the fallen rider's side, taking extra precautions to remove him with a sliding board from the small square stall. Sutton was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, where surgeons fused six of his vertebrae to stabilize his spine. Doctors also grafted bone from his hip to steady three of the vertebrae. Two rods and 10 screws were inserted into Sutton's spinal column. His spine was not severed, leaving open the possibility of future lower body movement. Feeling in his legs and lower extremities must return before Sutton can try to walk again. Doctors said he has a window of about two years for sensation to rebuild before his paralysis becomes permanent. "I had a little bit (of feeling) in my right thigh like a week or two after surgery," Sutton said. "It's a weird injury because it takes a long time for the spine to heal." After his surgical recovery, Sutton was moved to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., where he spent nearly two months rehabilitating. He participated in physical therapy, lifted light weights and did pool and flexibility work. Sutton then returned to his home in Burke, S.D., turning the tires of a hand-operated wheelchair. He spent the holidays with family and prepared for the rest of his life. "You have to think of the positive things when something like this happens," Sutton said. "You can't look back. "It's kind of hard when they tell you you're probably never going to be able to do rodeo again," Sutton said. "I miss everything about it." Sutton was brought up as a rodeo child, with rodeo sisters, rodeo parents and rodeo dreams Sutton's father, Bill, is a rancher. His mother, Renee, is a University of Wyoming alum and a former rodeo participant. His older sister, Dee Hongen, seven years his elder to the day, is also a UW grad and rodeo devotee. Rehme Sutton, 21, Billie's younger sister, is in her fourth year at UW, majoring in pharmacy and competing in several events on the rodeo team. Rehme Sutton was a member of the Cowgirl group that won a national championship last spring. "My family has always been a rodeo family," Sutton said. "My mom and dad both did rodeo and we were kind of just raised that way. I've been doing rodeo since I was a little kid." From saddle broncs to steer wrestling to team and calf roping, Sutton experienced the rodeo life in full. The boots, dirty blue jeans, hard work ethic and spirited camaraderie will always be integral to his family. "It's a unique sport in that everybody cheers for everybody," Sutton said. "In football, you're for one team or the other, but in rodeo you're buddies help you out--they're there cheering you on, too. "It's kind of almost you against the animal than against the other person. You're competing against other people, but you still cheer for them and help them out. "It's the most fun thing I've ever done. It's probably the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had." Sutton made the college national finals in saddle bronc riding during all four years he competed at Wyoming. He won the saddle bronc regional three times and the all around event twice, using the calf roping to accumulate points. "I had a successful career at the university," Sutton said. "The coaches told me I got more (individual) points at the University of Wyoming than anybody in history." As a sophomore, Sutton had a chance to win a national title in the saddle bronc event. When a small mishap cost him the championship, he accepted his fate and moved on, continuing his spur-wearing pursuit of the flawless ride. Throughout his collegiate rodeo career, Sutton also rode on the professional circuit, an exceptional characteristic of club sports. He cracked the top 50 bronc riders in the nation at the apex of his pro ranking. "What's unique about rodeo is that you can do college rodeo and pro rodeo at the same time," Sutton said. "I was doing both at the same time, so I had been doing pro rodeo for four years." A long wooden ramp turns and rises toward the front door of the house in Laramie. The timber changes direction twice at perpendicular angles as it moves from the driveway and elevates, sidled by a hand railing. The last planks conceal the concrete steps that lead up to the covered entryway of the home. Colter Floy recently built the wooden access ramp. Sutton was determined to return to Laramie and finish his degree in finance, so friends and family helped accommodate the rented home for a wheelchair. "Everybody's been positive about it and that's helped out a lot," Sutton said. "I have a lot of good friends." Not one person in Sutton's life has reacted harmfully toward his disability. On the contrary, many of the people closest to him now look at him with even more admiration. "It kind of tells you a lot about your friends," Sutton said. "When something like this happens, a lot of people don't know how to react." Bill Sutton said his son is an example to a lot of people. "He was courageous before and I tell him he's even more courageous now. He met every challenge head on--in wrestling, rodeo and everything he did. Now, he's finishing school just three months later." Sutton is currently taking 12 credits at the University of Wyoming, the last classes he needs to complete his degree. He will graduate in May, just one semester later than he would have before the accident. "I was actually going to graduate in December with my finance degree," Sutton said. "I had to drop my classes when this happened." All of Sutton's courses are held in accessible buildings. He has two sets of tires for his wheelchair, one with regular tread and the other with mountain bike grip to help him roll across the treacherous walkways constantly freezing on campus. "Everything you do is almost twice as hard," Sutton said of his new life. "You don't realize the stuff you could do when your legs work." Despite the hardships of a new existence, Sutton never stops contemplating his future. A Master's program in finance may come next after he graduates. Either way, Sutton's books will get more use now than they ever did as he finishes his education. "I didn't study as much as I should've or could've, so that kind of changes now," Sutton said. "I'll probably study more." Looking beyond school, the Sutton family ranch holds endless possibilities for a budding business entrepreneur. The 1,000-acre plot of land contains a mass of beauty and vast open space, a large opportunity for the creative of mind and driven of heart. "I was thinking about starting a type of guest ranch, like a guest getaway," Sutton said. "I thought my degree would help with that. "One positive thing is that I might get going on this guest ranch more than I would have if I would've kept doing rodeo. I would've put in on the back burner, but now I'll kind of get that going." Every day, Sutton exerts his upper body to lift himself into his wheelchair. He makes the best of what he has, lives without regret and gives thanks for what he has still to come. "I wouldn't do anything different," Sutton said. 3/24/08 Date: 3/14/08 Advertisement
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