Ultimate Warrior Walt Woodard Sidelined by Emergency Thumb Surgery

Walt Woodard might be 70, but he’s still not learned the word “no.” He loves to rope, and refuses to take no for an answer. All-out effort and zero excuses have earned him two gold buckles and 20 NFR back numbers. And he hasn’t been backing down here lately heeling behind Logan Olson. A practice-pen mishap on July 7 put an end to their recent roll. But there is no bottom to Walt’s lifelong positivity.

A Freak Practice Pen Accident

“We were practicing on fresh steers at Logan’s place in Flandreau (South Dakota),” Walt explained. “I was riding my second-string horse, and she kind of hits on her front feet. The coil came out of my hand, and went right over the saddle horn. Unfortunately, my thumb was in there. I had my glove on. When I got to the hospital, I tried to move it and it fell over to the right.

Emergency Surgery Saves His Thumb

“The first thing the doctor said when we got to the hospital was, ‘We might have to take your thumb off.’ But they didn’t. I broke my thumb and tried to cut it off, but she did surgery to reattach it, put two pins in to repair the break and hooked one blood vessel back up. The other one was destroyed.”

Walt just spent the night at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls, and is headed home to Texas today.

“We’ve been winning like crazy,” he said. “But this is part of the deal. When you rope, you’re going to hurt your hand. Racecar drivers break their feet, because they’re out in front of them going 230 miles per hour. Ropers hurt their hands. It’s called collateral damage.

“I almost cut my thumb off, but they were able to reattach it and I don’t have cancer or leukemia. I’m not terminal. I’ll be fine.”

Looking Ahead to Next Season

Olson and Woodard have been having a ball stacking up rodeo checks in Logan’s home country.

“We have been doing so good, and I have a great horse again (he bred, raised, broke and trained the buckskin mare he calls Amy, who’s 7, himself),” Walt said. “She works great, and we’ve been having fun. The fantasy’s over. For now. But I’ve had 70 years of a wonderful life. And if this thumb takes, I’m going to rope with Logan again next year, repeat the process—we had a perfect plan—and just skip this one step.”

He’ll take a couple months to heal up, then take it from there. Onward.

“I’ve had an amazing career,” Walt said. “I love it. I tell people all the time, ‘You know what I love about being a two-time world champion? Everything.’”

—TRJ—