The hardest ride: CSC cowgirl's horse dies moments before final run

By Con Marshall, CSC Sports Information Director | Wednesday, June 22, 2005

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CASPER, Wyo. - Chadron State College cowgirl Jennifer Nelson had some of the worst luck imaginable Saturday night, but maintained her composure and finished third in the final breakaway roping standings at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper.

Just five or so minutes before she was to make her run in the championship go-round, her 15-year-old bay gelding, Pickle, died.

The pair had the breakaway lead entering the finals with times of 2.3, 2.4 and 2.9 seconds in the first three go-rounds.

Although shocked that her favorite horse was dead, Nelson used, Rusty, a horse belonging to her father, and had a time of 4.8 seconds to place third in the final standings with a total time of 12.4 seconds.

The winner was Erica Brown of Panhandle State, Okla. She caught her calf in 2.0 seconds Saturday night and had a total time of 11.2 seconds. Runner-up honors went to Jackie Hobbs of Tarleton State, Texas, who roped her calf in 2.3 seconds in the finals and had a time of 12.0 seconds on four head.

Chadron State rodeo coach Robert Reid said immediately after the rodeo that no one has any idea what caused Pickle's death. Reid and Jennifer's father, Chuck Nelson, who was in the audience, took Pickle to the veterinary school at Colorado State University for a post-mortem examination. The results are expected this week.

Dr. John Gamby, a Chadron veterinarian, said Monday that Pickle's death was probably caused by a "cardiac crisis."

"My guess is that a major vessel ruptured. It's quite rare, but not unheard of," Gamby said. "There's nothing you can do when it happens."

Contacted at her parents' home at Hartford late Sunday afternoon, Nelson said she had just finished warming up Pickle prior to her run in the finals when he keeled over.

She said she was tying the rope onto the saddle horn when the horse started acting strange. She said he bumped into a fence, reared up and staggered before laying down and dying. She was able to get the saddle off before he went completely down.

Nelson didn't have time to lament her loss. She quickly saddled Rusty and was ready to run when her name was called. As the event leader entering the finals, she was the last breakaway roper on the program. Word about the death of Pickle traveled fast. The announcer made mention of it after she had completed her run.

Her parents were shocked to see Jennifer riding Rusty instead of Pickle.

"We thought Pickle had probably come up lame. We never suspected that he had died," said Deb Nelson, Jennifer's mother.

Rusty was available because both Jennifer and her father, who also is a roper, had competed at rodeos in Gordon, Buffalo, Wyo., and Hulett, Wyo., en route to Casper. She said it was the first time in about six years that she had roped off of a horse other than Pickle.

Jennifer noted that she didn't have time to warm up Rusty before she had to compete.

"He wasn't really ready," she said. "He didn't run very hard. The calf was clear at the end of the arena when I caught it. I'm sure I'd have done better if I'd had Pickle. I was really charged up to make a good run."

Jennifer graduated from Chadron State in May. She won the breakaway championship in the Central Rocky Mountain Region for the year, catching 13 of the 17 calves that she drew prior to the CNFR in an average time of 2.8 seconds. She placed among the top three in the final breakaway standings at six of the nine rodeos in the region.

Jennifer and Pickle also won the South Dakota Rodeo Association's breakaway championship in both 2003 and 2004.

This was the only year she competed for the Chadron State rodeo team after transferring from South Dakota State University.

Jennifer received the CNFR's Hardluck Cowgirl Award, but the plaque couldn't be found Saturday night and will have to be mailed to her.