We're spending June celebrating the tradition of rodeo in our state. We begin by welcoming one of the state's most iconic rodeo athletes, Billie Sutton.
Sutton grew up on a ranch near Burke before getting a full ride rodeo scholarship from the University of Wyoming at Laramie. He was the school's all time leader in rodeo points, and he rode on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Circuit, where he ranked in the top 30 worldwide. His professional career was cut short when a bucking horse flipped on top of him in the chute during a Minot, North Dakota rodeo. That accident partially paralyzed Billie Sutton, and it changed the course of his life.
Billie Sutton joins SDPB's Lori Walsh to talk about rodeo, tradition, and how faith and love helped him reconsider his identity, even as he continues to ranch and ride here in South Dakota.
Lori Walsh:
We always talk politics and leadership and community service, and I am so delighted to talk rodeo with you because I've never had that conversation with you. So thanks for saying yes.
Billie Sutton:
Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad to do it. Should be a fun conversation.
Lori Walsh:
Take me back to when you're a little shaver and your very first rodeo experience. How much is this part of a family tradition and what are some of the earliest memories that you have of rodeo?
Billie Sutton:
Well, it was a family tradition. My grandpa was involved in rodeo, oh gosh, I mean, probably 60, 70 years ago. He actually had some bucking stock with the late great Casey Tibbs. So we have that history. So my dad rodeoed, my mom also got involved in rodeo, and we grew up on a family ranch and it was just like... There wasn't any question that you're going to rodeo, it's just probably to what degree you went on from there. But it is such a rich tradition for so many families, and it's become a sport though of not just ranch families as it's been elevated through media and some of the stars like Casey Tibbs. It's not just ranch families anymore.
Lori Walsh:
So how do you get involved in when you're a little kid? What are some of the events... What was the first thing that you did to participate in rodeo? Was it a social gathering or was it a competitive thing?
Billie Sutton:
I'd say both, but when you're that young it's certainly a social aspect of it. So we grew up on a ranch and grew up on horses at a very, very young age. I mean, my mom even tells stories where she was packing me on with her on the horse as early as one and two years old. So you grow up that way. And then my parents started taking me to junior rodeos. And then you just start taking steps from there. You went to junior rodeo, then 4H rodeo. They also have little britches rodeos, which I didn't do, but a lot of people do.
And then you go to high school rodeo and college rodeo and amateur rodeo, then professional rodeo. So it's kind of a stepping stone deal, but very young. I mean, I started going to junior rodeos as early as probably five and six years old, even doing things like calf roping on foot. I don't know if they still do that in Nebraska. We used to go, and you'd put all these kids out in the arena and then they'd let a herd of calves out and you'd go have to rope one on foot. And the first one to do it won. And kids would be getting wiped out. It was wild. It was wild.
Lori Walsh:
Okay, so at what point do you say, "Hey, that horse that bucks and throws people off, I want to do that." How do you pick some of your events, especially these events, to the novice or the outsider like me that looks like it looks pretty dangerous, just... Who chooses that? So tell me, that choice, what does that process of inviting into a certain event like rough stock?
Billie Sutton:
Well, I think you start at time events, and they're starting to do more rough stock at a younger age. They'll ride steer, put a bronc saddle on a steer, or maybe it's a miniature pony or something like that. So they're doing more of that now. But back when I was that age you, you maybe did calf riding, which would start you down the road of bull riding. But they didn't really have anything for bucking horses at that young age, which it's probably good. But we started doing time events first, and then as you go to rodeos, you're watching... As you grow up, you're watching other people compete in those other events, or you're watching on TV. My first memories of bronc riding were watching great South Dakota bronc riders on TV at the NFR, the National Finals Rodeo, including my hero bronc riding Billie Etbauer, who is originally from South Dakota. And watching him, I just remember watching that and the calf rope, and those are the two events that I was like, "I'm going to do both of those events." They just were so fun to watch and just sparked something in me.
So I would say that I started originally as being more of... Calf roping was more my main event. I won state in the calf roping as a junior, but I didn't really get really good at bronc riding until I was probably... Real good once I was in college. But even in high school, I probably figured it out by the time I was a junior. But actually I was... So I was riding bulls in 4H and the junior division, and got to the senior division and the bulls got bigger and I didn't. And my dad said, "You're not going to do both. You can either ride broncs or you can ride bulls, but we're not going to do both." And that was just because it takes a toll on your body. So I just decided to ride broncs and gosh, the rest is history. I mean, I just fell in love with it and it's all I wanted to do. It gets a hold of you into your core and it just becomes a part of you.
Lori Walsh:
All right, for the uninitiated bronc riding is what and how do you do it for the first time? And let's get into some of the nuances of what are judges looking for? What are some of the things that the uninitiated might see and say, "Hey, his hand is up in the air because that looks cool," but no , this is all about... So explain to folks what they're looking at when they watch a bronc ride.
Billie Sutton:
Yeah, so I think I'll take a step back and it's the original rodeo event, really. The history of it goes back to even ranch hands seeing who can break a horse the best. But it's really grown from that to be the classic event of rodeo. It's a lot about style. So judges are looking for a horse that jumps and kicks and doesn't cover a lot of ground. It doesn't run off. A horse that really scores high really has powerful jumps and kicks straight up in the air, and it's a timing thing for the rider. If you're in time, it's very difficult for a horse to buck you off, if you're doing all the basics correct, if it's a really good horse, if you're doing the basics correct, it's hard... You can really get tapped off and make really good rides.
But you're looking to get your feet over the point of the horse's shoulder every jump, and then your feet come back when the horse hits the ground and regroups, and then when the horse kicks again, you got to beat that horse to the front of their shoulder with your feet, all the while lifting on your rein, and your free arm is for balance. And it helps you stay in the middle and keeps you back and keeps your hips in front of you if you're doing it right. So it's a complicated sport, or event, but it's really simple at the same time if you're doing the basics right. So the judges 1 to 25 for the horse, 1 and 25 for the rider, and as with all things, that can get political too.
Lori Walsh:
Sure, right. You don't know the horse though. Do you know the horse? Do you have any idea how the horse is going to behave before the ride?
Billie Sutton:
With young horses, if you're bucking them for the first time, no. But when you go down the road professionally, I used to keep track of every horse that I saw. I would write down... I had this black book that my dad told me to start writing horses down when I was in high school. And believe it or not, I remember being at the national high school finals as a junior writing horses down that I then saw when I was rodeoing professionally later on. So I knew the horse because the horse has a number and you know the stock contractor.
So I would keep this book and have it all organized with what the horse was and how much rein you needed to give him, because some horses carry their head lower, some higher. And that makes a huge difference in how you're able to ride them. So you do know most of the horses when you get to the professional ranks, because they're seasoned, they've been around for a while. And if they are young, somebody... They've bucked him somewhere. So a lot of times you have to ask the contractor too. But you do know a lot of them.
Lori Walsh:
So I can already see how this gets a hold of you, because there's a science, there's an art, there's a risk, an adrenaline, a sense of community and family, all of this. But you mentioned that it takes a toll on your body in the best possible circumstances. And let's talk about October 4th, what 12 years ago now? How long ago is it now?
Billie Sutton:
That was 2007, so we're coming on 14 years here in October.
It's hard to believe. It seems like yesterday sometimes. So I had made it to the Badlands circuit finals in Minot, North Dakota. I had won the average at the circuit finals the year before. I was hovering right around the top 30 in the world. And it's really, like I said, you have to work your way up because in order to get into the biggest rodeos, you have to be in the top 30-ish in the world, because some rodeos only take maybe 36 people to their rodeo. So you really got to work your way up into those standings. And the ultimate goal is to make the top 15. So I was hoping that next year, 2008, was going to be my year because I was going to get into those big rodeos and I wasn't going to get turned away because I wasn't high enough in the standings.
So I drew a horse by the name of Ruby, who I had been on a couple of different times. I had won the Clear Lake Rodeo that summer on Ruby, and she's a really good horse. One of those horses that if you did your job, you were going to win. She just was good to get on. She really bucked hard and good and just friendly to ride to. So I sat down in the saddle and when you think about rodeo, you worry about a broken arm or broken leg. That happens to about everybody at some point in their career, it seems like. Or other injuries. But usually not career ending.
But that day was a career ending injury for me, which is, I would say, somewhat rare, but it does happen from time to time. I was in the saddle reaching for my right stirrup before we got out in the arena, and Ruby flipped over on me and smashed me against the back of the chute, stood up, and I was instantly paralyzed from the waist down. And just a life altering moment for sure when really rodeo was my only thing that I cared about at that time. So it was hard. It's hard.
Lori Walsh:
This all happens in a second, in a flash? What do you remember? Do you remember it even happening?
Billie Sutton:
Somewhat. Just like I said, I remember reaching for that right stirrup. She flipped. It was kind of hazy. And then I do remember her standing up and I was still in the saddle. And I reached on... Because you're in the chute and with my right hand and left hand reached and grabbed the side of the bucking shoes to hold myself there, and I said... I remember saying, "You guys got to get me out of here. I just broke my back." And there was just this moment of like nobody knew what to do at first. And then they kind of jumped into action. They tied her in the chute, they brought a spine board. The EMTs are at every rodeo. They brought a spine board and attached me to that and slid me out from behind. And then I think adrenaline was keeping me conscious at that point. But then I was just very much in and out of consciousness for the next, probably... Really probably the next week while they life-flighted me to Minneapolis and did surgery, and that's when the journey really began.
Lori Walsh:
The sense of that... I don't know what to call it, regret, grief, all these things where you... I think most people can empathize with something happening, whether it's a broken arm or whatnot, where you remember, you think back to that moment, that moment just haunts you forever. But you're also saying that the journey begins after that moment. How do you think about that moment in the chute today? Are you able to let that go?
Billie Sutton:
I think for me, a lot of people don't want to think about that kind of injury, that kind of thing happening, but when it does happen, you're faced to reckon with it and you're faced to think about what could I have done differently or... Which doesn't do any good either. History is history and what's done is done. But I often say this, that... And I suppose some people might look at me funny, but I truly believe it that I wouldn't change anything. Even knowing what I know now, I wouldn't change it. I don't know that I'd have said that... I wouldn't have said that a few weeks or maybe a few months after the injury, but I say it now because I ended up marrying Kelsey, my best friend, we were dating for a little while at the time.
And who knows what would've happened if we did... What would have went on there had I kept rodeoing, because you travel all over the United States, you're gone all the time. It's very grueling and it's it's kind of a young person's lifestyle to a certain degree. So that could have potentially been challenging then. But we also have our son Liam, which I... There's no way to guarantee that we would have Liam had this all not occurred. And it's also given me just a ton of opportunities to do different things and to be I think more impactful than I ever could have been just going down the road rodeoing. So hindsight is interesting to think about.
Lori Walsh:
But just broadly speaking, if you would, as we close, what does rodeo mean to South Dakota? What is South Dakota without rodeo? I mean, when you think of South Dakota, can you even separate it from rodeo in your mind?
Billie Sutton:
I don't see how you could. It's our state sport. It goes so far back into who we are as a fabric in South Dakota. Very independent spirit, but heart for our community. And really what I mean by that is heart for the people around you. Because rodeo is probably the unique of a sport as you'll ever find in that you're competing against people, but you're not really competing against people. You're competing with the animal. And those friends that you make are the ones helping you to potentially beat them. And you become so close knit through that. You're like family.
So rodeo created that opportunity, and really that's where it began too, of people trying to break a horse or getting together to work cattle and making some fun out of it. And it just became a lifestyle that you live, where you would give the shirt off your back to somebody in need, or you would help anybody that needs help. And that is so South Dakota to me. So I just don't see how you can separate them. They're one in the same. And about everybody has a connection... If you're from South Dakota originally, especially, but everybody has a connection to some form of agriculture that connects to rodeo somehow, if you look deep enough,
Lori Walsh:
We are just getting started and Billie Sutton, I can't think of a better person to get started with. Thank you for being here to talk about your experience and about rodeo in the state. We appreciate your time.
Billie Sutton:
Thank you so much and really enjoyed it.
We want to hear your rodeo stories too. How did you get started in a rodeo? What was the best rodeo moment you ever experienced? One that you'll never forget. You can call us and leave a message. We might use your story on air too. Call (605) 951-0740.