Mattox was no worse for wear after the stomping, except for the indignity of having the arena ground into his face. Washburn, who competes in the saddle bronc riding event, recently missed five months of action after breaking his back last September in a rodeo in St. George, Utah. Showing that the injury has not slowed him down, Washburn, from Corona, N.M., posted a 75 in the event yesterday to put himself right in the mix for the saddle bronc riding title. The top 12 scores advance to the finals tomorrow. For Washburn to miss the cut, seven of the 10 to 12 riders today would have to post a score topping Washburn's 75.
Today is the last day for qualifying.
It's hard to say what will happen, but I should make it back Sunday. Not all of the consequences from the injury were negative. The time off allowed Washburn to be around his wife, who is expecting a baby in June. Understandably, when Washburn was well enough to ride again, there were some jitters when it was time to get back up on a horse again. The horse may look surprised as the gate opens with Rick Bradley aboard in the bareback riding event yesterday at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds, but Bradley wasn't.