'Rodeo people are resilient': Montana State rallies around coach Kyle Whitaker after wife loses hand

The Montana State rodeo community is rallying around the family of head coach Kyle Whitaker after a devastating horse accident left his wife, Presley, with life-altering injuries earlier this week.

On Monday evening, Presley was thrown from a horse at her Bozeman home and dragged around an arena by a rope wrapped around her arm. She then struck a fence, breaking her jaw in what Kyle Whitaker later described in a Tuesday Facebook post as a “gruesome scene.”

“She was flown to Salt Lake City last night and they attempted to reattach her hand,” Whitaker’s post states. “But there was too much damage done already.”

The couple will stay in Salt Lake City for the next few days as Presley undergoes surgery on her jaw and more work on the amputation.

“She will need prayers of support and strength as she adjusts to not having her right hand,” Whitaker’s post states. “I would appreciate prayers of guidance for how to break this to (our children). Fortunately neither one were around and we have a great support system who have taken care of them.”

He thanked members of the MSU rodeo community for donating the use of private planes to help transport family members to Salt Lake City after Presley was flown there by helicopter from the Bozeman hospital, including later flying Presley’s mother in from Minnesota.

“The Chute Boss Club stepped in and made this tough situation as easy as it could be,” Whitaker’s post states.

Just a day before the accident, Whitaker was recognized as the Big Sky Region Coach of the Year, an honor awarding the top coach in the region’s collegiate rodeo circuit.

After a strong regional season, the Bobcats are now preparing for the College National Finals Rodeo in June. While Presley continues recovering, MSU assistant rodeo coach Savanna Bolich said Whitaker plans to return to coach the team at the national championship in Casper, Wyoming.

“We’re going to see what their situation is. But, as of now, he’s planning on going,” Bolich said. “We have a lot of momentum this year and it’s really important to him to be there for the team.”

Having worked closely with Whitaker, she said his grit and determination to quickly get back in the arena came as no surprise.

“He’s doing as good as can be expected,” Bolich said. “Rodeo people are resilient.”

She encouraged people to follow the Chute Boss Club Facebook page for updates as the Whitakers continue navigating Presley’s recovery. Bolich said the club also plans to organize an event in Bozeman after the national championship.

In the meantime, the Chute Boss Club has launched a fundraiser to provide direct support to the family.

A second fundraiser, organized by a friend of Presley’s, has raised $10,000 of its $14,000 goal on GoFundMe.