Young bullrider Nathan Gilbert is facing a second operation on his thigh after a fall in the novice bull ride section at the Tenterfield Show resulted in one of the worst bone fractures seen at Armidale Hospital.
The 17-year-old – a year 12 student at Goondiwindi State High – has a pedigree in bullriding with dad Robert a well-known name on the circuit before he retired. Nathan had only recently moved up to riding bulls after several years in steer-riding events, but had around a dozen bull rides under his belt.
He’s been injured before, but this is by far the worst.
“It all happened too quickly,” he said.
“I don’t know if my leg was in an awkward position on the bull and he doubled back and bent the leg, or if it was the way I landed when I came off.”
He said he wasn’t stomped on by the bull, instead managing to crawl away while the rodeo clowns distracted the animal.
“I’d be lost without them.”
The pain wasn’t too bad until paramedics straightened the leg, which ended up two inches shorter than the other. Then it was excruciating.
Despite the long recovery period and the prospect of arthritis down the track, Nathan said he has no regrets about the ride other than that he didn’t stick it for the eight seconds.
“But I’m told he was a pretty good bull.”
The first operation secured a rod to the broken femur with four screws, but a CT scan has just revealed that the top screw has cracked the bone, leading to a second operation on Friday, again at Armidale Hospital.
Nathan will spend another six weeks or so in a wheelchair or on crutches, depending on how the injury heals, and has an 18-month recovery period ahead of him, putting a dint in his school-based traineeship as a plumber.
Nevertheless he’s keen to eventually get back into bull riding.
“But I don’t know if Mum and Dad will let me,” he said.
