Clint Cannon, who broke the PRCA regular season earnings record for a single event and finished 2009 second in the bareback riding world standings, suffered a sprained right collarbone and broke a bone in the thumb of his left (free) hand after being sent out the back of his short round draw in Fort Worth. He had surgery on Feb. 8 and had two screws put in his thumb. At press time, he planned to return for RodeoHouston, where he likely would be wearing a cast on his left hand. Cannon said he thinks he also suffered a concussion after being knocked out on his landing.

“I think I had one, but I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t the most painful thing going on at the time,” Cannon said.

Justin McDaniel, the 2008 world champion bareback rider, underwent back surgery in Tulsa, Okla., Feb. 5 to repair two herniated discs and is expected be sidelined for more than three months.??McDaniel, of Porum, Okla., is hoping to be able to resume competition in time for the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo in June.

“I still have some weakness and pain in my back from the surgery,” McDaniel said, “but my legs aren’t numb anymore, and I was able to walk out of the hospital, so I was pretty happy with the way things went.”

Josi Young, who broke his pelvis at the 2008 Wrangler National Finals

Rodeo and missed almost all of the 2009 season, broke both major bones in his right leg in the Feb. 12-14 Yuma (Ariz.) Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo and expects to be sidelined for 4-5 months.

At press time, Young was set to undergo surgery in a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital, with doctors to insert a rod into the center of his femur.

The injury occurred after the completion of what turned out to be a winning ride for the Kimberly, Idaho, cowboy, an 80-pointer on JK Rodeo Company’s Cow Springs.

“He’s a young horse, and he was acting like he wanted to jump the fence,” Young said. “You try to read their body language, so you can react. I tried to get off before we got to the fence, but I guess I was a little late. I hit the pipe railing and my leg snapped in two. I was lying on my side, and my foot was up by my hip.”

Ironically, Young has won the bareback riding title at Yuma all three times he’s entered there. His parents have a winter home about three hours away from Yuma, and he uses it as his base of operations during the winter season.

“Yeah,” Young said with a chuckle, “except for this thing (the broken leg), Yuma’s been a lucky rodeo for me.”