WPRA Champ Thompson Recovering from Surgery
Hope Thompson broke her leg at Chris Neal’s Future Stars all-girl tie-down in Guthrie. Okla.

2013 WPRA World Champion Breakaway Roper Hope Thompson broke her left leg May 29 while competing at Chris Neal’s Future Stars All-Girl Tie Down roping in Guthrie, Okla., and had surgery June 6 to repair the break.

“I was stepping off in the tie-down. I drew a calf that was running pretty hard and my horse is still a little green and she started to stop and it kind of scared her when I went to get off as fast as we were going,” Thompson said. “I just kind of jumped off and as soon as my leg hit the ground it felt like it exploded. I knew right away that it was broke.”

A week and a half later doctors removed Thompson’s stitches and put on a hard cast.

“I’ll be in the hard cast for a month and then I’ll go back and they’ll cut the cast off and put me in one of those boots,” Thompson said. “Still no weight on it for six to eight weeks. The doctor says it’s going to be about four months before the bones actually start healing so I would say four to six months before I get to ride.”

Thompson was riding an 8-year-old mare, Supercrome Ink (Ink), that she bought as a 3-year-old and trained at the Guy Ranch in Abilene.

“She came off a cutting horse ranch. I bought her and she used to want to buck all the time. I pet her every day and thank her for wanting to buck because that’s the only reason I got to own her,” said Thompson. “I trained her in the breakaway and the team roping. Lari Dee (Guy) team roped and breakawayed on her some. A lot of guys were liking her but I had never tied anything down on her so C.R. Bradley came to the house and rode her a couple days and she just picked it right up. He said, ‘We should show her in those AQHA shows.’ Her second show was the weekend after I broke my leg. He showed her in a three-day show and placed every single day under the judges in the calf roping and the heeling. She won the heeling circuit in the horse shows and in only two shows qualified for the World Show.”

Along with training horses, Thompson works beside Guy teaching schools around the world.

“When I broke my leg we had to cancel a school so we’ll probably try to reschedule,” Thompson said. “I’ll just have to do what I can and help them rope. I’ve got a little scooter that I can ride around so I’ll try to do some school and a bunch of computer work. I’m sure I’ll sneak out there and rope the dummy when I can.”

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