The Meaning of Injury in Rough Stock Rodeo Cowboys: The Lived Experience

Article Outline

• Purpose
• Design
• Setting
• Sample
• Methodology
• Results
• Copyright

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Purpose 

Roughstock rodeo events are extreme sports involving bull riding and bareback and saddle bronc horse riding. Injury among competitors almost is inevitable. Many of the injured cowboys end up in the emergency department (ED), but continue to participate in roughstock rodeo competitions, despite their injuries or risk for further injuries. Health care professionals may not understand the culture of the roughstock rodeo cowboy and the meaning of injury for this population. The purpose of this research was to investigate the meaning of injury among roughstock rodeo cowboys who were injured during a competition.

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Design 

This qualitative study utilized a phenomenology approach involving interviews and participant observations.

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Setting 

In an area of eastern Kentucky, in-person interviews were conducted at roughstock rodeo competitions or afterward by telephone.

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Sample 

A purposeful sampling strategy using snowball sampling was employed to recruit 10 roughstock rodeo competitors between the ages of 18 and 40, who had been injured during a roughstock competition during the previous year and were able to communicate with the researcher. Informed consent and permission to tape-record the interview were obtained from all participants prior to conducting interviews.

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Methodology 

Participants were recruited by the researcher at local roughstock rodeo events for a one-time, semistructured interview about their injury; their experiences during and after the injury, regarding interactions with health care professionals, family relationships, and further rodeo competitions; and demographics. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using Colaizzi's method for data analysis of phenomenological inquiry. The meanings of injury as experienced by the cowboys were identified, coded, and categorized into themes. Participants were given the option to read their interview transcript, and the researcher made follow-up phone calls to debrief each participant. In addition, experts in qualitative methods reviewed the transcripts to validate categories and themes.

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Results 

Three themes emerged from the data: forestalling, contending, and enduring. In an attempt to forestall injury, the cowboys described ritualistic behavior that included prayer, routines, and lucky objects. Contending refers to the cowboy's perceived or real challenge to overcome adversaries to competing, which were identified as the bull and/or health care professional. Participants described health care professionals as being judgmental and lacking understanding of their culture. In regard to enduring, participants wanted to continue competing, although they viewed injury as unavoidable and the cause of income problems and family hardships. To cope with these concerns, participants were sometimes in denial about their injuries.