Eleven-year-old Ryan Logue has been participating in rodeos since he was five. He has participated in rodeos across Florida and Georgia for the Georgia Florida Youth Rodeo and the Little Cracker Association. He is an FRM ambassador and currently the Senior all around cowboy for the Georgia Florida Youth Rodeo. Sadly, Logue has had to put that on hold because of a major injury that occurred on Mother’s Day weekend.

Logue was at the finals in May, participating in a team roping event when he cut his thumb off. Logue had caught his steer and somehow got his thumb stuck between the rope and the saddle horn. Logue’s father, Randy, said when everything became tight between the 1,000-pound horse and the 600-pound steer going opposite directions, it completely detached his son’s thumb. Luckily, Logue was wearing gloves and they were able to locate the finger.

The family immediately left the arena and went to Archbold Hospital, where Logue was life flighted to Shands and the finger was reattached.

Randy said Ryan was the star of the show at Shands. The hospital had leach therapy and was able to attach leaches to the thumb to help restore blood flow, and was successful in doing so.

Since the accident, Logue has been released from Shands and is currently in therapy, but doing very well, he said.

Logue said it will require several more months of therapy and healing, but he intends to make a full recovery and return to doing what he loves, which is participating in rodeos.

Logue was the fall champion bull rider and chute dogger for Little Crackers and the spring chute dogger champion. He actually qualified this year to go to Guthrie, Oklahoma for the IMBA world bull riding championships, but will not be able to participate due to his injury. However, his goal is to qualify to go to a national final out west one year.

Although Logue has faced this setback, he said he has been described as being gritty. He said to him having grit means not backing down from anything and not giving up.

“It means that I am going to throw that chute dogging steer when he is the biggest one in the pen and I am the smallest contestant, it is about getting on the rankest bull and covering him for a score and tying the goat that no one else has been able to.”

Since the accident, a rodeo fundraiser has been held for him. Logue was thankful for everyone willing to help him, and even was able to get back in the saddle himself. Through this experience and rodeo, Logue has learned to set goals and work hard to achieve the goals because anything is possible.