Top 30 Tie-Down Roping Cowboy Suffers Major Hand Injury at Rough Rider Cup

Not all details have been confirmed, but a tie-down roper appeared to suffer a degloving injury at the North Dakota Rough Rider Cup.

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Mandan, North Dakota saw its fair share of action over the weekend thanks to the North Dakota Rough Rider Cup, one of rodeo's largest events of the year.

Athletes come to compete from far and wide in order to make one last shot at qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo in December. For some, all that hard work paid off, but for others, like Andrew Burk, fate was not on their side.

The Kiln, Miss. tie-down roper who is currently ranked in the top 30 of the World Standings faced a season-ending injury. 

The cowboy started what looked to be a great run. What wasn’t apparent to onlookers was the injury that happened to his left hand. While dismounting and running for the calf, Burks’ was de-gloved on possibly his first three fingers.

The cowboy couldn’t even finish the run, and called for assistance from the middle of the arena while indicating to his injured hand. 

A de-gloving injury can be serious, resulting in deep trauma to the hand where the skin and underlying soft tissues are torn away from the bone or muscle.

An injury like this to his left hand could end his career if he isn’t careful in the recovery. All of the details are not confirmed on the status of the injury, but one can hope Burks will be as good as new for next year. 

Despite Injury, Andrew Burks Has Yet To Peak In His Rodeo Career

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Burks was quickly helped by staff at the rodeo, but without question, is sidelined for the remainder of the year.

While he’s had a solid season so far, and currently sits at a career best No. 29 in the world, this kind of injury is one that could put him out for an extended period of time.

With only a week left in the regular season, that might not matter much but to cowboys pushing until the final second to try and secure an NFR spot, this end-of-season injury is a huge blow.

At age 28, Burks is no stranger to the rodeo arena, and is still pushing for his first NFR qualification. He’s made $78,935 this year, nearly tripling his season earnings compared to 2024. 

The cowboy appears only to be getting better year after year, he took home the top spot at five rodeos this season. Everyone is cheering for Burks to make a full recovery and be in the top of the standings in the very near future.