Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
ROOSEVELT — Doctors were not optimistic Braxten Nielsen would ever walk again after sustaining serious spinal cord injuries in the chutes of the 2017 Magic Valley Stampede PRCA Rodeo. They gave him less than a 5% chance.
Nielsen, however, was determined to walk again. This episode of Beyond the Game focuses on Nielsen's accident and his arduous road to recovery.
"I was able to climb back in the saddle on a tame horse quicker than I was able to walk," Nielsen recalled.
The lifelong athlete approached his new circumstances like any other competition — with grit and gumption.
"He's as naturally gifted as an athlete as you could imagine, but he (also) has work ethic," Joe Frost, former PRCA and PBR bull rider, said about Nielsen.
See what it means to be "Braxten Tough," and get a glimpse into the rodeo rider's new life in the video above.
Check out more Beyond The Game videos, such as how Eric Weddle is spending his life outside of the NFL coaching high school football, the lasting legacy of former Utah football head coach Ron McBride, or former Jazz center Greg Ostertag's life in a small town in Texas, among many more.
