A good veterinarian and a lot of TLC go a long ways in the world of rodeo.

Just ask Jess Tierney, a four-time qualifier to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping and a regular at the Timed Event Championship of the World.

Like all other steer ropers, Tierney relies heavily on his main mount, a 14-year-old he calls Sox. But the talented gelding just returned to the arena after a seven-month stint on injured reserve after suffering a leg injury last July.

“I was giving him some time off, so he was just in the pasture,” Tierney said. “When I got there, the whole pasture was full of puddles of blood, and he’d lost about 300 pounds.”

Tierney loaded the horse in a trailer and quickly shuffled Sox to the veterinarian, who put the animal in a cast.

“We had to keep him boxed up for a long time,” he said, referring to being in a confined pen to obtain the right care and keep an eye on healing. “We finally got him turned out this winter. We got a shoe on him right before San Antonio and the Timed Event.”

Sox has responded quite well. While Tierney traveled the rodeo trail, his girlfriend put in the work needed to care for the horse.

“She put in about four months of labor,” he said.

That tender, loving care paid dividends. Since Sox has returned to action, Tierney has earned more than $34,000 in competition. Half that came from the Timed Event, where Tierney finished third overall competing in heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping.

The other half came in steer roping, with the lion’s share earned at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. He added nearly $5,000 this past weekend at the Ron Ross Memorial Steer Roping in Liberty, Texas.

Even though he finished 2014 without Sox in the arena, Tierney finished the year fourth in the steer roping world standings. It was his best season to date.

Now that he has his primary mount back on the road, he hopes to parlay it into a run for the gold buckle. Though he’s competed in just two events so far, Tierney is sixth in the world standings. With a full season of steer roping yet to go, he has a great shot at realizing his world-title dreams.A good veterinarian and a lot of TLC go a long ways in the world of rodeo.

Just ask Jess Tierney, a four-time qualifier to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping and a regular at the Timed Event Championship of the World.

Like all other steer ropers, Tierney relies heavily on his main mount, a 14-year-old he calls Sox. But the talented gelding just returned to the arena after a seven-month stint on injured reserve after suffering a leg injury last July.

“I was giving him some time off, so he was just in the pasture,” Tierney said. “When I got there, the whole pasture was full of puddles of blood, and he’d lost about 300 pounds.”

Tierney loaded the horse in a trailer and quickly shuffled Sox to the veterinarian, who put the animal in a cast.

“We had to keep him boxed up for a long time,” he said, referring to being in a confined pen to obtain the right care and keep an eye on healing. “We finally got him turned out this winter. We got a shoe on him right before San Antonio and the Timed Event.”

Sox has responded quite well. While Tierney traveled the rodeo trail, his girlfriend put in the work needed to care for the horse.

“She put in about four months of labor,” he said.

That tender, loving care paid dividends. Since Sox has returned to action, Tierney has earned more than $34,000 in competition. Half that came from the Timed Event, where Tierney finished third overall competing in heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping.

The other half came in steer roping, with the lion’s share earned at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. He added nearly $5,000 this past weekend at the Ron Ross Memorial Steer Roping in Liberty, Texas.

Even though he finished 2014 without Sox in the arena, Tierney finished the year fourth in the steer roping world standings. It was his best season to date.

Now that he has his primary mount back on the road, he hopes to parlay it into a run for the gold buckle. Though he’s competed in just two events so far, Tierney is sixth in the world standings. With a full season of steer roping yet to go, he has a great shot at realizing his world-title dreams.