Resistol Rookie of the Year candidate Shiloh Napp sticks out—at 33 years old, she’s one of the eldest in the field—but the Enterprise, Mississippi, cowgirl’s true superpower is the man pushing her calf every chance he gets; traumatic brain injury survivor and brother Shane Hadley.
In 2018, Hadley was bulldogging at the Palo Pinto County Livestock Association ProRodeo (PPCLA) in Mineral Wells, Texas, when the steer cut in front of his horse. When he and his horse went down, Hadley’s head was the first thing to contact the ground.
“It sheered his brain apart,” Napp said. “Right down the middle. They say that one-third of the people don’t live past the scene of the accident, one-third don’t live past 72 hours, and the last third don’t have much of a life. They told us to be grateful if he got up in a wheelchair. But we prayed, and God has done an amazing work.”
Hadley, who is 18 months younger than Napp, was put into a medically induced coma and went without food for three weeks when his feeding tube was misplaced. When he woke up, all he could do was move his eyes. Then, he could give a thumbs up.
From there, his story has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. Napp gives credit to her parents, Trina and Jim Hadley, for never leaving his side and constantly advocating for their son. Hadley moved to a wheelchair. Then a walker. Napp teared up when recalling the first time he said “Hey, Shi.” To her again.
“He’s never felt sorry for himself,” Napp said. “From the second it happened he’s been fighting. He’s had to recreate all the neural pathways. How to walk, talk, eat. My parents did a lot of out-of-the-box thinking to get him better. There was a fundraiser, and my parents were able to buy him a hyperbaric chamber, an oxygen chamber.”
And perhaps the most striking point of this entire story? Hadley is glad it happened.
He spends his days taking care of the families’ horses, learning how to rope again, and reading and sharing passages from the Bible on social media.
“I get more fulfillment out of making TikToks on Bible verses than I ever did steer wrestling,” Hadley said.
Shane Hadley’s calf pushing powers
Napp decided 2024 was her year to vie for the Resistol Rookie of the Year title because of the special horsepower she had in her trailer; a mare named Evelyn.
Together, Napp and Evelyn won the 96th Annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo with a time of 2.3 seconds, earning $4,489. They also picked up $3,351 after tying for No. 3 at the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, and $1,156 in a go-round at the Restistol Rookie Roundup in Fort Worth.
Hadley pushed her calf at the Rookie Roundup, and even the rodeo in Mineral Wells where his life changed forever in 2018.
“For him to be able to push my calf is amazing,” Napp said. “I’m grateful I have him, because he’s not supposed to be with us. For him to come to Mineral Wells, walk back out there and push my calf was a humbling experience.”
According to Napp, her brother is the perfect pusher because he gives it his all each time, and his size means it’s easy for him to take up real estate in the chute.
“I am so elated that breakaway is finally mainstream, because when I was rodeoing it wasn’t,” Hadley said. “I’m grateful that it’s come as far as it has, and I get to help Shiloh.”
What’s next for Hadley?
Hadley will continue his daily therapies, sharing the Word of God and getting better at heeling. He rides “Buckwheat,” a gelding out of his high school bulldogging mare. A doctor’s exemption is allowing him to tie on, and he’s getting faster every day—currently roping the dummy at about 10 miles per hour.
“He’s got the best heel horse in the world,” Napp said. “He’ll close his eye and turn his head because Shane might whack him with the rope. He changes his stride to stay under Shane and take care of him.”
He’ll continue to push Napp’s calves when he can, but his condition means he won’t be at every rodeo this summer. Never the less, Napp is grateful for ever time Hadley steps into the box with her, knowing what could have been.
