‘Got a little too much of the asphalt’: Rodeo champion checked his bag into Delta. When he arrived, the bag and $1000s in gear were shredded

The athleticism, training, and gear required to stay ahead of the inherent danger make being a professional Rodeo rider no small feat. A few days ago, right before a competition, professional saddle bronc rider Lefty Holman found himself without one of those things after checking his gear bag in with Delta Airlines for an Idaho-bound flight. His wife, Hailey, took to Instagram and TikTok to share that the bag and the gear it contained had been destroyed.

The third-generation cowboy from Visalia, California, and his wife could only grin and bear it when they realized Lefty no longer had the gear needed to compete at the Magic Valley Stampede in Filer that night. The post went on to get over 650K views on both platforms. As the on-screen text of the video noted, “Just [the] entire gear bag and all equipment completely shredded and ruined on a flight.” As they sifted through the remains of the bag, Hailey noted, “Literally in shreds.”

“Here we have a Delta flight, guys. Yeah. Hundreds of dollars of [Lefty’s], um, embroidered shirts. Toast. The entire bag. Toast. Let’s see what we’re working with. With the [safety] vest here. Shredded. So that’s nice. This is the craziest thing.” She and Lefty pulled items out of the remains of the bag as she talked about them. At one point, Lefty pulled out a plastic jar to show that half of it had been scraped away. The clip then cuts to them walking out of the airport, where Hailey gives us more information.

The casualty of carelessness

In the parking lot, they finally opened the remains of the bag properly. Hailey pointed out Lefty’s ornamental belt, where some of the metal pieces were sanded down to almost nothing. She noted, “It was [dragged] so hard, the metal is now a knife.” When Lefty went to pull out a pair of scissors, she asked him, “Did the Scissors make it?” She then laughed when he held up the mauled remains of the same, remarking, “Got a little too much of the asphalt!”

Hailey told her viewers, “So here’s the deal. They said they think that his bag fell off the car while they’re taking it to the plane, and it just got [dragged] the entire way, which, you know what lines up? Looks like it.” She emphasized that for professional athletes, this kind of incident isn’t just about losing clothes. 

“The thing is, for a lot of people, I get you’re traveling. It’s just your clothes, whatever, stuff can be replaced. A lot of times it can’t for somebody like this. Or it’s your career. And you have to get on tonight. Six and a half hours away from here. We’re not just gonna go to Dick’s Sporting Goods and find the stuff we need,” she explained

According to Silver Spurs Rodeo, the gear required for roughstock events is extensive and highly personal. It includes protective chaps, vests, spurs, gloves, and, for saddle bronc riders like Lefty, a custom-fitted saddle. These items are usually custom-made. 

As Hailey pointed out, “It’s not, like, replaceable right now. The [Delta] guy who was working with us was so nice. It’s not his fault. He was great. They said they will reimburse us. It’s just like, that doesn’t really do anything for us today.” 

She noted that the problem was bigger, pointing to stories of other ruined specialty gear. “So it’s not even the fact that this is thousands of dollars worth of stuff that’s hard to replace. It’s such a specialty item that they should be handled with a little more care.”

Lefty is a seasoned competitor who has reached the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) five times. According to Sports Illustrated, he is currently working to secure his spot at the Thomas & Mack Arena in December. They praised him for his incredible ability to win in high-pressure situations. Last year, he finished second in the NFR average.

Their viewers were incredibly supportive. One Instagram user advised, “That is crazy. Make sure you file with baggage claims asap. Airlines have to reimburse you up to $4700 per passenger for damaged or lost luggage.” Another user commented, “You can’t replace professional grade gear at a big box store. I hope they make this right.” In a different case, a woman saw the baggage handlers abandon the bag.

On TikTok, users were equally vocal. One person wrote, “thats rodeo gear. thats expensive. that stuff is needed for safety. you trusted the airlines with your items and they destroyed it beyond use.”

Cowboy+, the official network for the NFR and Pro Rodeo, reshared Hailey’s post. They noted that Lefty is currently ranked 20th in his category, and that the couple was “rolling with the punches,” despite the “disaster.”