Team roper Jake Barnes left most of his right thumb in the dirt two years ago at the National Finals Rodeo.

Barnes didn't realize he had lost the thumb until he saw ligaments and muscle flying in front of him. He assumed they were trailing part of his thumb.

"It was devastating, but the good Lord healed me up," Barnes said of the damage, which included a shoulder injury and the loss of 60 percent of his right thumb.

"It was a split-second decision that caused it. We were in good shape to win the average (bonus), and I took a chance.

"In any other rodeo, I'd have let my rope go."

He was teamed with Kory Koontz that year, but this year Barnes is back with Clay O'Brien Cooper. The duo owns eight world team roping titles, the last of which came 13 years ago.

This is the 21st NFR for Barnes, 48, and the 22nd for the 46-year-old Cooper, who completes each run as the heeler.

They started the 10-day rodeo ranked ninth in the 15-team field, largely on the strength of four major rodeo victories, including the Clark County Fair and Rodeo in Logandale.

Barnes and Cooper have moved up to sixth and fifth, respectively, for headers and heelers in the world money rankings after placing fourth on opening night and tying for third Friday in front of 17,573 fans.

They've won $13,838 in the NFR and are fourth in the event aggregate standings. The team that wins the most during the 10-day rodeo earns a $42,043 bonus.

That's what Barnes, of Scottsdale, Ariz., thinks will determine this year's world champions.

"This is a marathon. Until the last dog is shot, it's anybody's race," Barnes said. "Anything can happen, like when I lost my thumb."

He acknowledges there are numerous teams capable of winning the title, and many are from a new generation.

The teams of Travis Tryan-Michael Jones and Jimmy Edens-Ryan Motes, two NFR rookies, tied for first in Friday's go-round after Tryan and Jones won the opening round. Their ages range from 25 to 28.

"We're used to winning championships," Barnes said. "It boils down to who finishes."

To novice NFR fans, team roping might seem like rocking-chair rodeo because the header and heeler remain in the saddle throughout their run.

But Barnes' unplanned amputation is a common injury in the event.

Heelers Cesar de la Cruz and Kory Koontz are each missing a thumb.

And father and son team ropers Mike and Brandon Beers also have experienced thumb trauma.

Mike, a 49-year-old header competing in his 24th NFR, and Brandon, a 21-year-old event rookie, have scars on their right thumbs.

A surgeon was able to reattach the tip of Mike's thumb. But Brandon's couldn't be saved when it was severed by his rope when he was 13, so one of his thumbs is about half the size of the other.

"You learn to live with it and adjust your roping style to it," Mike Beers said.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0247.