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Cowboy has sweet homecoming: Pueblo's Casey Colletti nearly wins bareback at State Fair Rodeo.
Aug 30, 2009 (The Pueblo Chieftain - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Seldom do things work out exactly according plan.
They nearly did, however, for Casey Colletti on Saturday night.
The Pueblo cowboy registered an 84 score on Little Linda in the bareback competition during the Colorado State Fair Rodeo at the Budweiser Arena.
"That was a really good ride for me," said Colletti, a 2004 graduate of Pueblo County High School. "I had never been on that horse (Little Linda) before, but I had seen her before and she's always been a good horse. She was out there jumping and kicking tonight."
It appeared that Colletti was going to leave the arena as the overall bareback leader, but then Tilden Hooper spoiled the party with an 87 on the competition's final ride of the evening. Hooper, of Carthage, Texas, was aboard a horse named Hard Times. "I've been to big rodeos all over the country and even the one in Houston where they get like 70,000 fans, but this rodeo (the Colorado State Fair) is my favorite," the 5-foot-9, 155-pound Colletti said. "There's nothing like performing well in front of your hometown family, friends and fans."
The five-day PRCA-sanctioned State Fair Rodeo continues at 4:30 and 7 p.m. today with a slack and nightly performance.
Actually, Colletti almost didn't even get to compete at all in Pueblo. On the
Fourth of July, he had a horse flip on top of him and break his right foot
during a ride at a rodeo in Oakley City, Utah.
"That was a fluke deal," the 23-year-old Colletti said. "The horse ran and hit the fence and then flipped over onto my foot. I was back riding in a month and I probably should not have been, but my foot felt good. I've only been on about 10 horses since I broke my foot, but I have built up a little bit of momentum."
On Friday night at a rodeo in Bremerton, Wash., Colletti scored an 84 on the PRCA's best bareback horse, Grated Coconut.
"Hopefully, I will be able to win some money with my rides at Bremerton and at the Fair," Colletti said.
Although life as a professional cowboy can be rough at times, Colletti would not change a thing about his career.
"In my opinion, bareback riding is like having a legal speed addiction," said Casey, who followed his father Chuck's footsteps into bareback riding. "Skydivers get an adrenaline rush by jumping out of planes and firefighters get a rush by putting out wildfires. I get my rush from bareback riding."
Unlike many of his competitors, Colletti is sticking around Pueblo for a few days before returning to action this coming Friday in Ellensburg, Wash.
"I'm going to spend time with my family and friends and help some of my other friends the next few days at the Fair rodeo," Colletti said. "Then, it's back on the road again to see if I can win some more money."
To see more of The Pueblo Chieftain, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.chieftain.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
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