After more than two decades on the road and on top of the sport, there are very few titles that have eluded steer wrestler Curtis Cassidy. The Donalda, Alberta, cowboy has won more than $2 million in ProRodeo and competed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo eight times.
But Cassidy had never taken home the title from the Redding (Calif.) Rodeo prior to backing into the box at the Redding Rodeo Grounds on May 19, during the 75th anniversary edition of the Playoff Series event.
Two steers and less than ten seconds later, Cassidy clinched his first career Redding title. Cassidy downed his steers in 9.7 seconds, placing in both go rounds to earn $4,355.
“I’ve actually never won any of these California rodeos,” Cassidy, 44, said with a laugh. “I’ve placed right along but never won first.”
“It’s a start,” he joked.
Cassidy kicked off the rodeo with a 4.7-second run that placed third in the opening go round.
“I had a little black steer in the first round, and it was just a textbook run,” he noted. “They’re fresh, so you had to sit there and score them out. I got a really good go.
“He was no lollipop, but he was just a good honest steer.”
Though Cassidy owns the three-time and reigning AQHA | PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year, Tyson, he borrowed a ride on fellow Canadian Tanner Milan’s horse Eddie while Tyson is enjoying a break in the pasture at home. It was the first time he’d ridden Eddie since taking the ride on him to a reserve finish in Denver in January.
“I was the high money winner there, won about $10,000,” he said. “I get along good with him, he’s a good fit for me.”
“Maybe I should ride him more,” he joked. Milan provided hazing aboard a horse of Cassidy’s.
“We started using him last fall and since we’ve matched him up with Eddie, they’ve won a pile on them,” he said. “It’s super important that the haze horse and dogging horse are matched up in speed. A good haze horse complements the dogging horse and makes him that much better.”
Cassidy sealed the average win with a run of 5-seconds flat in the evening performance, a run that didn’t exactly go according to plan.
“He didn’t leave like I expected, I had to pick it up, so we broke into the chute, and I ran him further down than I wanted,” he said. “But once I got my hands on him and my feet hit the ground, he handled great.”
Cassidy added that he loves running fresh steers for the sheer unpredictability.
“It’s always fun, you have no idea what they’re going to do.”
Ranked 36th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings, the Redding bump should help Cassidy improve his position as he heads home for a while before the summer run.
“This is about the only time I’m home, so hopefully I can get some stuff done around the place,” he said. “I’ll rodeo around home until we head out to Reno.”
Other winners at the $199,223 rodeo were all-around cowboy Dan Williams Jr. (tie-down roping and team roping); bareback rider Ty Pope (87.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s SOS); team ropers Dan Williams Jr. and Cody Stewart (11.1 seconds on two head); saddle bronc rider Q Taylor (88.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s Indian Burn); tie-down roper Riley Webb (16.0 seconds on two head); barrel racer Miley Bunting (17.32 seconds); and bull rider Ky Hamilton (85.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Far West).
Source: ProRodeo
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