Bareback Rider Caleb Bennett Looks for Best Finish in Las Vegas
By Hope Sickler

Caleb Bennett has ridden bareback horses professionally since 2007, but his love for rodeo has much deeper roots.

The Utah native grew up watching his mother run barrels and his father ride bucking horses.

At 12 years old, Bennett rode his first bucking horse and hasn't looked back since.

"It was just a family tradition to rodeo," Bennett said. "It was a way of life, and something that I was literally born to do. I started riding steers and junior bulls at a young age, then I slowly started climbing on bareback horses."

Over the past five years, he has competed on the biggest stage in rodeo -- the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Bennett returns to the Thomas & Mack Center on December 1-10 in third place in the PRCA world standings with $132,494.06 in earnings and his sights set on the No. 1 position.

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"Rodeo always has its ups and downs, but that is just part of the sport," he said. "This year I made a decision to focus specifically on the highs and since then, I have accomplished more goals, set new ones, and never looked back at the rides that I didn't like.

"At this point, the only low to me this season would be not going into the NFR in the No. 1 position, but like I said, I don't focus on the lows. I am grateful to have been given another opportunity to go and try and win a world title."

Bennett finished in seventh place in his first year qualifying for the WNFR in 2012 -- his highest placing so far when the curtain closed in Vegas.

While no stranger to success, Bennett sees this season shaping up to be one of his best yet.

"As the years went on, I progressed and got better," he said. "Before I knew it, bareback riding had become my favorite event and the one that I had the most success with. I rode broncs, bulls, and team roped all through high school and college. I enjoyed it all, but I found a strong passion and desire within myself when it came to riding bucking horses."

Heading into the WNFR, Bennett said he is sticking to the same game plan that led to his previous four qualifications. His mental preparation starts by drilling it into his mind that the WNFR is just another 10-day rodeo with each day bringing another opportunity.

"My main goal for the NFR this year is to stay focused on myself and ride against myself," Bennett said. "I need to keep my head on straight and ride against myself every night. I need to stay focused on myself and my performance against each horse and let the rest take care of itself. Of course, I would love to draw my current favorite bareback horse, Bar C5's Virgil, at some point throughout the finals."

Joining Bennett at the WNFR this year is his best friend, Baylor Roche, who qualified in steer wrestling.

"I can't wait to watch Baylor, and learn from him as well," Bennett said. "He handles pressure and the bright lights really well, and I can always turn to him for advice if I need it, especially from a competitor's standpoint."

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