For Christmas last year, Casey Colletti’s wife Kacee wanted to give him something special, but what do you get a three-time WNFR qualifier that has had the chance to live out his dreams in arenas all across the country? Kacee thought the dirt he competed on would be the perfect gift for the occasion.

Casey had casually mentioned the idea of collecting arena dirt a few years ago, and Kacee set to work collecting from some of the top rodeo events in which he has competed over the next couple years.

“At Houston in 2016 we were headed to the airport and I said we have to stop by the arena and get dirt,” said Kacee, who remembered her husband’s comment. “Casey wanted to start saving dirt, because as a bareback rider he knows you never know when your career might end due to injury.”

Kacee shared her creation in a Facebook post that has now received nearly 3,000 shares online.

“It’s dirt I’ve accomplished a lot of goals on, and when I retire I may not ever set foot back on it unless my wife or daughter lets me in the alley with them,” said Casey. “My wife made this a pretty special gift — you can always count on her for originality. Now we’ll just hope (my daughter) Kingslee doesn’t stir it up.”

The young family has been collecting other items from their rodeo careers for years, and now they have a room in their house that they refer to as "the shrine." Even though they’ve been saving these items for a while, they meant much more after Casey suffered a severe spinal cord injury in 2014 that forced him to sit out the 2015 season — an accident that could have ended his career.

“So every rodeo we were able to go to meant something to us. The dirt in this vase isn't 'dirt' to us — it's memories,” Kacee said. “It's the experiences Casey and I had together at that rodeo and now the experiences we have at each one with our daughter Kingslee.”  

The Shrine Includes:

• Bareback riggings Casey used during his three WNFR qualifications 
• Saddles both of the tough competitors have won 
• Hair from memorable horses in their lives — Kacee collected hair from her favorite barrel horses, while Casey saved hair from top bareback horse “Scarlett’s Web” 
• Buckles, spurs, and other trophies Back numbers and competition photos