Celina-Area Bull Rider Colton Hay Preparing for Return to Las Vegas

A 13-year-old bull rider from the Celina area is preparing to return to Las Vegas in December after earning back-to-back Quarter Horse Congress junior bull riding titles.

Colton Hay, who previously attended Celina schools, is now homeschooled to accommodate travel and rodeo competition. He has been riding for approximately five years, initially competing in barrel racing and pole bending before focusing primarily on mini bull and junior bull riding.

Hay said his interest in bull riding began at a junior rodeo in Urbana, Ohio, where he was encouraged to give it a try.

“It was pretty fun, so then it just stuck,” Hay said.

According to his family, Hay finished fourth in the world at last year’s Junior National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and fifth at the Hooey Junior Patriot event in Texas. He has also competed in Utah and participated in the Ohio Junior Rodeo Association, Indiana Junior Rodeo Association and National Little Britches Rodeo Association.

Hay said improving his mental game has helped him take on more challenging bulls. While he previously selected easier rides, this year he chose a bull that pushed him beyond his comfort zone.

“I told my mom that’s the one I was learning on,” he said. “She didn’t believe me, and then I proved her wrong.”

Hay frequently rides at Mack Arena in Celina and participates in Next Generation Bull Riding, which combines instruction in fundamentals with team competition. He competes with the Free Agents team.

He will return to Las Vegas in December to compete in the Junior NFR and Hooey Patriot events. His family said approximately 10 other young riders qualified for the Hooey competition through events at Mack Arena.

Hay said having familiar faces at the competitions makes the experience more enjoyable, giving him people to spend time with between rides.

His goal for the return trip is straightforward.

“This year I just want to do a little better than I did last year,” Hay said.