Not His First Rodeo: Bull Rider Colton Snyder set to Ride at the 43rd Annual Ramona Rodeo

SDCEA Equestrian Team employee Colton Snyder will be one of 45 bull riders expected to compete at the Ramona Rodeo next weekend, August 22 - 24. Bull riding is a rodeo sport where a rider attempts to stay on a bucking bull for eight seconds while holding on to a bull rope with one hand. The free arm remains in the air and can’t touch any part of the bull for the entire 8 seconds. Eight seconds is all it takes, but those seconds can feel like an eternity on top of a bucking bull. If the rider stays on for 8 seconds, it’s considered a qualified ride. However, if the free arm touches the bull, the ride doesn’t qualify.

24-year-old Snyder is no stranger to the equestrian world. His father, Craig Snyder, is a professional team roper who retired in 2009. Snyder grew up on the back of a horse and was swinging a rope by the time he was one-and-a-half years old. His mother, Christine Snyder, is a horse trainer at C Bar S Ranch in Ramona and can do just about anything with horses. She is also a 4-H leader for the Wranglers and leads the horse group. Colton owns two horses and works in equestrian maintenance at the International Equestrian Center. He has been in the position since November 2023 and runs the tractor, grooms the arenas, fixes water pipes, weed whacks, and maintains the facility. “I do anything and everything,” says Snyder.

Snyder has been bull riding for almost four years and loves the sport. His passion for bull riding dates back to when he was a child and would spend time at the ranch his grandfather ran in Jamul. He recalls a particular bull from when he was 4 or 5 years old that disliked everyone except him. Whenever he visited the bull, it would walk behind him and stand.

This is not Snyder’s first rodeo. He has competed in bull riding at the Ramona, Lakeside, Poway, and Norco Rodeos, and Bulls Only Rodeos. He rides two or three times a week and gets on three to five bulls in Campo at Rancho El Borracho, a ranch that holds bull riding practice. The owner runs cattle and holds practice for anyone who wants to get on a bull. Snyder also flew to Texas and attended world champion bull rider Gary Leffew’s Bull Riding School. Last year was his first professional year. He rode a bull named Battle Mountain that qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in 2018.

Bull riding is a dangerous sport, and Snyder has been injured numerous times. He has broken his wrists, been knocked out twice, had his head stepped on by a bull, bruised ribs on both sides, split his shin, separated his shoulder, and sustained several bruises. “It’s pretty much like the last gladiator sport that is still around,” says Snyder. “It’s man versus beast.”

“I like it; it’s a different challenge,” says Snyder. “It’s more of a mental game and getting over the fear.” He has been married for two years to his wife, Kamryn. They have a two-and-a-half-year-old son, Clayton, and are expecting a baby boy in September. “My wife is my biggest supporter,” says Snyder. He adds that Ramona has a lot of horse people and not a lot of bull, saddle bronc and bareback riders. He hopes to change that. The prizes for bull riding in the Ramona Rodeo include a cash prize and a custom buckle. For Snyder, winning money is good, but the prize he has his eye on is the gold buckle. “Money is great, but everyone goes for the gold,” says Snyder.

Snyder hopes to be scheduled to ride on Saturday night at the rodeo. Be sure to go out next weekend and show your support to him and all the competitors.

Stay tuned for our next article about Colton's rodeo bull ride ...

Photo by Tiffany Pressler