Bucky McAlpine competes in the bareback riding portion of the Three Bar J Rodeo during the Bartholomew County Fair at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ind., Monday, June 26, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Matthew Hartman was watching a rodeo with some friends from Columbus North High School and thought he might like to give it a try.
So Hartman took up the sport and now competes as a bull rider. Monday night, he competed in his hometown for the first time when Three Bar J out of Union City hosted a rodeo at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair.
“I got into it because of a dare in high school,” Hartman said. “I was in FFA, and we were watching an event, and I thought, ‘That was easy enough.’ A couple of my buddies said, ‘Well, I bet you can’t do it.’ So I saved up enough money all my gear, and I hopped on and I’ve loved it ever since.”
It turns out the event Hartman was competing in wasn’t all that easy after all. None of the 11 riders were able to stay on the bull for eight seconds, which is required be able to score.
Hartman, 23, graduated from Purdue, works as technician at Cummins and has own woodworking business. He does mostly in-state rodeos, primarily at Double B in Mooresville.
Sometimes, he is able to stay on the bull.
“It’s always hit-or-miss,” Hartman said. “It depends on where we’re at. It’s pretty hard. I train and work out as much as I can, and that’s about all I can do because every bull ride is different. Every bull weighs different. They all have their own unique torque. Some like to jump. Some like to spin.”
Hartman was one of a few Columbus residents out of more than 100 participants to compete in their hometown on Monday. Emily Golden competed in breakaway roping, and 14-year-old Addalyn Ketron and 8-year-old Reagan Mouser — two of the youngest in the rodeo — participated in barrel racing.
Bucky McAlpine, who competed in bareback riding, traveled the farthest for the event. The 21-year-old came from Anaconda, Montana.
“I really just wanted a different experience,” McAlpine said. “If you stay in one place, you kind of get stagnant, and you can’t be the best if you just keep going to your hometown rodeos. You have to venture out, and it led me to Columbus. I love the atmosphere, and the crowd is amazing. I think I could have done a little bit better on my horse, but everything about this city is amazing.”
Other events at the rodeo included saddle bronc, steer wrestling, tie down roping and team roping.
About 2,000 people packed the grandstand and bleachers in the infield of Tony Stewart Speedway to watch the 2 1/2-hour event that saw some light rain in the early-to-midway portion. The rodeo, which featured a $20,000 purse, returned to the fair last year after about a two-decade absence.
“I thought it was a great crowd,” said Clay Norris, one of two horseback-mounted Three Bar J employees who helped the competitors stay safe by separating the bulls from the riders after they had fallen off.. “I was supper happy they stayed to watch through the rain and everything. It’s a great size pen and good ground.”
