Thirteen-year old Caden Gines has been riding bulls since age 9, and in his four years of competition, he’s been carrying on the Gines family rodeo legacy.

Caden is the son of Codi and Colby Gines, who each have long-standing ties to rodeo, and his 9-year-old brother Casen is also expressing an interest in rodeo through clowning, bull fighting and bareback riding.

Caden recently competed at the first-ever Junior National Finals Rodeo, held in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Vegas on Dec. 5-7.

“It didn’t go as planned,” said Caden. “But I’m going to come back with a vengeance next year.”

At the event, Caden got on three head of bulls.

“They were good. I drew really good,” he said. “I just didn’t do very well on them.”

This was the second time the boys attendend the NFR as a family of four. They first watched the rodeo in 2014. Parents Codi and Colby have also attended several times themselves.

Codi and Colby met through rodeo in high school, were friends throughout high school and college and started dating shortly after college.

Codi, whose parents Kay and Jake Clark have deep rodeo roots, participated in rodeo all through high school and college. She competed in team roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing, pole bending, cutting and goat tying; she received a full ride to Northwest College and then went on to compete at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Montana.

Colby rode bulls in high school. Then in his freshman year of college, he started bull fighting, got his pro card and fought bulls professionally for 13 years. Some of his accomplishments include attending 11 circuit finals — an honor that comes from getting voted in by the cowboys. Colby also made it to the PBR freestyle world championships.

The Gines family also ropes and Colby currently trains their own roping horses.

“We love to rope; I really love to rope,” said Codi.

Some of that love has apparently been passed down, as, in addition to bull riding, Caden is participating in team roping and breakaway roping.

In June and July, Caden competed in team roping at the Cody Nite Rodeo with a friend from Mississippi; in the spring, Caden competed in Junior High Rodeo events with a friend from Cody, where as a team they placed in the top 15.

Caden has competed in several different associations over the last four years, including the Wyoming Junior High School Rodeo Association, Montana Mini Bucker Association and the Big Sky Little Britches Association.

Each association has different sizes of bulls, seasons, rodeos, fees, age groups and point system for determining who will qualify for the respective final events.

Within the Little Britches Rodeo Association, and his first year of competition within the association, Caden finished in the top 15 in junior bull riding.

“I’m just glad that the people who bring the bulls bring them, ‘cause it’s fun,” said Caden.

Caden started competing in the Cody Nite Rodeo in 2013. At age 9, he only competed in the first part of the season when the stock was changed from steers to longhorn cows.

The year of waiting proved fruitful, as he took first place in the riding in 2014 and 2015 at ages 10 and 11; in 2016, Caden finished second. He turned 13 in November.

Also in 2016, Caden qualified for the Junior High School Rodeo Association Nationals in Tennessee by making the top four in the Wyoming Junior High School Rodeo Association.

However, “We decided as a family not to go, because the bulls were too big,” said Codi, adding, “He’s little. It’s just more power than he could deal with at his size.”

“Plus it was my first year, and I was the smallest kid,” added Caden.

“We still have to watch what we are doing, while supporting the sport of rodeo,” said Codi.

As a young bull rider who’s just starting out his career, this is a time for developing the necessary skills and mastering the techniques to be a successful rider in the future.

“You hate for them to make it to nationals and not be able to go, but you don’t need them to get ruined either,” said Codi.

To hone his skills, Caden has attended a couple bull riding schools — including one put on by Seth Glause and another by Cody Custer — and has two bulls at home he practices on.

At the schools, particularly the Seth Glause school, Caden said he enjoyed and appreciated that the steer rides were filmed and broken down to teach the riders needed improvements.

He added that, “mainly how I get my practice is my dad; he teaches me most of my stuff.”

Caden’s short-term bull riding goal is “just to get better and better.” In the long term, he wants to go on the BlueDEF tour to qualify for the PBR and then make the NFR.

Codi said she could also see him being a rancher and a stock contractor.

“It’ll be something that involves bulls,” chimed in Caden.

Outside of rodeo, Caden enjoys hunting and harvested a buck deer and a cow elk this last fall.

Parents Codi and Colby own Colby Gines Wilderness Adventures.

“I like going in there and seeing all the big bulls that get harvested,” said Caden.

In addition to summer pack trips, the boys usually will go into hunting camp alongside their parents for a full week each year.

This spring, Caden will start competing in junior high rodeos for the 2017 season, which are associated with high school rodeos.

Younger brother Casen, meanwhile, started competing in bareback riding last year.

Casen rode both of the ponies he got on this year and placed fourth on the second pony at a Montana Mini Buckers Rodeo.

Along with bareback riding, Casen does bullfighting and rodeo clowning.

“I’m an athlete and just like being out there with the steers; it’s interesting to see them buck,” said Casen. “I like challenging.”

When Casen grows up he wants to be a Marine.

“But if I don’t make it into Marine Corps, I’m going to be a sound man,” said Casen.

For his second grade talent show, then 7-year-old Casen made a video of his bullfighting and rodeo clowning. When the boys play rodeo at home, Casen does the announcing and sound.

“And I have a karaoke machine that my grandma got me for Christmas,” he added.

For the Gines family, rodeo is a passion that’s spanning across generations.