The 17-year-old county resident first sat on a bucking bronc a year ago, and now he’s a state champion. This weekend, he will also defend his crown as all-around champion at the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo.
Considering all he’s achieved over the past 12 months, you’d think Cash Robinson might have years of experience on the backs of bucking broncos.
Robinson, 17, grew up in the county around bulls, which he rode as a younger kid, and horses. As planned with guidance from family friends and rodeo veterans such as Wyatt Bourdet, Sam Swan and Brendon Clark, though, he waited until about a year ago to get on a bucking bronc for the first time.
“Before I would just rope and ride bulls and stuff,” Robinson said.
That decision to wait immediately paid off for Robinson. Last year, he won the all-around at the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo and will defend his crown this weekend. Earlier this month, he was crowned high school state champion in saddle bronc riding – after beating out eight other competitors in Bishop – and now moves on to the national high school finals July 14-20 in Rock Springs, Wyo.
“I was really, really focused on trying to win it,” he said of state, even though he was up against some other past finals champions.
He said it “feels kind of nice” to win state, but added, “That was my plan.”
Though confident, Robinson is quite humble, too. While most 17-year-olds in his boots might bask in glory and crave as much attention as they can get, Robinson’s first priority – when talking about his success – is giving credit to others who have helped him.
Below, watch a short Video Q&A with Cash Robinson: On Tuesday, Robinson was at Bourdet’s ranch where he practices his bronc riding in an arena, equipped with two chutes, on the property.
Timid in tone and dressed up in classic cowboy fashion – straight-ironed white shirt, sharp black cowboy hat, snug blue jeans and a nice pair of boots – he repeatedly offered thanks to Bourdet for closely guiding him. He also credited Clark, a 14-year pro who’s been on the Professional Bull Riders tour since 2003, as Clark owns the arena.
“I was lucky enough to have someone pretty much give it to me,” Robinson said of the gate-enclosed facility, which is a couple hundred feet wide and filled with pain-absorbing dirt.
That arena is couched between the house and small barn where Robinson does much of his cowboy duties on the property.
Clark, in the later stages of a long and successful career, was actually at the ranch Tuesday tending to some horses. He pointed out that Robinson is always staying busy. If he’s not on a bronc, he’ll be “flanking calves, and trying to get better at calf roping.” Clark said “not too many 17-year-olds” are putting in that kind of effort. He said wherever Robinson ends up in rodeo, it’ll come down to his level of dedication and hard work.
“You’re the one that has to do it,” Clark said.
For now, Robinson has another year of high school competition – he’s homeschooled – before possibly competing in some California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association events, the circuit just below the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association.
He may, meanwhile, attend Feather River College in Quincy and compete on its rodeo team. If he goes that route, he’ll have success to build on after his San Benito victory last year and state championship this year. He clearly has the desire to advance in rodeo and described the feeling of riding a bucking bronc as “all kind of a rush.”
“I just think about what I have to do,” he said.
