Cassity: Collegiate cowgirl ropes and races for USU Rodeo

Cassity Gluch is a third-year Utah State University Rodeo Club member, but before she conquered the arena in breakaway roping, team roping and barrel racing, she grew up on a ranch in Jordan Valley, Oregon.

Learning to ride when she was three years old, Gluch grew to love ranch life. From early mornings to long nights, she didn’t shy away from hard work.

“She has been driving a tractor since she was big enough to drive a tractor,” said Doug Rutan, family friend and neighbor.

According to Rutan, Gluch helped her family stack hay and take care of the animals. When it came to following her dream to rodeo, he wasn’t surprised to see the same dedication.

“She’s able to think on her own, problem solve and find a solution,” Rutan said. “An all-around, get it done kind of person.”

Rutan has known Gluch her whole life, living just down the street from her family. From branding cattle to participating in school sports, Rutan watched Gluch and her ambition grow over the years.

With her family and Rutan’s, Gluch went to a junior rodeo two or three weekends a month.

“Cassity would enter anything,” Rutan said. “She would enter the steer riding just in case she could win the all-around.”

She also played volleyball and basketball, showed in FFA and participated in jackpots when she was younger.

“If you could sign up for it, I was in it,” Gluch said. “Everybody wanted to support you.”

She believes support from her family and friends was the only way she could move five and a half hours away from home to go to USU and be a part of the rodeo team, a decision, she thinks, from the opportunity for hands-on learning.

“It’s not just reading books,” Gluch said. “This was the closest place I could go that wasn’t just agribusiness or range management.”

USU also provides Gluch with a community that shares her passion and dedication to rodeo. To Gluch, they are also family.

“The ag program is a pretty close-knit group ­— just gives you family here,” Gluch said.

However, practicing for the College National Finals Rodeo isn’t the only thing they do together. Since Gluch loves to cook, the team eats together, too.

“After practice, my favorite thing to do is cook,” Gluch said. “Everyone comes over, and we have dinner and hang out and tell big stories.”

Gluch feels at home among her teammates from “home-cooked-meal” families like her own, including her coaches, Colton and Hilary Bair.

“Colton and Hilary are the best,” Gluch said. “I’ve been offered to rodeo at a lot of different places, but those two give everything they have to us for little to nothing in return.”

Being so far from home, Gluch is grateful for the Bairs’ support.

“We can always go to their house and practice,” Gluch said. “They become that second set of parents that’s nice to have when you’re in college.”

For Gluch, that support is vital in a “dying industry.” According to Marketplace, rodeo as a sport has been declining since the ‘90s.

“If it isn’t dying out because of money, it’s from other things,” Gluch said. “Just keeping it alive is a passion.”

Gluch thinks there are many reasons that rodeo is dying out along with funding. According to Utah State, the Rodeo Club at USU is not a part of the official athletics department, meaning it is mainly funded and operated by students.

In addition, Gluch and her teammates must pay and attend school full-time to be part of the team.

“People call it a hobby, but I don’t feel like it is,” Gluch said. “It’s a job, especially in college.”

But Gluch has another job. To pay for school, she focuses on what she is most passionate about — training.

“I really enjoy the training side, making the young horses. That is the fun part,” Gluch said. “That’s how I pay for school.”

By “making,” Gluch purchases young horses, breaks them, trains them to be roping horses and then sells them for a profit.

“It is not the easiest,” Rutan said. “She does a really good job with young horses.”

But just like her attitude growing up, Gluch believes it comes down to dedication and hard work.

“It really is just the passion,” Gluch said. “If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna be good at it.”

According to the 2024-2025 Rocky Mountain Region Standings, Gluch is currently tenth in team roping and thirteenth in breakaway roping, with a few rodeos left to score some points.

However, Gluch won’t be taking her hard work all the way to the National Finals Rodeo. This is her last year doing college rodeo. With prospects of training young horses and getting married, Gluch is moving on to new opportunities.

According to Rutan, there isn’t anything that will stop Gluch from accomplishing her goals.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s sports or work or extracurriculars,” Rutan said. “It really doesn’t matter, she’s very willing to do whatever needs to be done and get it accomplished.”

However, Gluch won’t be giving up her passion for rodeo anytime soon.

“It’s the passion that drives you,” Gluch said. “Something brings a little happiness and fulfillment to your life.”