story by Ruth Nicolaus
Brett Huff is making a comeback.
The Salem, Utah cowboy has returned to riding bulls after an eighteen year hiatus.
Huff, a member of the Rocky Mountain Pro Rodeo Association, rode bulls in high school, then didn’t get on one for nearly two decades, as his attention turned to work and family.
He grew up riding steers, then bulls, with fellow cowboy Jessy Davis, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals qualifier, and Chad Cole, who got him started.
And how he’s back. He makes sure he works out, and his job in construction keeps him fit as well. He gets on plenty of practice bulls, too.
In his spare time, Huff loves to hunt “everything I can get a tag for,” he said. He also fishes, making an annual trip to the Flaming Gorge to catch big lake trout. The biggest trout he’s caught is a 34-pounder.
Huff regrets the years he’s missed competing. “I should have stuck with it,” he said. But he’s living his dreams now, in part to inspire his son, Mason, who is twelve. “I want to show him, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want to do.” Mason loves going to the rodeos with his dad.
And even though he’s missed several years of rodeo, he knows there’s more good years to come. “I’ve got another good five, six years in me,” he said.
He’d like to offer advice to the generation of bull riders who are a bit younger. “If you get knocked down, get back up and try again. Don’t give up if you truly love the sport.”
