“I’ve been with American since I was in the sixth grade,” said North Carolina cowboy Caden Ussery. “It’s been a long time. “My mom and I wrote a letter to Keith Mundee. He immediately wrote back and was very welcoming,” he said. “He said he was impressed that I would put myself out there at such a young age. “It really is a relationship I have built with them,” Ussery added. “They always take care of me, and being a part of the American family has been a huge blessing.”
Caden Ussery from Huntersville, North Carolina, now calls Martin, Tennessee, and the University of Tennessee Martin (UT Martin) his home. “I originally did not want to college rodeo,” Ussery said. “But my mom always wanted me to go to college.” After two years at Central Piedmont Community College, Ussery transferred to UT Martin, where he is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business marketing. He still has some time left in school, but Ussery said he hopes to continue his relationship with American.
“I went to a community college first, and then last summer, right before school started, I got a call from Coach Thrasher at UT Martin,” he said. “He was looking for new talent because they had lost some seniors last year. “People were sending him my videos just from some local and amateur rodeos,” he said. “So, I talked with him and moved to Tennessee.”
He said he barely missed qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo this year. “I missed out on the finals by only a few points,” he said. “But I won our home rodeo. That was pretty awesome.” Ussery, a sophomore then, won the tie-down roping average with a time of 20.1 and the short go with a 9.8. He tied for second in the first round with a 10.3. “I started roping at a very young age,” he said. “My grandpa introduced roping into my life before anyone else.
American Hat Rider Caden Ussery
“I was pretty small growing up and couldn’t handle my rope to dally that well. So I started just breakaway roping,” he added. “I just had an old rope horse I would rodeo on, and he was awesome. When I got to junior high and high school, I bought a few more horses and got a little more serious.
Ussery had a very successful Junior High and High School Rodeo career. He made the North Carolina High School Finals all
four years. He said he won the reserve tie-down title during his freshman and sophomore years. He captured the state title in his junior and senior years.
While Ussery occasionally team ropes, he said his heart is in the tie-down roping. “I fell in love with calf roping. There are a lot of really good team ropers, but the thought of working hard and not having to rely on anyone else to work to succeed appealed more to me,” he said.
Although he enjoys the sole accountability of tie-down roping, Ussery said his biggest motivation comes from his family.“They have always encouraged me and allowed me to put myself out there,” he added. “If they believe I can do it, then there is no reason I can’t put my mind to it and get to where I want to be.”
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-Article by Charity Pulliam
