story by Lily Weinacht
Carson Hamilton climbed on his first saddle bronc when he was 15. A sophomore in high school at the time, he was following in several generations’ of rodeo bootprints in his family, which started with his grandpa Richard Hamilton who rode roughstock. “Two of my uncles did saddle bronc and my dad and another uncle did bareback,” says Carson. “My uncle Dixon Hamilton made it to the NFR when it was in Oklahoma.”
Carson, now 26, makes his home in Wellsville, Utah, and focuses primarily on saddle bronc riding. “It’s fun, and it’s classier. I want to try bareback, but I think I might just stick with saddle bronc. It was rougher for a year or two when I was getting started, but after that it kind of clicked.” Carson high school rodeoed for Utah his sophomore and junior year and switched to Idaho his senior year. He also competed at the Silver State International Rodeo as a senior in 2009. Following graduation, he college rodeoed at the College of Southern Idaho and took equine studies. “I look up to my dad and my uncle, and when I went to school at CSI, Cody DeMers helped me a lot,” says Carson. “I was there for two years and made it to the college finals both years. I want to thank my family for the help they’ve given me, and my fiancée, Cassandra Spangle. I met her at school when I was going to CSI, and we’re getting married June 2 next year.”
Since joining the RMPRA four years ago, Carson has competed in their finals three times, and hopes to return again this year. He’s currently sitting in the top 15 of the RMPRA standings, and just recovered from a shoulder injury on his free arm after landing on it during a pro rodeo. “They (the RMPRA) have a bunch of rodeos that are close by, and I feel like the contractors are nice people,” says Carson. “They always take care of you, and they’re all pretty good rodeos.” He also competes on the PRCA Wilderness Circuit.
In between rodeos, Carson works on his family’s farm in the Cache Valley, where they raise beef cattle and grow hay. His family, including his parents and relatives, come to watch as many of his rodeos as they can. Carson has also worked for Poulsen Trailers for the last four years, working on trailers and installing flatbeds and hitches on trucks. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, and hunting elk and deer in the valley. The Cache Valley was named such for the caches of furs early fur trappers found or hid in the area.
Now that Carson’s shoulder has healed, he hopes to compete in several circuit rodeos this fall, and climb the RMPRA standings. “I’m going to try to make the Rocky Mountain finals this year, and down the road, make it to the NFR.”
