Bull riding event aims to create suicide awareness education

  • COURTESY PHOTO Friends and family of Kaytarina Castillo gather for a group photo.
    COURTESY PHOTO Friends and family of Kaytarina Castillo gather for a group photo.
  • COURTESY PHOTO Bull rider Ryder Winkler rides a bull during a similar Bull Bash event.
    COURTESY PHOTO Bull rider Ryder Winkler rides a bull during a similar Bull Bash event.

    Three years ago, Kaytarina Castillo’s husband committed suicide.

    She’s not alone in having to deal with that issue. Many people have lost a friend or family member to suicide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2000 and 2020 the suicide rate in the U.S. rose by 46%.

    Castillo, the owner of Banchee Bucking Bulls & Bulltique in Bertram, felt she could do more to br…