Riding for the Buckle Living for the Crown

Riding for the Buckle, Living for the Crown is the true story of Sid Hettich's journey from rodeo arenas to jail ministry, showing how God can use every season of life—both victories and failures—for a greater purpose.

As a young man in the 1970s, Sid lived for rodeo. Weekends were spent traveling in old pickup trucks with friends, sleeping wherever they could, and chasing championship buckles. Bull riding taught him courage, perseverance, teamwork, and determination, but it also brought hard falls and valuable life lessons. Looking back, he realizes God was preparing him long before he understood His plan.

As life changed, Sid stepped away from rodeo to build a business, raise a family, and shoulder new responsibilities. He experienced both success and heartbreak, including the end of his first marriage. Later, he married Dana, who became his greatest supporter. Years afterward, his grandson Blake challenged him to climb on one more bull, reigniting a passion he thought was gone forever. After losing nearly fifty pounds, Sid returned to competition, proving that dreams don't have an expiration date when determination and faith work together.

His comeback eventually led him into leadership as the first president of a senior bull riding association. While he poured his heart into serving others and growing the organization, he also faced disappointment, broken trust, and difficult decisions. Choosing integrity over position, he walked away rather than compromise his values. Those painful experiences became some of his greatest spiritual lessons.

God then opened an unexpected door into county jail ministry. Standing before inmates with a Bible instead of a bull rope, Sid discovered that the lessons learned in rodeo connected powerfully with people who had been "bucked off" by addiction, crime, broken relationships, and poor choices. He realized everyone needs the same hope found in Jesus Christ. This calling inspired him to write Bible studies in plain English so anyone—from cowboys to inmates—could easily understand God's Word.

Throughout the book, Sid shares stories of faith, forgiveness, leadership, family, perseverance, and second chances. He reminds readers that God never wastes our experiences and can use every success, failure, scar, and setback to prepare us for His purpose. True success is not measured by trophies, businesses, or titles but by the lives we influence and the legacy we leave behind.

The central message is that everyone has been knocked down by life, but through Jesus Christ everyone can get back up. Sid encourages readers to trust God's timing, use the gifts He has given them, live with integrity, love others well, and never believe they are beyond God's grace. He concludes by challenging every reader to think about the "dash" between the dates on their headstone—the story of how they lived—and to make that story one of faith, compassion, and service.

In the end, Sid leaves readers with the message that has defined his life: Ride for the Buckle... Live for the Crown.