BANDERA, Texas – The Bandera rodeo community honored the life and legacy of Peter De Luna Friday evening around a San Antonio family.
Peter De Luna, 22, was killed during a bull riding accident on May 31. He left behind his mother, sister, grandparents and girlfriend.
It’s a loss no one but Peter prepared for as he picked up bull riding in May 2023.
His rides — and now legacy — come down to faith.
“We spend our lives riding on faith,” Riding on Faith Rodeo CEO Troy Konvicka said. “We have to put our faith in something.”
Konvicka has owned and operated the Riding on Faith Rodeo for eight years. He didn’t witness the ultimate tragedy until Peter’s accident last week.
“I was up in the announcers’ stand when the incident happened,” Konvicka said.
De Luna’s death was an accident every bull rider prepares for while every parent prays will never happen.
“I hate that it has to be this way,” Vanessa De Luna, Peter’s mom, said. “I hate that it’s under these circumstances, but I couldn’t be any more proud of this entire community for supporting our family this entire time.”
De Luna’s mother has done her best to be strong for those around her.
“It’s really hard,” Vanessa De Luna said. “I do need to pray that he’s in a better place. I have to continue to pray for my daughter, for Kamryn. I have to continue to pray for both of them.”
As Vanessa De Luna stepped foot onto the ground Friday where Peter rode for the final time, the entire arena could feel the absence Peter left behind.
Konvicka and the Riding on Faith Rodeo community found an appropriate way to honor De Luna’s memory. The remainder of this year’s Riding on Faith Rodeo Summer Series is now dedicated to him.
“Hopefully, there’s a meaning to it,” Konvicka said. “He lived his life to the fullest. He did what he wanted to do. He was a very happy, outgoing young man.
“We want to make sure, throughout this year, that every time you come to this rodeo, that we remember Peter,” Konvicka said.
Vanessa De Luna told KSAT that eventually, there will be an honorary rodeo trophy buckle presented to Peter’s family in his honor.
For now, this is one way his family, rodeo friends, and the Bandera community will remember Peter.
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