PBR’s Keyshawn Whitehorse looking to finish regular season strong

ALBUQUERQUE

Diné bull rider Keyshawn Whitehorse is looking to continue to have sustained success as the 2025 PBR regular season is nearing its end.

The McCracken Spring, Utah, bull rider is currently ranked No. 9 in the world standings with 485 points in the PBR Unleash the Beast series as the top 35 bull riders will compete in the PBR World Finals Championship May 17-18 in Arlington, Texas.

“This is one of my best starts,” Whitehorse said on Sunday during the Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque. “I know in 2021, I had worked my way up to fourth in the world, and then I kind of didn’t really have the season that I wanted.”

After reaching that all-time high, Whitehorse closed out the 2021 season ranked No. 15. This season, the Arizona Ridge Rider cowboy is feeling optimistic about closing the regular season with a big bang.

“I found some consistency,” Whitehorse said about the differences between this season to his previous ones on the tour. “I’ve been able to keep that consistency up and a lot of it is due to my work ethic, trusting God and really utilizing the support system that I have.”

Ultimately though, Whitehorse says he’s “trusting the process” as he navigates every successful win as well as the setbacks he’s endured this season.

“I haven’t changed too much since I’ve been on tour,” Whitehorse said. “I’ve always maintained a really hard work ethic in everything that I’ve done. You know, it’s just maturity and mentally that has gotten me to this point.

“I hope to continue to grow in those aspects of things because, at the end of the day, the main goal is to be a world champion,” he added. “Being a world champion is going to mean a lot, not only for myself but for people on the Navajo reservation. I would like to be the first Navajo world champion in the PBR. I think that would be amazing and I think it’ll break barriers down for sure.”

In his own right, Whitehorse is already a trailblazer for Native riders who want to compete in the PBR. His presence on the tour has opened doors for other Native riders as he has laid out the blueprint for how to be successful in the PBR ranks.

“It means a lot to me, more than people think,” Whitehorse said of being one of the pioneers for Natives in the PBR ranks. “I think being a Navajo bull rider in the PBR and being able to compete at the highest level in this association has made me want to achieve my dreams of being a world champion, so that others can do the same.

“When I see the little ones that come up to me, I want them to do better than me,” he added. “I’m just happy and glad that I’m able to do this. It’s a feeling that I want every kid to have.”

As the only Diné bull rider who took part in the Ty Murray Invitational, Whitehorse carried the mantle for some of the Navajo bull riders who did not make it to this year’s event. Last year, the event had Cody Jesus and JaCauy Hale in the main draw, but two riders are currently sitting outside the top 35.

“Having those guys here definitely means a lot,” Whitehorse said. “I mean, it just adds so much more support coming from the fans. Being here by myself, I don’t want to say it’s a tough thing, but it could be added pressure. But I don’t look at it that way.

“At the end of the day, I still have a job to do,” he added. “We have guys all over the country and across the world in that locker room. I’m just another bull rider, but at the same time it drives me more to do well because I’m a Navajo bull rider.”

At the three-day event, Whitehorse had some mixed results as he covered 2-of-4 bulls. The Utah cowboy placed third in the first round with an 88.50 effort aboard Bamboozle, a Faris Cattle/Big Schott Rodeo bull, on Friday night before a capacity crowd inside the Pit.

“I was pretty ecstatic,” Whitehorse said making his ride count. “I got on that bull a few years ago, I think, in 2022 and he bucked me off.

“He’s a tricky bull, really smart bull, and just to be able to get the job done, especially here, is a good feeling.

“That bull always produces a good score, so I was really pumped about that,” he added.

On Saturday night, the 27-year-old cowboy then rode El Sicaro, a bull owned by Flying S/Drosselmeyer. Unfortunately, he was bucked off in 2.31 seconds.

“That is the first time I got on him,” Whitehorse said. “I think he hasn’t been ridden yet. So, yeah, he’s a tough bull to get by honestly. I just made small mistakes on him and he’s one that’s gonna make you pay when you make a small mistake, but that’s part of bull riding.

“You can’t ride every single bull, even though you want to,” he added. “It can be quite frustrating when you can’t cover your bull, but at the end of the day, it’s a learning process. You have to take it as it comes, and you just got to keep going.”

In the third round, Whitehorse drew Feeds Red River a Blake Sharp/Huff Bulls product. The Diné bull rider went the distance and scored an 85.50-point ride, which was the 12th-best score in the round.

“It’s a bull that’s helped multiple guys win an event,” Whitehorse said of Feeds Red River. “He’s a good bull. He goes around to the left and he has good timing.”

With that, Whitehorse earned a slot in the Championship Round as he picked Fast Flow. The third-ranked bull, which is owned by Matejka/Outlaw/Lone Star/AFCO, bucked off Whitehorse in 3.31 seconds as he finished the Ty Murray Invitational tied for 10th with Tennessee bull rider Hudson Bolton as both cowboys finished with an aggregate score of 174 points.

Event winner Paulo Eduardo Rossetto picked up his first Ty Murray Invitational win by covering 3-of-4 bulls for 266.50 points, which was one point better than second-place finisher Eduardo Aparecido.

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