PUEBLO, Colo. – Spend a few minutes talking to Dakota Louis about bull riding, and you’ll quickly catch on that, for him, it’s all about the people.

His journey in the sport is inextricably linked to his closest relationships, as he got his start in bull riding thanks to his father, who was also a bull rider.

Little Dakota spent countless hours behind the chutes with his dad, planting the seeds that would one day grow into a career.

“It was a dream of mine, being a little kid watching my dad go out there and do good, and how everybody cheered him on and the support he had, and just the thrill of seeing him conquer this bull they said couldn’t be rode or whatnot,” Louis said. “It just put that cowboy mentality in a guy that you put your mind to something, anything can happen. You’ve just got to put in the effort and give yourself a shot.”

These days, it’s Louis’s turn to pass it on. His 5-year-old son, Hayze, is a staple in the locker rooms at PBR events. Louis says he came to most of the events on the PBR Team Series calendar this past season and that the highlight of his season was notching a qualified ride and an Austin Gamblers event victory in Kansas City with Hayze in attendance.

“He’s a huge motivation for me,” Louis said. “This is a dream of mine, and to be able to do it and show him if you just work hard and be determined, you can make things happen, and just to show him that this is something that I love and it’s something that I put my heart and soul into and am passionate about. And I know he’s even passionate about it, too, just with the support that he gives me and the excitement when we do good. It’s been a huge blessing, for sure.”

As people-focused as he is, it’s no surprise Louis loved being part of the Gamblers during the inaugural PBR Team Series season. He was one of the first to sign with the Gamblers in free agency, doing so just days after the PBR Team Series Draft. The Gamblers finished the regular season ranked No. 1 but would ultimately bow out of the PBR Team Series Championship in Las Vegas before the semifinal round.

“This year, being part of the Gamblers has been a pretty awesome experience,” Louis said. “The group of guys that we have on our team, we’re all pushing one another, and our coach, he helps us in every way he can. And I feel like it’s really built up my riding and leveled up kind of everybody’s. The competition between each team, everybody has a chance to win, so it’s been a pretty exciting format, and I’m looking forward to what happens here in the future.”

Louis went an underwhelming 2-for-11 for the season but says being on the same roster as two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme, 2019 Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel, Ramon de Lima and the like has been crucial to his continued improvement.

“Just kind of taking in how they go about some of the stuff in their day as far as exercise, mental, even just the basics of riding,” Louis said. “As much as everybody practices and works out and puts in all the time, it just makes you want to be that much better when you see everybody else pushing themselves too.”

The other people Louis is always carrying with him are, of course, his tribe. The 29-year-old from Browning, Montana, is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe and is a three-time Indian National Finals Rodeo champion. His first appearance in the PBR was at the Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the Native American invite, and he’s represented the all-Native Team USA Wolves at three editions of the PBR Global Cup.

“That’s a huge reason why I do it,” Louis said. “The Natives, we have a big support system, especially in bull riding, and when people can get fired up at home and make them smile just watching us ride bulls puts a good feeling on our hearts. Just carry them good vibes. For me, it’s huge.

“I know exactly where my people come from and who they are, and I know there’s a lot of people that had to work hard for me to get to where I am today, and I’m just truly thankful to be here.”

Louis will be in action at the first Unleash The Beast event of the year, the PBR Monster Energy Invitational, in Tucson, Arizona, this weekend. He’s coming off a career-best No. 29 ranking in 2022, a season that saw him earn the first premier series win in his career – right at home in Billings, Montana.

After years of slowly climbing the rankings, Louis is finally ready to give himself a shot.

“I’m finally healthy and feeling good and excited for the new season to start up,” Louis said. “I would like to be a World Champion. That’s what we all strive to be, just to be the best every weekend and then be the No. 1 guy at the end of the year. And I feel like I never felt any better than I have today, and I’m just looking forward to the possibilities that we can make happen.”

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media