PUEBLO, Colo. – Throughout the history of Western sports, Black cowboys have been an instrumental, if overlooked, part of cowboy culture.

According to Andrew Giangola, author of Love & Try, following the Civil War, one in four cowboys was a minority, most of them Black. As cowboys began showcasing their talents in rodeos, a number of Black cowboys became rodeo stars, and in 1982, Charlie Sampson became the first Black bull rider to win a world title. These days, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo features all Black cowboys and cowgirls to celebrate their role in the American West.

And then, of course, there’s Ezekiel Mitchell.

The 26-year-old from Rockdale, Texas, is making a name for himself on the PBR’s elite tours and blazing the trail for the next generation of Black cowboys.

“Man, I love Charlie,” Mitchell said with a laugh. “I love Charles Sampson. My dang-sure goal is to be better than him. Before I was born, he was the first African American to win the world in bull riding. Him and all those other guys that came before me, they’re all inspirations to me, and I just want to do it bigger and better than they did.”

Fans can learn more about Mitchell’s journey in the third episode of The Ride, available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

The eight-episode docuseries, produced by Kinetic Content, gives viewers a first-of-its-kind, behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and takes them into the daily lives of some of its biggest stars, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before. The Ride follows an ensemble cast of bull riders and coaches throughout the PBR Team Series as they navigate the league’s inaugural 2022 season, budding rivalries, exhilarating highs, and challenging lows of PBR’s newest team-based competition.

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“I don’t know what it was about the Western lifestyle that struck me as a kid that made me want to do this,” Mitchell said. “Me and my dad watched Westerns when I was a kid, and he’d take me to rodeos – he was a horse dentist, so we’d go to rodeos and go to clientele. But I can’t think of a time in my life where I didn’t want to be a cowboy.”

Danny Mitchell, Ezekiel’s father, was there with him as his journey started and knows firsthand the struggles Black cowboys can face.

“It can be difficult to be an African American cowboy,” Danny Mitchell said. “The saying is – and I don’t go for that, but the saying is, ‘It’s a white man’s sport.’ The hardest thing he’s ever been through, I would think, is the discrimination that he had to deal with in being a part of this sport. That’s hard. I went through some of it with him, so I know it’s hard. When he first started participating in junior rodeos, one Caucasian guy actually pushed him off balance when he came out the chute. He was a big ol’ guy. I said, ‘Don’t you ever put your hands on my son again.’”

But Ezekiel has found a home in the PBR and with the Austin Gamblers, the star-studded PBR Team Series squad helmed by 1997 World Champion Michael Gaffney. With two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme installed as the team’s closer, Mitchell found himself in an equally important, if different, role.

“I think Ezekiel’s found his spot in our roster at that gunner (leadoff) spot,” Gaffney said. “He’s had a lot of success there. I keep putting him there because that’s where he belongs, and that’s where he’s comfortable. It’s been like a natural fit for him.”

Mitchell’s mother, Janie Davis, sees her son thriving in his new role and, with her mother’s intuition, sees her son thriving in the long term thanks to the team environment and the greatness he’s been able to absorb.

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“When I look at Ezekiel and Leme, it just looks like a whole bunch of brothers,” Davis said. “They’re rodeo brothers. It’s like they’re actually bonded as brothers. They actually treat each other with respect, and that’s what I love for him because then he gets to see that, hey, they do respect you. It doesn’t matter about some people, just as long as you have the respect of your teammates. And I think with the leadership of Leme, that’s really what’s turning him around because he gets to see firsthand how a champion acts and how they move.”

If Mitchell continues learning and pushing himself, he could join Charlie Sampson as a Black bull riding World Champion. If the Gamblers continue their winning ways in 2023, he would become the first Black bull rider to win a PBR Team Series Championship.

But regardless of whatever else Ezekiel does in his career, his father knows he’s already made an impact.

“I’m really proud of Ezekiel because Ezekiel is living proof that he’s broken the barrier,” Danny Mitchell said. “And the thing of it is that – I’m going to say this here – people just have to be willing to accept change.”