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Foreign.
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Hello and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. If you have not been to a PBR event, your world has not been saved. We went last year at Madison Square Garden and it was amazing. I grew up watching a good deal of bull riding, and I've always been so intrigued by the brave people who can sit on top of a wild ass bowl and hold on for dear life and hope that they don't get stomped on into a great oblivion. Keyshawn Whitehorse joins me now, the pride of the Navajo Nation. Keyshawn, welcome to Kennedy Saves the World.
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Thank you for having me.
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B
Keshan is here because he is the number 12 bull rider in all of the world. How long have you been doing this, sir?
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Professionally, this is kind of coming into my 10th season, but I was five, so I've done it for quite some time.
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B
And how old were you when you looked at a bowl and went, yeah, I could do that?
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A
I want to say I was like four. I'm not quite certain, but I do know, like, my dad was watching it on TV and I was like, that's what I want to do, dad.
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B
And how, how do you make the. The entree into bull riding? Like, how does it start? Do you start by roping calves? Like, what do you do?
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A
The starts is just really dependent on, I guess, your background, like your family or something. But for the most part, you know, there's levels to it just like anything else.
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B
Do you start on a mechanical bowl?
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A
You can, I think a lot of technique and fundamentals are taught on a mechanical bull, but sometimes some guys just get thrown to the fire and you get, get on a bowl or like, if you're a kid, you get on a steer or calf. But for the most part, you know, they have clinics, they have rodeo schools that teach bull riding. And on top of that, you learn the fundamentals, the techniques and all about the equipment that's used in bull riding. There's not much, but there is some. And from there you'll move on to actually getting on a live animal and just taking each each ride. Jump or jump, as they say.
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B
All right, so you are part of the Arizona Ridge Riders. It is a team sport. A lot of people think that you guys are all out there as individuals, but how does the team aspect of PBR work?
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A
So it's kind of similar to other sports. It's a five on five. But the only thing is, instead of having, like, other guys on the court with you, it's just you and the bull one at a time. So it Goes back and forth and.
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B
Then almost like team gymnastics.
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A
Yeah. And then from there, every ride that's considered a qualified ride, 8 seconds gets scored and the team with the total higher score in the aggregate wins. Now, if a guy doesn't make 8 seconds, then that team doesn't get a score.
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B
Do you get style points?
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A
You do get style points, but the points are very dependent. It's a, it's a really dependent thing on the bulls. So the bulls are very athletic and we need them just as much, you know, as anything else in this sport. So the higher the bull jumps, the faster he spins, the better score you'll be. But then also for that other aspect of sides, you gotta make sure you're in control, stay in balance, stay in time. And obviously, kind of like in gymnastics, the way you move throughout the ride or you move throughout the set in gymnastics will kind of determine your score.
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B
And is it like in BMX freestyle, where if you did like a Superman, where you take your, your legs off the bull and go horizontal, do people do that? And do you get points for that?
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A
It is fairly similar to that, yeah. So a bull can choose whatever direction he wants to go. I mean, heck, a bull can go straight. But in our sportable, that going straight doesn't necessarily necessarily score you the highest. But if the bull's going right and you take your left leg out, kind of like flinging up in the air, it shows, hey, I don't need my other leg to stay in the middle or vice versa. So it kind of helps and it shows, also shows that you're in total control. Now, there is times within a ride that you're kind of doing that to play catch up or maneuver your body the right way. So it's not necessarily a style at that point or.
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B
Yeah, it's like in pro surfing, like, if you don't have a great wave, you're still going to try and crack the lip and land a 360 and, you know, do whatever you can. You know, it's like you're pumping your way down the face of the wave just hoping to get some style points out of it. If, you know, the natural elements beyond your control aren't cooperating.
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A
Yeah, correct. Like, you know, when it comes down to it, most of the time, these bulls that we have, they're all great. They all can give you the chance to win. Now that leads to the other half. Maybe a guy style doesn't maybe necessarily give them the points they need from time to time, but bull riding is a percentage game if you're staying on 50 to 60% of your bulls, more than likely you're going to be ending up in the winner's circle. Like, most of the time, it's. It's. I mean, most standards, you know, people might say that seem that as, like, pretty low, but there's not many guys that stay on for eight seconds for the most part. I mean, so if you're in, that's.
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B
So much longer than you think it is.
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A
It really is. I mean, I had a friend of mine, he's never been to bull riding until this year, and he got to show up, and he's like, oh, before, when you're explaining to me eight seconds, that seemed like no problem. Then he finally came and watched, and he's like, dude, that seemed like forever.
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B
And I was like, yeah, imagine how Keyshawn feels.
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A
Yeah, exactly.
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B
All right, so what do you do with your hands? Like, how do you get style points with your hands?
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A lot of times, so you have one hand, whether it's your right hand, your left hand, dominant hand, non dominant hand. It's all in the way you're taught. But whatever hand you choose to decide to ride with, that's going in the rope, so that's what keeps you locked in. So that's the only thing that's really connected, connecting your body to the bull. Other than that, the other arm goes in the air. And with the free arm, it does help a lot. It's more of a balance thing. But the more you keep it in control, the more that you're able to, like, I guess, in a way, have less movement, then you are considered to have more control and have that style point. But there is times in certain rides that it almost factors into the manner of, wow, he's making it look flashy. He's making it look exciting. You know, this bull's really bucket. So, like, kind of like we spoke about earlier about, you know, waves not giving out as much and stuff. So you got to kind of liven it up. There is times you can do that, and there is guys that do that. It's. It's all. It's crazy to think that you can have that thought process in the midst of a bull ride and this guy and this bull is trying to throw you off, but, you know, it does happen, and things do slow down.
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B
It's almost like a catcher, an mlb, who, you know, catches the ball on the outside but immediately pulls back into the strike zone, hoping to fool the umpire.
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Right, exactly.
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B
Maybe someone's doing that with their Hand like, oh, this is so tough. And the bulls, like, seriously, bro.
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Yeah, exactly. Yeah, No, I, there's guys out there.
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B
That have, wow, how do you know which bull you're gonna ride?
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A
So it's very dependent. Like during this team season, the team will get a lot of bulls. So five bulls, or get a Pinnables, I should say, will get a pin of five bulls. From there, it's very dependent on the coach on who gets on what bull. So the coach will match us up on our strengths and our weaknesses, our styles versus with each bull that we have in our pen. And so obviously we're going to try to get all five roads so he'll look at each guy's strengths and try to match that up the best way he can to get all five bulls rode. Now, that being said, there's bulls out there that maybe not necessarily need style or like certain strengths or weaknesses. The only strength you need is pure, try pure grit, you know, so if you got a guy that's willing to do that, then, you know, on some of those bulls, then that's the kite you got to use. Because sometimes those bulls that are very difficult to get by, they don't always produce the highest score. Even though they could have 50 guys bucked off in a row. And the one guy rides him and maybe he's, you know, 86 to 88 points, which in bull riding, you know, that's a pretty good score. But that a 90 point ride is something that excels, that's something that you want because more than likely you're going to win with that ride.
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B
It's like wine. You definitely wanted over 90 points. So if there's something natural that, that can't be taught about bull riding that, you know, a great bull rider just automatically has, what is that? Is that like just an insane balance and knowing where the body is, Is it just a total biological lack of fear? Like, what is the thing that can't be taught that great bull riders share in common?
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A
I think two things. I think physically it's the, the, the, the rhythm, the flow, kind of like the dance. Like if we got a good dancer, you know, I'm not saying we're all good dancers. All I'm saying is when it comes to bull riding, to be able to have that feeling, to feel which bull, which direction the bull's going to feel his lead change. Because the way the bull bucks, even though it has four legs, the front two kind of control the direction they're, they're going. And then mentally, I think more so it's the fact to be all in and not be halfway or be a quarter of the way. I think those are the two things that can't really be taught. Those are only things that you're really born with to know, and only a few guys know it. I mean, there's not. The whole world doesn't ride bulls, so it's kind of hard to, to explain, but at least being all in is something that I do know, that it can't really be taught. You either have it or you don't. You can try to work on it, but at the end of the day, you got it. You got it. You don't, you don't.
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Don't go anywhere more. Kennedy Saves the World. Right after this, it's will taint country.
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Watch it live at noon Eastern Monday through Thursday@foxnews.com or on the Fox News YouTube channel. And don't miss the show. Listen and follow the podcast five days a week at foxnewspodcasts.com or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.
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B
So, you know, going through your Instagram and seeing you get tangled up with bowls, like, is there ever a moment where a bull is about to stomp on you and you look at that giant heavy animal and you think to yourself, oh, I really wish I would have stuck with the counting.
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A
Yeah. Actually, there was a point earlier in this season I was like, man, I know you gotta be tough to do this, but I'm kind of tired of being tough right now because I'm hurting. It's just like back to, back to back weekends that I was kind of getting wrecked out. And there was one time in my career a few years ago that I got bucked off this bull, hence the name the Punisher. I got bucked off. He hooked me, got his horns all over me. I finally got out of there. The bullfighters took him away for a split second. So it wasn't too bad. Didn't feel too much pain at the moment. I'm crawling away, and this isn't no, like, oh, blow the whistle. Everybody stop. Bull, you can leave now. This is when the bull's done. He's, you know, every. Everything's done until the bull's done.
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B
Yeah.
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A
So I'm crawling away and I look back to see where this bull's at, and we lock eyes and I'm like, oh, crap. As soon as that happens, I see him chase after me and the only thing I could do was just kind of curl up in a ball and hope that it wasn't too bad. And my back is pretty messed up and torn after that.
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B
But I just worry about your kidneys. Like, that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of you in that protective position.
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A
Yeah. Luckily enough, I think he. Luckily enough in that moment, he kind of just hooked me a little bit, but tried to jump over me. But that's what messed my back up the most, is when he jumped, he didn't get completely over me. And when he landed around, his. Most of his weight landed back on me. So I was having back spasms all night and whatnot. It was a really cool experience.
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B
So what happened after that? Did you break anything? Like, do you have to go to the hospital when that happens? You get a concussion?
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No, I didn't. I didn't break anything. It was just more so just like, really? My back kept seizing up all night, and I did tear ligaments in my knee from that moment. I had to start wearing a knee brace after that. But that's. That's about it, luckily.
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B
And how long do you want to do this?
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A
As long as I can. I mean, there's a guy right now that's 40, and I feel like that's a little too long for me. But 35 is a good number, I'd say.
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B
Yeah. I mean, you look at. I mean, even in other sports where people age out in their 30s, you know, you look at quarterbacks in the NFL and you're like, damn, we're going to have one of these guys playing till they're 50.
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A
Yeah. No, I want to make sure, like, I'm still being. I'm able to ride at a high level and, you know, make sure that I'm in. In shape and then able to win. I don't want to keep going just to just. Just because I know. I love it. It's been my life, and it's everything, but I want to make sure I leave on top.
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B
Are you able to communicate with the animal? Is there. Is there a way that you have almost to psychically connect with some of the bulls that you ride? And do you ever tell them, like, go easy, buddy. I'm your friend?
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A
I don't really think I spend any much time trying to make sure they go easy on me, if anything. But I. I mean, we all put off, like, some type of feeling, you know, energy in our bodies and stuff like that and the way we are. So I do. I do know that the bulls feel and understand how we feel as animals. So, like, if you're scared to death, they know, and they, they can take advantage of that. And then if you're confident and your mind's in the right place, then it's not necessarily like, oh crap, the bull's like, oh crap, I'm dying. It's more so like there's a respect thing there. I think there's always a respect thing, especially with these animals that are big, strong and faster than us. And it's important to have that. It's important to have that respect. It's important to acknowledge that little bit of adrenaline and fear that's on that side. You try to hide and run from it, it's only going to come find you.
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B
Do you have a favorite movie that you watch that inspires you? Not necessarily about bull riding. I realize that the catalog may not be as deep there.
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No, there's a few. I would say one of the top ones was probably Bleed for. This is a big one for me. I just like the story of and how he's able to, you know, overcome the tragic accident he had. And it's just more so the background of like him knowing who he is and knowing what he's capable of and knowing that no matter what, nothing can stop him. I think that's more so the fact of it. It's not necessarily the accident within itself. Obviously the Creed movies are so inspirational, but I like that one a lot. I feel like it's a very untold story as well. But yeah, no, I like that one I think the most out of. Out of all of them.
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B
All right, well, we're gonna be watching this Friday on Fox Nation. We're gonna have the the three way play in team championship from Vegas. Is that going to be pretty awesome?
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Viva Las Vegas, baby.
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B
Now I know you go. So everyone's got to go to foxnation.com become a subscriber. There's so much incredible programming there. And now Fox Nation is partnered with pbr, which is amazing. And people can watch live events like they can this Friday night. But you know, fun fact about you, you actually are a scratch golfer and you show up a couple days before your events, wherever you are competing, whichever town and you play the links you golf in in some of these cool cities. What's your favorite course you've played in the last couple of years?
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A
Man, I don't know. I think Big Cedar Lodge. The views there were just super amazing. It's not the most difficult course. Plains Valley isn't, but is for sure Scenic Pelican Hill. I'm not exactly sure. I just know it's By Anaheim. I think that one was just an amazing vibe. I don't really play ocean courses too much, and that one was super amazing. I love playing that course. I just love playing golf, like, as much as I can. Anywhere we go, I think it's like a good, like, get the body loose, get the mind right, and understand. I don't know.
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B
How does it help you with your bull riding?
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A
For me, it helps me a lot in the mental aspect, in the aspect of, like, with golf, you got to see a shot, you know, you got to feel everything, and you got to visualize the shot, visualize where the ball's landing. All these things are leading up to before you hit the shot. But at the end of the day, once you get behind the ball and you're about to make your swing, all you got to do is just. You just do it. It's nothing more than that. And it's. It's pretty similar, in my. In my opinion, to bull riding. You know, you. You get to draw. You figure out what bull you have, and you look at some videos with the patterns that this bull does, the way his style bucks and. And what it might feel like. And golf's a very much feel sport as well. But at the end of the day, once you climb in the shoe and you nod your head, you just got to do it. And so that's what I love the most. It's very polar opposites of adrenaline and making sure things happen in that aspect of things, but. And injuries. But at the same time, I think that helps me out a lot. And I also do, like, putting myself in, like, some pressure situations in golf, and I use that to kind of teach me in bull riding as well.
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B
That's amazing. I mean, I love it. You know, you make the connections mentally and kind of psychically within yourself, and you're able to translate that not only to your profession, but also a hobby that you love. And maybe someday you can get Rory McElroy on a bull. I bet he wouldn't do as well as Scotty Scheffler.
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A
Hey, you know, I love them both. You know, I think. I think. I don't know. Rory's pretty stout. You know, you don't got to be the biggest, strongest person to ride a bull, that's for sure. It's all. There's a lot of techniques, but Scotty, you know, he has that different form, the different fundamentals that might work out when it comes to bull riding, you know, I don't know. I'd like to see a little head to head action.
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B
Absolutely right. All right. Well, Keyshawn Whitehorse, thank you so much for your time. I know that your family and Navajo Nation, your state, everyone is so proud of you. And we have enjoyed seeing you climb up the ranks. And we know you're gonna crack the top 10 and finish another phenomenal season. So thank you, friend.
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A
Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
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B
Absolutely. I wanna go see the bulls. I don't think I wanna ride one, but I would like to be there to high five you when you're doing what you do.
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A
Maybe just like, pet one. Maybe.
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I will pet one. I will. I will. I will not upset the bull, but I will give it a little bit of encouragement and then back away slowly.
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Very slowly.
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B
All right, Keyshawn. Thanks for your time, dear.
- [19:48]
A
Thank you.
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B
This has been Kennedy Saves the World. I'm Kennedy. Listen. Ad free. With a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple podcasts and Amazon prime, members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News podcast network.