Dakota Louis gets back on the bull after injury, ready for PBR event in Spokane on Saturday

Last year, Dakota Louis fought through an agonizing injury and secured a spot in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals.

The 31-year-old Montana native had torn a muscle in his groin and suffered a sports hernia during a PBR event in April in Everett. He had a successful ride, hitting the 8-second mark, but got “hung up on the rope and went underneath the bull,” Louis said.

“The bull stomped me in the middle of my guts.”

But Louis never considered throwing in the towel. The World Finals were coming up, and he had to finish strongly to make the cut. Although he could hardly walk, Louis was back on a bull the following night.

“It was kind of like the fourth quarter of our season,” he said. “Where I was sitting in the standings, I was borderline right there. It was tough physically and mentally to push through. But if you want to be a bull rider, you gotta be able to take the bumps and bruises along the way.”

Louis earned the final bid to the 2023 PBR World Finals. He didn’t place at the event, held in May in Texas, but proved himself as a true-to-form cowboy – as tough and persevering as they come.

“You gotta be all in,” Louis said. “What kept me going was the love for it. It’s a passion of mine. Living this type of life, it makes my world lighten up. It’s not a lifestyle fit for everybody. It’s always a challenge, and that’s what I love about it. The bull’s job is to buck you off, and if you get in their way, they might step on you or hook you. … It shows what type of person you are, how you get through those times.”

Louis’ showing last year, despite his injury, bodes well for his 2024 season. Now an established standout in the PBR, Louis is healed up – aside from some lingering soreness – and seeking his fourth appearance at the World Finals. He’ll compete in his first event of the season this weekend in Spokane.

Louis and 34 other riders will put on a show Saturday at the Arena in a PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event, which begins at 7 p.m.

“Coming back to Spokane is always exciting,” said Louis, who is making his third career appearance at the Arena. “A lot of my family and friends get to come. I’ve had some luck in Spokane, but I’ve yet to come out as the No. 1 man. That’d be pretty exciting if we can make it happen this year. There’s so much possibility that could come out of getting a win here.”

Along with a nice payout, the top rider receives a big boost in tour points, which factors into the world rankings. The event’s winner gets a leg up in the race toward the World Finals.

“A win could potentially bump you up into the top 35 in the world and get you on the premier (PBR) series, the Unleash the Beast Tour,” Louis said.

Louis is one of the riders to watch this weekend. He’s been ranked in the top 50 worldwide every year since 2020 – a breakout season for Louis that saw him climb to as high as No. 25 in the world standings.

“Once it started to click and I got over that hump of knowing what I had to do to be a mainstay at this stage, it started falling into place for me,” he said. “There were a lot of years of hard work and determination. There have been a lot of ups and downs and hardships, but there’s been a lot of great moments and memories. It’s been a dream fulfilled.”

It’s been a gratifying stretch for Louis, who grew up on a ranch, surrounded by bull riding, rodeos and the “western way of life” in Browning, Montana. His father was a bull rider. His mother and siblings “rodeoed for years.”

Louis began cultivating a bull rider’s mentality from a young age. Now, he’s one of the world’s best. Asked to define the traits of a great rider, he said confidence is key.

“It’s a physically demanding sport, but it’s also a huge mentally demanding sport,” he said. “You’re going up against an animal that outweighs you by 10 times. Not only that, but the bovine athletes we go up on are some of the absolute best in the world. It’s not like you’re getting on your neighbor’s farm bull.

“You have to go in with that mindset that you’re going to win. We’re not competing to just be out there. We make our living this way. We provide for our families this way. It’s not something that you just try out. It has to be in your heart and mind fully.”

Louis has grown accustomed to the bright lights and the toll it takes to compete weekly, in 25 to 30 events per season. Reaching this stage – being a role model and living out his dream in front of large crowds and national TV audiences – “it’s such a blessing,” he said.

Louis won his first Unleash the Beast event – the highest level of professional bull riding – in 2022 in front of a hometown crowd in Billings.

An enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Louis takes pride in being a representative for his people and northwestern Montana community, located on the Blackfeet Reservation.

“I’m super proud of my heritage and who my people are,” he said. “With the hardships they had to go through, to look and see me getting to be a professional bull rider on this stage, and to have this platform to talk about how I feel and who I am, it’s remarkable not only for me but for all native people.”

Louis will have plenty of support in the crowd. His parents will be there, along with his 6-year-old son. Louis also has a 2-year-old daughter.

“It means so much to me when they’re there and for them to enjoy any success I have,” he said. “I’m doing this for my family and for anybody that thinks they could do it, or couldn’t. … I want to be someone who pushes people (to chase) whatever goals they have.”