[MUSIC PLAYING]
BERT JONES: I compete usually every weekend.
Every Friday nights, I'll be competing at Cave Creek, out
by Phoenix, Arizona at a place called Buffalo Chip.
And I pretty much go over there because they pay pretty
good money.
Then Saturdays and Sundays, I would just go anywhere where
they would have bull ridings.
Tonight.
I don't know about tonight.
There will probably be quite a bit of people.
Quite a bit of spectators.
So it should be a pretty good turnout tonight.
I was entered in a bull ride in Encienta, and the bull
stepped right on the back of my head.
And he knocked me out.
And then he hit his horn right on the back of my head.
And then he stepped on me.
And I was flown out to Flagstaff, Arizona.
And I didn't come through until two days later.
And I had four concussions.
Broken ankles.
Dislocated elbow.
Stitches in my mouth.
Inside my mouth, outside.
Right above my eyes.
Broken fingers, broken wrists.
EARL TSOSIE, JR.: At the beginning of June, I went to
this rodeo in Vanderwagen.
Vanderwagen, New Mexico.
I got on this white horse.
I'd been on him before at that same rodeo.
I'd got on the horse, maybe about a good four seconds.
He reared up.
And then he fell on me backwards.
I got hung up too.
On that horse.
I fell off the wrong way and I got hung up for maybe a good
six minutes.
That was a very long time.
It happened real fast, you know?
I remember spurring.
Making a [INAUDIBLE] right.
And all of a sudden the horse flipped back.
Hurt my back pretty bad.
[NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC]
RODEO ANNOUNCER: Let's have a nice round of applause.
[INAUDIBLE]
Let's hear it.
EARL TSOSIE, JR.: That looks scary.
No.
That was after a rodeo.
We ate dinner, and we ate out.
This guy wanted to get on some rides.
I was like no.
I ate a lot.
This ain't for me.
Those rides are like, way up there.
And spinning.
He forced me on, so I had to get on.
For now, like us for sure, we're in the rodeo business.
There's no turning back once you start.
So, you could get hurt.
You could buck off here and there.
But you just put that behind, don't look back,
and just get on again.
RODEO ANNOUNCER: [INAUDIBLE]
BERT JONES: But with the bulls they'll--
once they go in they'll--
they'll be ready.
Some of them will stand in the [INAUDIBLE] and then they'll
start kind of really getting antsy.
Wanting to buck.
It's pretty fun to watch.
It's just like probably seeing you kids play
basketball, do something.
I mean you want them to do good here.
[GATE SLAMS OPEN]
[BELLS CLANGING]
RODEO ANNOUNCER: [INAUDIBLE]
[BUZZER]
BERT JONES: You tie them around your boots so your
boots won't fall off.
I mean you don't want to ride a bull perfectly.
So I'll be bull riding tonight and hopefully
we'll get a good drawing.
Turn out big scores tonight.
The way I do it is like I pray to the bull.
I'm just asking him for the strength to ride him.
Just to be safe while I'm on him.
And I'm not there to hurt him or anything.
And that's just pretty much what I say to him.
And they'll listen.
Their ears on one side will kind of wave.
But they know.
They understand.
RODEO ANNOUNCER: [INAUDIBLE]
Got my arm behind me.
And it just shifted my whole hips.
And then threw me off.
So it's kind of upsetting but you've just got to roll your
stuff back up and get to the next bull ride.
[BELLS CLANGING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
EARL TSOSIE, JR.: When you get there, you get in your own
mood, you know?
Something changes.
Me and the animal.
They live in the [INAUDIBLE].
He knows what he's going to do--
what he's going to do there when they bring it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
RODEO ANNOUNCER: He's out of there.
Looks like he's out of bounds.
Oh yeah ladies and gentlemen.
[INAUDIBLE]
right there.
He's showing you how it's done.
[BUZZER]
EARL TSOSIE, JR.: We go out there and show
our stuff out there.
And show those guys what we've got too.
Ride against the best in the world.
That's one of my main goals.
It's kind of like our job.
And we're trying to stay out of trouble.
And we just keep riding, driving, riding.
Going to the next rodeo.
[INAUDIBLE] finals was picking up, so we've got to really
keep our focus.
And keep our "A" game together.
And start thinking about the rodeo more from now on.
And go to the finals.
And hopefully get that world title.
Hopefully it all turns out our way.
The way we want it to be, so.
[MUSIC PLAYING]