26 May, 2022
AUSTRALIAN BULL RIDER
If you thought you knew what it means to have a goal, to focus on only the goal, and to have that goal shape every waking moment of your day, think again. Australian bull rider, Ky Hamilton, is going to give you a refresher course.
“I want to be a world champion. And I feel like there’s nothing that can get in the way of achieving that,” said Ky after his recent headline-making ride on the unridden bull, Bottles Up, in Texas.
“I know I have the ability, it comes down to me, it’s why I’m here and it’s what I’m working towards every day.”
The 23-year-old cowboy headed to The States in July 2019 to follow his dream – he’s making sure every ride counts, that he learns every lesson and surrounds himself with the right people – to make it a reality.
“If you want to be able to compete and win at a high level you have to work it at constantly,” said Ky.
“Bull riding is a sport where you’re never going to stop learning, you can’t let yourself think you know it all, you’re always learning something new, and sometimes you’re learning from the same mistake over and over.
“You have to have the right people around you, you don’t want to be asking every other person because then you’re getting different advice and you don’t know what’s right for you, I have four key guys I trust and go to – my college coach, my Dad, Troy Dunn and Cody Lambert.”
And as Ky continues to get the bulls ridden, the combination of mentorship, talent and a relentless approach to preparation is proving a successful mix.
“I watch guys that I like the way they ride, that I’ve looked up to, I ride a lot of horses bareback, ride on a bucking machine, ride practice bulls that aren’t necessarily a high calibre but they’re ones you can practice doing stuff right on, and a lot of visualising,” said Ky.
“Your mind doesn’t know the difference between a real experience and one you’ve visualised, so you can visualise yourself riding all different bulls doing different things and it all becomes muscle memory.
“Self-confidence is a big part of being successful too, and knowing that if one ride gets you down, it’s not the end of the world because every day is a new day.
“Over here you’re riding every day so you can’t dwell on things and carry things over to the next day because there are too many bulls to be ridden and too much money to be won to be worrying about yesterday.”
Read the full catch-up with Ky on the Australian Professional Rodeo Association’s Facebook page - @australianprofessionalrodeoassociation
*Image courtesy of Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding
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