Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo will be first all-Black rodeo televised nationally, on Juneteenth

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3. Scenes from the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

I was out, so I missed it.

Paywall

Scenes from the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Meet the Compton Cowboy riding to honor Black cowboys and Juneteenth

Tre Hosley will take part in the Bill Pickett Invitational, an all-Black rodeo airing for the first time on network television Saturday.

June 19, 2021, 5:00 AM EDT / Updated June 19, 2021, 7:54 AM EDT
By Curtis Bunn

Tre Hosley grew up riding horses even though his hometown was neither on a Midwestern prairie nor was it a tony equestrian community. ... He grew up riding in and around Compton, California. ... “It’s not the typical thing you’d expect someone from Compton to do,” the 28-year-old said. “But it’s what I love and it’s changed my life. It’s made my life. I love it.”

Two decades after his father first put him on a horse, his life has come full circle. The nine-year rodeo professional — contending in bareback horse riding — splits his time between competing and mentoring young potential Black cowboys in Compton about the virtues of the sport, opportunities in it and its lifestyle. ... Hosley said he has committed himself to encouraging young Black people in Compton to embrace the virtues of the rodeo world because, for him, the sport brought him stability and instilled focus, drive, integrity and social skills. And it took him to all corners of America.

“It’s about showing these kids here that there is another world outside of Compton,” he said. “There’s not a lot happening there. But I can share my experiences and they can learn from it. ... “I know about success, but I also know about failure. It was a rough road for me. But it builds character. I can show them what I’ve learned, tell them about where I have been. They don’t have to ride bareback horses or steer calves or ride a bull to be in rodeos. They can be a timekeeper, work in agriculture, show horses, a secretary. There are lots of career opportunities that can take them away from here.”

Hosley hopes the kids — and anyone watching — will gain a level of respect for Black cowboys June 19, or Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the last enslaved Africans being freed in Texas. That day, he will ride in the Bill Pickett Invitational, an all-Black rodeo that will air on national television for the first time, on CBS.

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