2023 World Champion Bull Rider Adapting and Overcoming After Being Sidelined Due to Shoulder Injury

Ky Hamilton talks about daily life after shoulder surgery and what it’s like to get back to regular scheduled programming as the reigning World Champion bull rider.

PRCA Photo By Click Thompson

It’s no secret that Ky Hamilton gave the world of rodeo a bit of a scare at last year's NFR. With back-to-back injuries in rounds and trips to the hospital, everyone was blown away by just how tough the Australian native was proving to be. After all, he does spend a great deal of his time with one who is considered to be the toughest man alive, J.B. Mauney. Still, no one could believe the pure grit displayed throughout the entire NFR which ultimately gained him a gold buckle. 

In January of this year, it was announced to the rodeo community that 2023 PRCA World Champion Bull Rider Ky Hamilton would be sidelined for the foreseeable future due to a torn labrum in his shoulder that would require surgical repair. Surgery was set for mid-February, and with none other than professional rodeo's own medical guru Tandy Freeman handling his care, Hamilton had no doubts of coming back stronger than ever. 

Today, about 14 weeks post-surgery, Hamilton’s everyday life looks a little bit different than it normally would this time of year. Typically, athletes would be getting ready to embark on their annual “summer run,” yet this Cowboy spends three days a week making the nearly two-hour trek one way to Decatur, Texas, for physical therapy in order to get the best care possible.

Hanilton’s rehabilitation regimen is focused on gaining a full range of motion and strengthening the rotator cuff and labrum to help prevent another injury like this from occurring. A follow-up appointment scheduled within the next week will be able to determine any further progress and give a better timeline, but the promise of a comeback this season for the World Champ looks bright.

When he’s not working on rehabilitating his shoulder, Hamilton says he’s been doing a little work on his newly purchased property just outside of Stephenville. He purchased the property pre-NFR 2023, but still had some minor work left to do and found this the perfect time to do it. Hamilton also has been enjoying bucking the few young bulls he owns, and of course has been kept in line by Mauney in the down time as well.

“I’m just ready to go back to riding…and at least I know when I decide to go back to riding, I won’t have any worries about my shoulder anymore, and it will hold up the way it’s supposed to.” 

- Ky Hamilton

Hamilton’s 5-6 month recovery period puts him back in action just in time for Cowboy Christmas, and the only thing on his wish list is to see his name on the draw again. Keep an eye out for Ky Hamilton’s inevitable comeback in 2024 and leave a spot open in the Top 15, he’s not letting a measly shoulder surgery keep him out of the Thomas and Mack come December.