Trey Holston: Resilience, Recovery, and Hard-Won victories
Photo courtesy of Tough Draw Sports
For professional bull rider Trey Holston, the last two seasons have been a stretch of growth, grit, and unexpected perspective. What began as steady momentum turned into a battle against back-to-back injuries and setbacks that tested not only his body but his confidence, his patience, and his belief in the sport he loves.
And yet, through all of it, Trey found something he didn’t see coming: a deeper appreciation for bull riding and the strength it takes to climb back in the chute after life knocks you down.
Raised in Rodeo
Trey’s story starts the way many Western athletes’ stories do, with a childhood spent in the arena.
“I started at a young age,” Trey shares. “Around three and four, I was getting on sheep. My dad rode bulls, and he started me out. I did other sports growing up, but it was mainly bull riding. Went through the whole ranks—junior rodeos, amateur rodeos, and then professional.”
His dad’s support played a major role in encouraging Trey through those early years.
“One of the biggest wins I had in my youth career is my dad always put me in a spot to win,” Trey recalls. “I always had a chance to do good, and I think that built a lot of confidence as a kid.”
That confidence carried him into the PRCA, where he quickly proved he belonged among rodeo’s toughest competitors.
When injury strikes
But in 2024, everything shifted.
“It’s been a pretty wild last two seasons really for me,” Trey explains. “In ’24 is when I broke my back. That was kind of a whirlwind.”
Photo courtesy of Tough Draw Sports
The injury forced him to slow down for the first time in his career. The recovery took longer than he ever expected, and before he could even get back into a rhythm, something else hit.
“Coming right off that, on my third practice bull back, I broke my riding wrist.” Trey explains.
At first, he brushed it off. He got on another practice bull. Then another. But things only got worse.
“A month later, I was at San Antonio, and it wasn’t not working, period,” Trey recalls. “I went in to get the scan done, and sure as heck there’s a little bone in your wrist called a scaphoid.”
That small bone—“the grandma’s break,” as some call it—turned out to be a big problem.
“It’s weirdly a very bad injury to have as a bull rider or any roughstock event,” he says. “There’s no healing unless you get the surgery done.”
The surgery that was supposed to sideline him for six weeks turned into three months, and then some.
“It took me a little bit longer than the three months I was given to recover,” Trey admits. “I didn’t really get to rodeo last year, which was really weird for me.”
For the first time, Trey wasn’t on the road. He wasn’t competing. The lifestyle he’d grown up in—one built around constant motion—came to a halt.
Rebuilding Confidence
What followed was a slow, often frustrating climb back.
“I was just starting off with riding again,” he shares. “There’s the injury, and then there’s getting off that injury.”
Photo courtesy of Tough Draw Sports
Physically, he had to rebuild his strength. Mentally, he had to rebuild his trust in his own body. He had to find his rhythm again with bulls that weren’t waiting for him to catch up.
But with time and support, Trey worked his way back and grew in ways he didn’t expect.
Teamwork for the win
After finding a new home in the PBR Teams with the Carolina Cowboys, Trey began to find his stride again. By the time the 2025 PBR Team Series Championship rolled around, Trey was a pivotal part of the team, contributing in the ways his team needed most.
“If I got called on, I just wanted to do my job so bad,” Trey says of being in Las Vegas for the Teams Championship. “Those guys had been through a lot that season.”
Even though he didn’t get the chance to nod his head at the Finals, he filled a role he took seriously.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media
“It is a weird feeling being a world champion and never touching a bull,” he admitted. “But I did fill a role earlier in the year. Me doing my job earlier in the season got to save my teammates for the finals.”
He watched his teammates step up, fight through their own adversity, and finish the job. In the end, Trey walked away with something that meant even more than the buckle he earned.
“I learned a lot, and I grew a lot as a bull rider while I was with the Carolina Cowboys,” he says. “I’m thankful for the experience.”
A Sport Built on Grit
Despite everything he’s been through, Trey remains optimistic about his future and the future of the sport he loves.
“Toughness and grit are both something the world needs a lot of,” he affirms. “And I think the rodeo and Western industry shines bright in that.”
He’s also quick to acknowledge the evolution happening within the sport—from sports medicine to athlete support systems to financial opportunities.
Photo courtesy of Tough Draw Sports
“Rodeo’s evolving,” he says. “Who knows what’s next!”
After two years that tested every part of him, Trey heads into the next chapter with a deeper appreciation for the sport and a clear reminder of why he keeps climbing back on.
Bull riding is tough. Unpredictable. Full of risk. But for Trey Holston, that challenge is exactly what makes it worth it.
Hear More From Trey
Listen to Trey Holston’s full conversation on Episode 38 of Beyond the Rodeo, presented by Western Sports Foundation. Find the complete story at wsf.org/beyond-the-rodeo or anywhere you stream podcasts.