Ever since she was a little girl, Najiah Knight dreamt of bull riding in the Professional Bull Riders League (PBR), something no woman has done before.

“That has always been my dream,” Knight said. “I always told my mom and dad, “That's what I'm gonna do.”

Hearing that story at a local rodeo, after watching Knight tussle with a nearly 1,500-pound bull, IUOE Local 701 Business Manager James Anderson decided he wanted to back Knight’s dream. At 18, Knight is nearly there.

“I'm getting pretty close to achieving my goal,” she said. “I just need more practice, a little more seat time on the bulls, and that’s where I’ll be.”

Knight’s dream began with watching her dad ride bulls when she was a kid, spectating from behind the shoots, seeing him put his rope on and jump on the bull.

“I just felt the adrenaline,” she said. “So, I told him I was gonna do the same thing he did, and here I am today.”

For Knight, bull riding isn’t only about the adrenaline or her dream to ride in the PBR, it’s an all-encompassing culture and community.

“My favorite thing about the work I do is definitely all the people I meet, all my fans I meet, you know, all the friends I make, and seeing all my rodeo family and all the support that they give,” she said.

In recent years, her rodeo family has expanded a bit to include Moses Brings Plenty and Jennifer Landon, stars on the neo-Western drama Yellowstone.

“Jen Landon actually messaged me on Instagram telling me that she's a big fan of me, and she based her character off of me, which I found absolutely amazing,” Knight said. “She came to my 16th birthday party, and she's always just been so supportive. She and Mo are like my family now.”

Knight will be in the new Yellowstone spin-off, “The Madison,” though details about her role aren’t public yet.

Amid support from her rodeo family, Yellowstone cast members, and her biggest partnership: Ariat, Local 701 still plays a vital role in funding Knight’s dream.

“To have 701 sponsor me, it's amazing,” she said. “They're the best. Anytime I need something, they're there. I can ask them for help. They always come to the Arlington rodeos, all the local rodeos. They support me, and they love me, and that's awesome.”

In this modern era, support for rodeo professionals is necessary to keep the “dying breed” alive, Knight said.

“Rodeo is important to have in the community because of all the family that's in it, and all the support that's in it,” she said. "It’s a dying sport. Cowboys are a dying breed, for sure. And so, I'm very happy that we have our Arlington rodeo because it means a lot to a lot of people.”