This little lady is bucking convention.
Meet 13-year-old Najiah Knight, the Mo’ne Davis of the bull-riding world — a fierce and talented girl playing against the boys.
She’ll be competing this weekend when the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour hits Madison Square Garden.
“I am super excited,” Najiah tells The Post. She’s on the miniature bull riders circuit for aspiring pros between the ages of 8-13, who ride bulls specifically bred for smaller riders. But she wants to be the first female to ride in the PBR.
“I believe I can do it, and I believe I am going to be the one who makes history,” she says. “You just gotta keep pushing yourself knowing you can do it.”
Bull rider Najiah KnightChristopher ThompsonThe 4-foot-10, 70-pound girl is certainly tough enough. The mini bulls she rides weigh between 600 and 1,000 pounds. Last spring, an ornery one stepped on her head and the face mask from her helmet pushed into her right eye, where a scar memorializes the frightening moment.
“I have pain,” Najiah says, “but it’s part of the game. It’s a battle scar. I am not scared. It’s more exciting than nervous.”
Her mother Missi has taken a more hands-on approach: She became a certified EMT as a precaution.
“I am the medic and a cheerleader,” says Missi.
Najiah, the middle of five siblings growing up in rural Oregon, started taking an interest in the sport at 3. She loved watching her father, Andrew, riding a bull in competition.
“I was like, ‘Dad, can you put me on one?’ ” she says. “He said I was too little, but he put me on a sheep and I was a champion at that and steer riding. I then moved to mini bull riding.”
The seventh-grader, who also plays basketball, volleyball and dances hip-hop, lifts weights and trains with her father. Though she practices daily on a buck barrel — a crude device that simulates riding a bull — she competes on the real thing.
Corrie Caster IMG ModelsShe’s been in tournaments from Louisiana to Los Angeles, where the “Rocky” fan met Sylvester Stallone. Later this year, she’ll travel to Australia to compete. She says her hard work has earned her respect from her fellow riders.
“They are very supportive of me, and they are my best friends,” she says. “I had to prove myself to them.”
And some of the sport’s brightest stars have taken her under their wing, including JB Mauney and PBR Rookie of the Year Keyshawn Whitehorse. “They are like my older brothers,” Najiah says. “They give me lots of advice.”
She has a particular kinship with Whitehorse: Both riders are Native American. “Keyshawn helps me behind the shoot and tells me how to work out. He gives me tips on my form.”
Najiah hopes to serve as an inspiration to other girls, just like Davis — the star pitcher in the 2014 Little League World Series at 13 — was.
“Girls can do anything they want, and if people tell them they can’t, that makes me mad,” Najiah says. “I’ve been told that before, and I tell them that I wasn’t doing it for them, I was doing it for me. And I don’t care what they think.”
Tickets, $36 and up. The Professional Bull Riders competition runs through Sunday at Madison Square Garden; PBR.com






