This week on Zero In Brett and Mike took a deep dive on Bareback Riding as we prepare for the NFR. Here are Five Fast Facts from the 2023 season in Bareback Riding.
1. Rookie Keenan Hayes won 16 rodeos on his way to a PRCA regular season record $265,896. Hayes enters the NFR with a lead of $103,000 over Clayton Biglow who is in second place.
2. Fellow rookie Kade Sonnier is the first Bareback Rider to win both Calgary and Cheyenne in the same year since Will Lowe did so in 2009.
3. Tim O’Connell has at least 30 rides of 85 points or more in each of the last seven seasons. O’Connell has 39 such rides this year after having over 40 rides of 85 points or more in each of the last three years.
4. Seven NFR qualifiers in Bareback Riding were not in Las Vegas for the 2022 NFR. This includes three rookies making their first appearance in Keenan Hayes, Kade Sonnier, and Dean Thompson.
5. Rocker Steiner has made $328,000 in ProRodeo before his 20th birthday. This year he heads to the NFR at No. 7 in the world after earning over $143,000.