BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
The PRCA Bareback Riding World Standings have been shaken up following the Texas Swing, which saw five of the Top 10 paying rodeos of the season scattered throughout the Lone Star State.
With the ProRodeo season now at a critical inflection point, the Top 20 competitors are already jostling for position to secure their place at the National Finals Rodeo.
Sitting atop the standings is Leighton Berry, a two-time qualifier from Weatherford, Texas, who has amassed over $115,000 in earnings so far this season. Close behind him in second place is 20-year-old Keenan Hayes, with just over $95,000.
Those two cowboys are more than $40,000 clear of the rest of the bareback riding field.
Other notable names in the Top 20 include six-time World Champion Kaycee Feild, three-time World Champion Tim O’Connell and a pair of seven-time NFR qualifiers, Clayton Biglow and Tanner Aus.
1. Leighton Berry, $115,724
The two-time NFR qualifier is well on his way to a third after dominating the Texas Swing in a way few cowboys ever have. Berry won San Angelo, Houston and San Antonio and also came in second in Austin, banking about $95,000 at those four rodeos alone. Berry already has 10 Go-Round wins in the 2023 season.
2. Keenan Hayes, $95,777
In his first year off of his permit, Hayes has shown his record-setting 2022 was no fluke. The 20-year-old already has six wins this season, including Rodeo Austin and the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out. Hayes also finished second in San Antonio and third in Houston. He has yet to be bucked off this year and is averaging more than 84 points per ride.
3. Rocker Steiner, $53,714
Steiner is the ‘best of the rest’ so far in 2023 as he and every other bareback rider are well behind Berry and Hayes. The 19-year-old Texan won Fort Worth to kick off 2023, which came with a paycheck of $27,080. Steiner also made $9,000 in San Antonio and $5,500 in Houston during the Texas Swing.
4. Kaycee Feild, $49,770
The six-time World Champion is pacing himself again in 2023, just like he has the last few years. Feild has only been to three rodeos total - Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Clark County (Nevada). He made the Finals of each of the first three of those, finishing second in Fort Worth and Houston. In total, Feild has only gotten on 16 bucking horses all season.
5. Jayco Roper, $42,675
At 21-years-old, Roper makes it three cowboys 21 or younger in the Top 5. After finishing No. 19 in 2022, Roper has found himself among rodeo’s elite in ’23 thanks to stellar riding the last two months. The Okie was No. 9 at the beginning of March, but has ridden well at Rodeo Minot (North Dakota), MSU-Northern Extreme Bares (Montana), the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out and the final weekend of RodeoHouston over the last six weeks to move up four spots.
6. Kade Sonnier, $38,908
If it were any other year, Sonnier would have a chance at Resistol Rookie of the Year, but Keenan Hayes appears to be running away with that honor. Still, the former Division I pitcher has immediately shown he belongs with the best in bareback riding. The 23-year-old has already won Odessa, finished second in Fort Worth and fourth in San Antonio this season.
7. Luke Thrash, $37,907
Luke Thrash is yet another high-performing rookie in the PRCA. The 21-year-old has already won four rodeos in four states to begin his career, the most notable being when he won all three rounds of the Southeastern Circuit Finals (Florida) which came with a payday of more than $11,000.
8. Taylor Broussard, $37,755
Taylor Broussard has made the NFR every other year since 2019 and looks poised to continue that trend in 2023 by winning everywhere he goes. Broussard has won a total of eight rodeos already in the 2023 season and five of them have come in Florida.
9. Garrett Shadbolt, $37,001
The two-time NFR qualifier got off to fast start to the 2023 season by winning the Bucking Battle in Bismarck in Oct. 2022 and the National Western in Jan. 2023 in addition to a second place finish at the New Years Eve Buck and Ball (Wyoming). Those three rodeos paid a combined $20,602 and had Shadbolt sitting No. 1 in the world at the end of January.
10. Sam Petersen, $36,474
The 19-year-old has won one big check all season, $6,385 for a second place finish in the Rodeo Austin Finals, but other than that has been getting it done with quiet consistency. Petersen has pulled 25 checks already in 2023.
11. Jacob Lees, $35,982
Lees won $13,5000 in San Antonio and $6,613 at the Chase Hawks Roughstock Rodeo (Montana) on Dec. 17. Those two rodeos make up more than half of his earnings for the 2023 season.
12. Clayton Biglow, $35,916
Biglow jump-started his season early with a win at the California Circuit Finals and is riding well of late, too. The seven-time NFR qualifier has pulled a check on eight of his last 10 outs, including a win at the Arcadia All-Florida Championship on March 12 and a second place finish at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo (Nevada) on April 16.
13. Chad Rutherford, $33,954
Rutherford has a terrific showing throughout the Texas Swing. He finished second in Fort Worth, where he made three rides marked 88 or higher, and also pulled a check on all five of his rides in Houston and both in Austin.
14. Dean Thompson, $32,977
The 21-year-old started the calendar year at No. 1 and has been in the Top 15 ever since following a win at the New Years Eve Buck and Ball that paid $5,682. Thompson has also won the Grand National Rodeo (California) and the Lake Havasu Stampede (Arizona) this season. His best showing on the Texas Swing was $10,000 in San Antonio.
15. Tim O’Connell, $32,927
The three-time World Champion was solid during the Texas Swing Rodeos, but what has really powered him in 2023 is winning two of the first eight non-Texas Swing NFR Playoff Rodeos. O’Connell was the champion at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros (Arizona) on Feb. 26 and the Clark County Fair and Rodeo on April 16. Those two wins paid a combined $12,119.
16. Cole Reiner, $32,127
The three-time NFR qualifier finished fourth in San Antonio and fourth in Houston, but has yet to notch a rodeo win in 2023. Reiner has competed at just nine rodeos so far this season.
17. Jacek Frost, $29,957
The 19-year-old has been riding really well since March 24. Since that date, Frost has finished second at the PRCA Extreme Bares (North Dakota), fourth at the High Desert Stampede (Oregon) and won the MSU-Northern Extreme Bares and the Oakdale Saddle Club Rodeo (California).
18. Coop Cooke, $22,860
Before the calendar turned to 2023, Cooke made eight rides and earned a check on six of them, including three that were worth more than $1,000. In 2023, Cooke has won five checks worth $1,000 or more.
19. Tanner Aus, $22,716
The seven-time NFR qualifier did not make the Finals of any Texas Swing rodeo but did win $5,000 for first place at Rodeo Rapid City and $3,600 for third at the Bucking Battle in Bismarck.
20. Nick Pelke, $21,942
The Wisconsin native made less than $3,000 in the PRCA a year ago, but has been cleaning up in states that are non rodeo hotbeds in 2023. His three wins have come in Kentucky, Minnesota and North Carolina this season.
Standings via ProRodeo.Com are accurate as of 12 PM ET on Wednesday, April 19.
