PRCA Bareback Riding Standings Update, May 2: Leighton Berry and Cooper Cooke Battle for No. 1

Leighton Berry took over the lead from Cooper Cookie while reigning World Champion Keenan Hayes is cruising inside the Top 3

Leighton Berry 2023 NFR Round 1.jpg

So far, the bareback riding of the 2024 season has brought us big rides that brought with them shuffles in the standings. The No. 1 spot in the World has belonged to multiple cowboys but right now, it is Leighton Berry’s, just like this time a year ago.

No. 1 Leighton Berry, $88,052

Since mid-March, Berry has taken the standings by storm. A win at RodeoHouston thanks to a 91.5-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Agent Lynx added the big bucks to his earnings as it came along with the $50,000 prize money. He followed it up with an 86.5 at Rodeo Austin before meeting with the legendary Virgil of C5 Rodeo’s for a win at Clovis Rodeo (California) that was worth over $10,000. The Clovis win took back the No. 1 spot from Cooper Cooke.

No. 2 Cooper Cooke, $78,110

Cooke picked up a Round 2 check at Rodeo Austin before an 88.5-point ride on Korkow Rodeo’s Buffalo Soldier in the Long Round of San Angelo earned him $7,000 and a ticket to the Finals. His ride in the Final Round was another 88.5 for a sweep. This month, Cooke also placed at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo (Nevada) with an 86.5 to be safely in the Top 3 in the World during the California Run.

No. 3 Keenan Hayes, $75,227

Since RodeoHouston, Hayes has been steady at picking up significant checks. An 85.5 placed him third at the MSU Northern Extreme Bares and Broncs (Montana) and added $3,000 to his earnings while another $3,500 came two weeeks after after thanks to an 83.5-point ride at the Rocky Mountain Rodeo Challenge. On April 20, he won the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out to the tune of 91.5 points which came with a check of $7,500. Just last weekend, placing at the Clovis Rodeo and winning the Gold County Pro Rodeo (California) added a combined $7,000 to Hayes’ season earnings.

No. 4 Tanner Aus, $66,334

Aus hit a hot streak after RodeoHouston. He placed in Florida before picking up a win at the North Dakota Winter Show with an 85.5-point ride on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Colorado Bulldog. Aus finally got a Texas Swing win at RodeoAustin when he rode Empty Promises of Andrews Rodeo for 90.5 points. He added over $15,000 to his season earnings in Austin and kept rolling from there. He placed at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo, Rocky Mountain Rodeo Challenge and Red Bluff Roundup to add another combined $12,000 to his name.

No. 5 Garrett Shadbolt, $61,763

Shadbolt has been selective this winter in where he goes having only rode at nine rodeos as he works his way back from an April 2023 injury. His second-place finish at RodeoHouston slingshoted him toward the top of the World Standings after impressive outs in Denver and Fort Worth. Since then, he picked up a nice win at the High Desert Stampede (Oregon) after an 87.5-point ride on Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s Ted.

No. 6 Dean Thompson, $58,863

Thompson has had a steady season cashing in at all five Texas Swing rodeos. He finished third at RodeoAustin and placed in the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out to continue to pick up momentum. From March 14-17, Thompson won both the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo (Texas) along with the Southeastern Livestock Exposition (Alabama) for a combined $7,000. His latest win came in California at the Lakeside Rodeo for $4,300.

No. 7 Rocker Steiner, $58,418

Steiner picked up two checks at Rodeo Austin including a Round 2 check for over $4,500 after a matchup with Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Shooting Dice. His fourth-place finish in the Final Round added to it and he followed it up when he placed at the Angelina Benefit Rodeo (Texas) recently to be just outside the Top 5 in the World. Steiner was powered early on by winning the first two Texas Swing Rodeos of the year in Fort Worth and San Antonio.

No. 8 Taylor Broussard, $53,840

Broussard has good luck at Rodeo Austin and the High Desert Stampede. In Austin, the Louisiana bareback rider added over $11,500 to his earnings after being an 86-point ride on Dakota Rodeo’s Unstoppable made him the Reserve Champion. In Oregon, he would matchup with Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s Ted to finish second and cash in over $3,000.

No. 9 Bradlee Miller, $48,162

Four paydays have come Miller’s way since RodeoHouston. It started when he was in the money at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo before he went to the Red Bluff Roundup and collected over $2,000 with an 85.5-point ride on C5 Rodeo’s She-La. He placed third at the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Nightcrawler for another $2,000 before he placed at Clovis Rodeo as well.

No. 10 Clayton Biglow, $47,183

Biglow’s $7,200 win at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo came from an 88.5-point ride on Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics’ Stilleto helped him go from No. 14 up to the Top 10 in the World Standings. From there, he cinched a win at the Oakdale Saddle Club Rodeo (California) worth almost $2,000 and the next weekend, his second-place finish at Clovis Rodeo was worth $8,300 before he went to Auburn, California to place fourth and double as a pickup man one day.

No. 11 RC Landingham, $40,589

Landingham has been place at the 96th Annual Arcadia Florida Championship Rodeo and Rodeo Austin and the in March before exploding in April. His biggest checks of them month came from second-place finish in Round 2 of San Angelo and sixth in the Finals added over $6,000 to his earnings. He also matched up with C5 Rodeo’s Virgil to win the Red Bluff Roundup with a record setting, $8,000 92.5-point ride.

No. 12 Cole Franks, $40,224

Franks’ trip to South Carolina for the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo added over $3,000 to his earnings and he followed it up with another $3,000 from Rodeo Austin to end March. There he rode Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Amped Up for 89 points to get the Round 1 win.

No. 13 Jacob Lees, $40,050

A third-place finish at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 26 earned Lees over $2,000 and he took that momentum to North Carolina for the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo where he added another $3,500. In April, his success in San Angelo, including his second-place finish in the Final Round, added almost $5,000 to his earnings and more recently he picked up the win at Angelina Benefit Rodeo with an 86.5-point ride.

No. 14 Sam Petersen, $34,276

Petersen followed up his third-place finish at RodeoHouston sweeping the South Carolina’s Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo with an 85 and 86-point ride. Combined it added $4,000 to his earnings before he collected another $3,600 at the North Carolina Cinch World’s Toughest.

No. 15 Cole Reiner, $33,788

After a successful Texas Swing, Reiner has slowed down going into the spring at just the right spot. He placed in a Go-Round of the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo in North Carolina and more recently he placed fourth at the Red Bluff Roundup with an 85.5-point ride on Buster of Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s. It was a ride worth $2,000. During the Texas Swing, Reiner finished second in San Antonio and also made the Finals in Fort Worth.

No. 16 Nick Pelke, $33,496

Pelke made it to Championship Sunday in Houston and the weekend pror he picked up the win at the 96th Annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo with an 87.5-point ride that added $4,900 to his earnings.

No. 17 Bronc Marriott, $31,836

Marriott has had a steady stream of success lately that spans the country. He placed in Alabama, Texas, Arizona, Montana and Oregon before going to Nevada, Utah, and California. He picked up his highest payday of $6,000 with his 87-point ride at the Red Bluff Roundup that was good enough to be second.

No. 18 Weston Timberman, $31,225

As one of the top rookie contenders of the season, Timberman has picked up steam. To close March, he placed sixth at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo as well as the MSU Extreme Bares and Broncs Challenge. At the Resistol Rookie Roundup he picked up a win that furthered his lead in the Resistol Rookie Race by $3,000.

No. 19 Kade Sonnier, $28,053

At the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo, Sonnier picked up a seventh-place check in a game where every penny counts. Recently, his third-place finish at the Angelina Benefit Rodeo thanks to an 86-point ride on Exposed Vegas of Smith Pro Rodeo, was worth another $2,000. The 24-year-old’s best rodeo of the year was San Antonio, where he won $10,000.

No. 20 Clint Laye, $27,808

Canada’s Clint Laye started the Texas Swing strong including his success at RodeoHouston. Since then, he picked up two checks at the PRCA Extreme Bares and Broncs in North Dakota. He finished fifth in both Round 1 and the Average.

Standings current as of prorodeo.com on May 2, 2024 at 3:00 PM EST.