It is a battle of rookies and veterans in the bareback riding this season as five of the Top 15 in the PRCA Bareback Riding World Standings are also vying for the Resistol Rookie of the Year title.
You can’t count out your veterans like Kaycee Feild and Tim O’Connell who are still raking in big scores and big pay days. Young National Finals qualifiers Leighton Berry and Cole Reiner are also in the Top 5, it is a rookie who sits No. 1, Keenan Hayes.
No. 4 Cole Reiner, $87,803
Reiner’s summer run started with a bang when he picked up a win at Reno Rodeo to cash in over $10,000. He kept up the momentum at the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Arizona where an 88.5-point ride brought in another win. A third win came his way at the highest paying rodeo of Cowboy Christmas, St. Paul Rodeo, after Reiner rodeo Mustard for 88 points. Reiner entered Cowboy Christmas sitting No. 7 in the World with almost $60,000 and he wrapped it up sitting No. 4 with over $85,000.
No. 7 Clayton Biglow, $78,234
Biglow picked up steam at the Greeley Stampede with a second place finish in the average that was worth $5,500. The steam kept rolling when the California bareback rider found the pay window in Prescott, Arizona with an 87-point ride on Vold Rodeo’s Sun Glow and in St. Paul, Oregon after he covered Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics Pick Up Sticks for 85. Biglow was up in Pool A of the Calgary Stampede and is the No. 1 bareback rider coming back to Championship Sunday.
No. 10 Kade Sonnier, $62,838
The Louisiana Rookie’s summer swing kicked off with over $5,000 from Reno Rodeo. He kept it going with rides that placed him at Rodeo of the Ozarks and Edgewood Days PRCA Rodeo. Sonnier matched up with Mlw’s Irish Eyes at St. Paul Rodeo to be 85 points before his most recent pay day came at the Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede. An 84.5-point ride was enough to be second and cash in over $3,500.
No. 18 Jess Pope, $48,643
The reigning World Champion has had a slow 2023 season yet he is only $5,200 out of the Top 15 in the World. Pope’s summer kicked off in Arkansas and Texas. He found two paydays, the higher of the two coming at West of the Pecos Rodeo where he covered Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Queezy Roller for 88.5 points to earn $2,594. His Cowboy Christmas started with a Go-Round win at the Greeley Stampede and ended with a 91-point, winning ride in Killdeer, North Dakota. He kept his momentume going and put another winning ride together in Hamel, Montana.
Take a look at the current Top 20 Bareback Riders in the PRCA World Standings.
| World Rank | Name | Money Earned |
| 1. | Keenan Hayes | $166,553 |
| 2. | Leighton Berry | $129,913 |
| 3. | Rocker Steiner | $96,674 |
| 4. | Cole Reiner | $87,803 |
| 5. | Jayco Roper | $81,981 |
| 6. | Kaycee Feild | $81,038 |
| 7. | Clayton Biglow | $78,233 |
| 8. | Tanner Aus | $77,752 |
| 9. | Tim O’Connell | $75,987 |
| 10. | Kade Sonnier | $62,838 |
| 11. | Jacob Lees | $59,963 |
| 12. | Jacek Frost | $58,559 |
| 13. | Sam Petersen | $57,861 |
| 14. | Taylor Broussard | $57,294 |
| 15. | Dean Thompson | $53,842 |
| 16. | Orin Larsen | $49,692 |
| 17. | Mason Clements | $48,677 |
| 18. | Jess Pope | $48,642 |
| 19. | Luke Thrash | $47,178 |
| 20. | Richmond Champion | $44,038 |
Standings current as of July 11, 2023 at 1:30 PM EST.