Leighton Berry is a National Finals Bareback rider that grew up around the sport of rodeo. He was particularly surrounded by bareback riders. His dad, Kirby, was a bareback rider and another guy that was always around was Pete Hawkins.
Pete gave Leighton his very first bareback riggin when he was a baby not knowing that one day, Leighton’s event of choice in professional rodeo would be bareback.
“You might get a newborn baby a teddy bear, I got a bareback riggin. I used to put it on rope horses, my sister’s pole horse and stuff… and make them crow hop around. It was something I just thought was fun and playing games at the time,” Berry said.
Berry decided to get on bareback horses when he wanted to go for an all-around title since he was already a calf roper and team roper. He was learning how to steer wrestle when he thought to add one more event to his roster.
Berry took his dad’s gear bag and got on his first bareback horses in Waxahachie, Texas and from there, he was hooked. Slowly but surely, bareback became Berry’s No. 1 event and calf roping took a backseat.
In 2019, Berry set off on his rookie year and went to over 100 rodeos and he just missed being the Resistol Rookie. However, it lit enough a fire that in 2020, Berry’s goal was the National Finals Rodeo. He did just that, Berry’s first ever NFR was at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
“When I walked up there to the arena, I still had the same feeling. I saw the yellow bucking chutes and a little chill went down my spine. I knew, regardless of where they were having it, I made it and I was here to compete against 14 of the best bareback riders in the world on the best animals in the world,” Berry said.
Berry ended the 2020 the No. 9 ranked bareback rider in the world and his goal went for 2021 went from making the finals to being a World Champion.
He went on to win the Texas Circuit Finals and earn a trip to the RAM National Circuit Finals before he went to the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo in Odessa, Texas where Berry’s goals would have a setback.
Berry went to Odessa to compete in the bareback riding and calf roping with hopes of going after the Linderman Award in 2021. His horse in the bareback came over backwards just enough that Berry ended up breaking his back.
“I just kind of slid up and nodded, it all happened pretty quick, but I wanted to get out on her as fast and clean as possible, and when I did she just kind of lost her footing… and when she did she kind of went down on her hind end and my shoulders just got pinned in a certain way on the bucking chute,” Berry said.
After getting checked out by both Justin Sportsmedicine and Odessa Regional, Berry came back to Fort Worth where an MRI confirmed compression fractures and a torn ligament behind his spine. His surgeon of choice would be the same doctor who performed neck fusions on bareback rider, Tilden Hooper and bull rider, Cole Melancon.
Berry went to Austin and all he wanted was to be able to continue riding bareback horses at he professional level. After a successful surgery, he has been able to do just that and he gives credit to God.
“… I was a believer from the get-go, I knew that He was kind of my strong hold over anybody… I came home to my goal board… I closed my eyes, I said a big prayer and I took some Lysol, I sprayed my board down, I wiped it down clean and I rearranged all my goals. The one at the top that never changes is World Champion bareback rider,” Berry said.
Although Berry’s goals rearranged and the timeline that he had planned was shifted, he made sure that he got back to 100% healthy. He met all of his goals and when he was released to ride bareback horses the Dodge City Roundup would be his first one back.
Berry went 89 points and jumped right back into being one of the best bareback riders in the World.
“2022. All my friends keep saying that this is my year… this year is looking like a full blow, full steam ahead year of rodeoing. I feel like I’m more experienced and better off mentally and better off physically,” Berry said.