A Certain Set of Cowboys Are Nearing $100K Mark Early in 2026 Season

The 2026 rodeo season is picking up speed quickly. The best rodeo athletes in the world are fresh off some of the biggest rodeos so far this year, and a few are now already inching closer to having $100,000 to their name this season.

Wright Brothers Continue To Dominate

It’s an impressive feat to earn that much money in the entire year, let alone nearing the accomplishment by March, but there are former world champions and those searching for their first title who are hungry enough to set the bar higher and higher every season in terms of earnings.

One cowboy who consistently sets the standard is Stetson Wright. Fresh off his win at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo for bull riding, he now has $86,179 to his name in the all-around race. $42,229 of that comes from bull riding, where he sits at No. 7, and the other $58,513 was earned in saddle bronc riding, where he sits at No. 3 in the standings.

Wright is a once-in-a-generation athlete who truly sets the standard. Last season, he set the record for money earned in a season at $817,088. He also became the world champion bull rider and all-around cowboy thanks to that amount of cash. Now, just months into 2026, he is already pulling away in terms of cash earned.

Another Wright brother is even closer to the $100,000 mark as Rusty Wright is bringing his A-game this season. The cowboy has $94,652 to his name this season, marking him as No. 1 in the world standings for saddle bronc riding and overall in terms of cash brought in this year.

At 30 years old, Rusty battles against his younger brothers in the arena constantly. But he is breaking out this season as he is currently in front of the 2025 world champion Statler Wright, No. 2 Ryder Wright and Stetson Wright.

Schalla Nearing Top of the Leaderboard

While it’s obvious the Wright brothers dominate in the saddle bronc arena, others are coming for the crown this season as well. Wacey Schalla continues to give Stetson a run for his money in the all-around race. The bareback rider and bull rider has earned $66,580 so far this season and has yet to even begin making his mark in bull riding.

After finishing at No. 4 (BR) and No. 5 (BB), this cowboy has something to prove heading into the summer months, as the season's biggest payouts are soon to come. He just took home a win in San Antonio, taking home another $24,493.

The final cowboy nearing this feat is tie-down roper, Kincade Henry. He sits at the top of the leaderboard with $60,131, which is nearly double what the No. 2 spot has earned. Henry continues to be on fire this year as that amount of cash can’t come easy to cowboys in that event.

With just over six months left to go in the regular season, things are starting to become clear which cowboys will have what it takes to earn a spot at the National Finals Rodeo in December.