Skip to main content
Rodeo Daily

2025 Reserve World Champion Bareback Rider Sidelined Following Surgery

Sam Petersen underwent emergency surgery on his knee, following an incident at the Wainwright Stampede.
Teal Stoll|
Sam Petersen
Sam Petersen | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

The reigning National Finals Rodeo (NFR) Average Champion and Reserve World Champion Bareback Rider, Sam Petersen, underwent emergency surgery over the recent weekend that will drastically change his 2026 season.

Petersen qualified for his first NFR in 2025 and capitalized on the opportunity, placing in seven rounds and winning $226,853 at the NFR alone. He proved that he could thrive under pressure and rose to the occasion inside the Thomas & Mack Arena.

No stranger to the professional rodeo trail, Petersen had finished inside the top 20 in the World Standings in 2023 and 2024. As of June 21, the cowboy from Helena, Mont., was once again ranked No. 20 in the 2026 World Standings.

Wins and titles aside, Petersen now has a different focus for the year: recovery.

The 22-year-old suffered a knee injury while competing at the Wainwright Stampede in Alberta, Canada, on Friday, June 19. According to the report from Cowboy+, Petersen had just completed an 88-point ride on Duffy Rodeo's Reservation when all went wrong.

The excitement of a great ride changed in an instant when Petersen collided with the arena fence prior to his dismount and reportedly limped out of the arena.

Emergency surgery was needed, and following a post on social media, the rodeo community rallied to find Petersen a private flight back to Texas to address the injury as quickly as possible.

According to a social media post from Petersen's mother, the surgeon repaired his shattered patella and removed a piece of metal that had broken off during the impact.

This might be a good time to remind you that Petersen was not carried out of the arena. "Cowboy tough" is more than just a quip — these rodeo athletes are truly built different.

Petersen posted photos of his radiographs showing multiple screws in his patella and reported that his surgery was successful, and he is "on the road to recovery."

With just over three months remaining in the professional rodeo season, athletes are feeling "crunch time" as every dollar counts in pursuit of 2026 NFR qualifications.

Petersen joins a lengthy list of top competitors who are sidelined in the 2026 season, including 2025 World Champion Bareback Rider Rocker Steiner.

Bareback riding is known to be the most physically demanding in rodeo, which speaks to the level of brutality these cowboys face with each ride.

For young cowboys like Steiner and Petersen, it is paramount to address injuries quickly and thoroughly to preserve the longevity of their careers.

We have no doubt we will see them both back in the arena and back to their winning ways very soon and send our best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Teal Stoll
TEAL STOLL

Teal Stoll is a lifelong Wyomingite from a working ranch family of several generations. Both sides of her family have deep roots in rodeo, as contestants and stock contractors. Teal grew up horseback and actively competes in rodeos and barrel races. She has degrees in both business and accounting, which she uses operating her own bookkeeping service. Teal enjoys spending time with her horses, training colts, and maintaining her string of athletes. When she isn’t at the barn, she can be found reading, doing yoga, or on her paddle board at the lake. Teal lives with her fiancee and a plethora of animals, because she can’t say no to a displaced critter with a sad story. When she isn’t on the road running barrels, she spends her time helping with day to day operations on the family ranch.

Home/News