4-Time NFR Qualifier Returns to Championship Form After Essential Hip Surgery

Months after hip surgery, the 4-time NFR qualifier wasted no time proving he’s still a contender.

Leighton Berry | Fernando Sam-Sin

After years of enduring issues, Leighton Berry underwent hip surgery in June 2025. Less than four months later, he came back swinging, earning a check at each of his first three rodeos, including back-to-back wins.

“I started experiencing some issues around the summer of 2022,” Berry said. “I was having a lot of inflammation around my hip area and clicking, some popping.” 

A few months later, it was clear that surgery would eventually be necessary to correct the pain Berry was experiencing. 

Despite the issues with his hip, Berry qualified for the 2024 National Finals Rodeo and finished eighth in the world. His hip surgery was originally scheduled for a few days after the finals, but he decided to reschedule, Berry said.

Berry took on the winter rodeos fully planning to make another full run at the NFR, but it wasn’t long before the lingering issues with his hip started showing up again.

“I just noticed that it was really hindering my performance, causing a lot of pain, a lot of issues,” Berry said. “So I knew it was time to shut it down and get it fixed.”

The surgery was extensive, addressing years of rough wear and tear. 

“They went in and had to shave off some bone spurs and reattach my labrum,” Berry said. “It was pretty nasty.”

Berry’s surgery meant he would spend the summer completely off the rodeo trail. Though missing a season of spurring bareback horses, there was a sweet silver lining to Berry’s summer at home, as his son, Ledger, was born in April.

“I really feel like it was more of God's timing than anything with me,” Berry said. “Had I not pushed my surgery off in December, I definitely would have been aiming to come back right about the time he would have been born.”

The timing worked out in a way Berry hadn’t anticipated, but ultimately cherished. What could have been a hectic stretch of travel and recovery turned into quiet, uninterrupted months at home — a rare gift in the middle of a rodeo career that usually keeps him on the road.

“I got to stay home with him, not miss anything and watch that little booger grow,” Berry said.

Berry Wins Immediately After Return

IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Finally back after months of healing and physical therapy, Berry placed in his first rodeo back in Pasadena, Texas. He won Stephenville, Texas, just a few days later.

Then came the stock callbacks for the Waller County Fair and Rodeo in Hempstead, Texas, with a dream come true for Berry. He’d get the chance to match up with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Secret’s Out. 

“I hadn't been on horses that caliber all year,” Berry said. “I had to thank God because he was giving me an opportunity, and I knew this was probably going to be my last one for a while.”

After watching fellow bareback riders, Jess Pope and Bradlee Miller, win rounds on Secret’s Out at the 2024 NFR, Berry said he was itching to get on the horse himself, and his recent surgery didn’t dampen his confidence in the slightest.

“I told my wife before I left the house, ‘First one of the year, and this is going to be my first 90 on the new hip,’” Berry said. “I just kept believing in myself, kept speaking to existence.”

Berry kept his word that night, marking a 90.5-point ride on the Pete Carr bucker and putting an exclamation mark on his return to the arena.

It seems the quiet months are over, and Berry’s back in the rigging — riding like he never left.

---