6 Elite Rodeo Athletes Hit $100K Mark Early in 2026 Season

The 2026 rodeo season is well underway, and most of the major winter rodeos have been recorded. While the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo is still happening, many contestants are already gearing up for the summer run.

The major moves have happened in the World Standings after RodeoHouston completed and now, the battle begins for the busiest time of the year.

In reviewing the World Standings across all the events, there are just six elite contestants who have already earned more than $100,000 in their respective events, and one of them is a woman.

6 Standout Athletes Cross $100k Earnings Mark

Not that long ago, contestants were blessed to reach the $100,000 mark before going to the National Finals Rodeo, and if they had reached it, they were well on the way to a world title. Now, it takes at least $100k to make the top 15 in the world.

After a few fall rodeos and now the Texas Swing nearing completion, there are just six people who have earned that distinction.

2 Bareback Riders Battling for Number 1

Bradlee Miller riding a bareback horse at the 2025 NFR — Bradlee Miller | Nathan Meyer Photography

In the bareback riding, there will be a battle to the finish line for the world title. The 2025 World Champion, Rocker Steiner, picked up the $65,000 bonus check at RodeoHouston to give him a great start to the summer run, but shockingly, he is not holding down the number one spot.

Bradlee Miller of Huntsville, Texas has had an incredible winter so far. The 22-year-old has found his groove and, in doing so, has won $103,665 already over the season.

He has already been to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo two times, and it looks like he is certainly on his way to a third time.

Over the winter, Miller has found success in several places. Most recently, Rodeo Austin was good to the man, where he rode No Whiskey for 89.5 points in the finals to earn the first-place check. Over his time there, Miller added $19,073 to his count.

RodeoHouston was good for $38,000 for the superstar, while he also earned $10,458 at San Antonio, Texas.

Don’t ever count Rocker Steiner out, though. He is hot on the heels of Miller with $101,347.71. Pressure doesn’t get to the Weatherford, Texas man, and he has made it clear that he appreciates the challenge.

After four trips to the NFR and earning his first World Championship in 2025, Steiner has the taste of victory, and he will be after it.

Of course, Steiner's biggest win so far this year will be RodeoHouston, where he not only won the final bonus, but in total, he earned $72,750.

San Antonio was good for $12,933 for Steiner, and he picked up $10,613 at Rodeo Austin. It is important to note that Steiner’s rodeo count will be much smaller so far than Miller’s but they are both riding with incredible form and look to be at the top of their games headed into the spring and summer.

Brothers Battling in Saddle Bronc Riding

The Wright name is synonymous with World Championships and saddle bronc riding. The recent years results always have the last name Wright inserted in them, and many times right at the top.

This year is no different; it just has a different first name toward the top. Everyone recognizes the number one-ranked man that the rodeo world has aptly named ‘Superman’. That would be Stetson Wright. In just the saddle bronc riding event, Stetson has won $134,118 that counts toward his world standings.

Eleven NFR qualifications and 10 world titles later, there’s no disputing that the man knows how to win. The Beaver, Utah man earned the $65,000 bonus at RodeoHouston where he also won an additional $6,250 during the rounds.

He won $30,822 at the San Antonio Stock Show and $12,128 at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. When he wins, he wins big.

Sitting at number two is “big” brother Rusty Wright. The Milford, Utah man has been away from the NFR since 2020, but he has returned with a vengeance. The oldest of the Wright brothers, Rusty has been to the NFR five times, so success is not foreign to the man.

Rusty’s biggest win over the winter came at the Fort Worth Stock Show when he took the top spot after a 91-point ride. In total, Rusty deposited $24,500 when Fort Worth was over.

He continued on to San Antonio, where he won $14,035. Rodeo Austin was also pretty good to the veteran where he picked up $12,274.

Sibling rivalry will be defined in the 2026 season and the best part of the Wright story is that every time you see them they are cheering for each other. It will be interesting to see this battle over the course of the year.

3-Time World Champion Still On a Roll

Just one lone man in the tie-down roping has won more than $100,000. Riley Webb continues to dominate the sport.

The Denton, Texas, cowboy jumped to the top of the standings yet again after RodeoHouston, where he earned the title in record-setting fashion. All total, Webb has already earned $113,690 on the season and you can bet he won’t be slowing down during the summer run.

One could argue that he hasn’t had the same winter he has over the last few years, but the standings prove he is still doing what he needs to do to gather a fourth world title.

One Lady Among the Elite Beasts of the Rodeo

A rider and brown horse turn a barrel — The incomparable Kassie Mowry and Force The Goodbye capturing their second consecutive RODEOHOUSTON Championship | Photo Courtesy of RODEOHOUSTON

It comes as no surprise that Kassie Mowry has been tagged the “Greatest of All Time” in the barrel racing world. She absolutely dominates the sport, no matter whether she is in the futurity or rodeo arena.

Now, some may argue that others have been close to her in the standings, but the truth is, you have to account for her rodeo count each year. She goes to a fraction of the rodeos the rest of the field does, and for two years in a row, she has earned the World Championship title.

For the 2026 season, she has already won $126,217. Let’s quickly review:

She won Rodeo Houston. She won the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. She won Rodeo Austin. The storyline for the cowgirl is often the same. If she goes, she wins.

Mowry has said that this is the plan. Having a successful winter allows her to stay much closer to home, keep up with her futurity horses, and still make the NFR.

The second-place cowgirl in the world standings is nearly $60,000 behind. That’s a story in itself in LaTricia Duke, who has been seasoning a young horse to the tune of second in the world standings.

Full Schedule of Rodeos Ahead

While these contestants are incredible and their stories are impressive, everything can change over the summer months. The spring run in California is about to take place, and then the race is on throughout the summer as athletes criss-cross the United States to see who will earn the gold buckle on the last day in Las Vegas, Nevada.