All-Around Race: Can Minton Close The Gap Between Him and Schalla For The No. 2 Spot?

While Stetson Wight sits strong in the No. 1 spot, Brushton Minton and Wacey Schalla will battle it out for the reserve world champion in the all-around.

Wacey Schalla | Fernando Sam-Sin

The race for the all-around cowboy title is no easy feat. Athletes not only have to dominate in one event but also in a second one, and there aren’t many who dare to do so. With the 2026 rodeo season heating up, there are three cowboys holding strong, but only one can come out on top. 

Closing The Gap

10 time world champion Stetson Wright is sitting in the No. 1 spot with ease. The cowboy has earned $269,361 already, well over $100,000 ahead of Wacey Schalla (No. 2). The real battle will be between the No. 2 and No. 3 spot, with Brushton Minton having the chance to overtake the No. 2 spot. 

Schalla competes in bareback riding (No. 4) and bull riding (No. 44), while Minton takes to the arena as a tie-down roper (No. 5) and team roping heeler (No. 76).  Despite the fact that these are very different events, the cowboys are going head to head for the reserve world champion all-around title. 

As of now, Schalla is ahead of Minton with $116,622 compared to Minton’s $84,788, but both cowboys are heading into the rest of the season with big chances to earn big checks. It’s clear that Schalla is dominating in the bareback riding sitting at No. 4 in the standings. The young cowboy is now well on his way to earn his fourth National Finals Rodeo qualification in just four years. 

Who Has What It Takes?

Brushton Minton and his longtime equine partner, Gunny, have been mainstays in tie-down roping the last few years. | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

Minton has his work cut out for him if he wants to close the gap in earnings, but as a cowboy who has seen the Thomas & Mack arena two times already, he knows what it takes to come out on top. He’s had an impressive run this season with four rodeo wins under his belt, including at the Red Bluff Rodeo and the California Circuit Finals Rodeo, where he won both events he competes in. 

Schalla, on the other hand, has also had quite a successful season. He’s won five rodeos in the all-around race, including the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show and Rodeo, his biggest win of the season. While bareback riding and bull riding may have bigger money-earning opportunities, Minton is inching his way towards the $100,000 mark himself. 

Last season, Minton finished the all-around race at No. 4 while Schalla finished as the reserve world champion. Minton is clearly coming in with something to prove this season, as he is hungry for that second-place spot and is sitting ahead of No. 4 Jake Clay by over $34,000. 

As the Cowboy Christmas run heats up, both of these cowboys will have the chance to close the gap towards the top spot. With just four months left to go in the regular season, Minton will have to continue to win big if he wants to take home the reserve world champion title at the end of the year for the first time in his career.