The Blood Bath Begins For Bareback World Title Between Steiner, Schalla and Miller

Rocker Steiner may be No. 1 in the world standings right now, but Bradlee Miller and Wacey Schalla are closing the gap between them.

Rocker Steiner | Fernando Sam-Si

The battle for the bareback world title is a bloody one. Some of rodeo's best athletes compete in this event and there is no telling which one will take home the title at the end of the year because they are all just that good. 

The Three Best Cowboys in Bareback

A fan favorite and the 2025 world champion has taken back over as Rocker Steiner bests Bradlee Miller for the No. 1 spot in the world standings.

Steiner landed his first 91-point ride over the weekend at Rodeo Corpus Christi, four points better than Carson Hildre and Tim O'Connell, who tied for the second spot. The Round 1 score earned him a check of over $7,000 and a trip to the finals. There, he bested everyone by landing an 89-point ride on Double J Rodeo Company's Cafe' Risque.

Despite tying with Weston Timberman during the finals, his performance in the first round is what really pushed him over the edge. Steiner is known to be a clutch athlete, and he can pull out performances of a lifetime at the drop of a hat.

Now, with $122,132 to his name, Steiner sits $8,000 ahead of Miller in No. 2 and $12,000 ahead of Wacey Schalla in the No. 3 spot. All three of these cowboys have seen the No. 1 spot at some point this year, and it’s anyone's game as we head into the big summer rodeos. 

The Fight For No. 1

These young cowboys have barely a year separating them all in age, and their time spent in the arena is nearly the same as well. Steiner and Miller entered the PRCA arena together in 2022 and it’s been neck and neck between the two cowboys ever since. 

Schalla may be younger, but he is giving the two more experienced cowboys a run for their money. He finished as the reserve world champion last year in the all-around and at No. 5 in bareback riding. He’s the youngest cowboy to ever cross $1 million in lifetime earnings, so Steiner and Miller better watch their backs as Schalla only continues to improve. 

The world standings are changing on a dime this season, with all three of these cowboys pulling away in earnings. Jacob Lees may sit in the No. 4 spot but he’s got a long way to go if he wants to enter the top three as he only has $73,486, putting him nearly $40,000 behind Schalla.

Three may feel like a crowd when it comes to the battle for the world champion title, but any one of these cowboys has what it takes to land on top.