Rodeo Daily

California Bareback Rider Sidelined Following Shoulder Surgery

Due to an injury sustained at the 2025 NFR, the first-time qualifier underwent surgery on his free arm to reattach the labrum.
Teal Stoll|
Jacek Frost at the Pendleton Round-up
Jacek Frost at the Pendleton Round-up | Fernando Sam-Sin

In case there was any doubt regarding which rodeo event is the most brutal of the sport — three of the top 15 bareback riders in PRORODEO in 2025 have undergone surgery in the past month. Cole Franks, Garrett Shadbolt, and Jacek Frost are all set to miss a portion of the 2026 season, due to much-needed surgical interventions.

While Franks and Shadbolt underwent surgery to address long-term issues in their hips, similar to tie-down roper Shad Mayfield, Frost's surgery repaired an injury sustained at the 2025 National Finals Rodeo (NFR).

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Frost Sidelined

Frost rides a large bucking horse
Jacek Frost | Fernando Sam-Sin

On January 28, Reno, Nev., surgeon Dr. Travis Kieckbusch reattached the labrum in Frost's left shoulder. The injury happened early in the 2025 NFR, Frost's first qualification to the "Super Bowl of rodeo."

From a press release with PRORODEO,

"I'm pretty sure I tore it in the second round," said Frost, 21, of Browns Valley, Calif. "It'd been sore in the past, but it's never been that sore. I had been wearing a Sully for a while, but then it really started bugging me after the second round."

The "Sully" is the Sully Shoulder Brace, a stabilizing device that can help with many types of shoulder issues. Despite the brace and Frost's best efforts, the injury led to a challenging 10 days in Las Vegas.

With the intense nature of the bucking stock chosen for the NFR, it was a challenging time for Frost to be feeling less than 100%. Frost explained that he had no power in his free arm and struggled to stay square, ultimately causing him to get rocked forward and disengage his hips. For a bareback rider on the best horses in the world, this is an immense challenge.

Frost will be in a sling constantly for two weeks, then begin a slow rehab process. The 22-year-old is not dismayed by the downtime and knows taking the necessary time is crucial to his future career.

"I'd rather be riding 100 percent healthy than keep on riding 60 percent healthy," Frost said. "I'd love to be rodeoing right now, but I'd much rather rodeo healthy and just get everything situated the right way and feel really good."

Like Shadbolt, Frost hopes to return to competition at the Reno Rodeo, June 18-27. In the meantime, he will celebrate his 22nd birthday and continue to set big goals for the future.

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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.

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