NFR Dreams Start With Early-Season Wins That Matter More Than You Think

January kicks off with some big opportunities to earn some early season cash in the 2026 rodeo season.

National Western Stock Show | National Western Stock Show, Volunteer Photographer

The National Finals Rodeo may have marked the end of the 2025 rodeo season, but the race for 2026 started back in October, and January kicks off with some of the biggest rodeo events of the winter, with big payouts and ways for athletes to get a jump start on their NFR qualification.

Payouts Grow Larger By End of January

The first wave of rodeos happened this past weekend (January 2nd through 4th), including Rodeo Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida. While the total payout wasn’t over $50,000, every penny earned is huge for these cowboys and cowgirls looking for a chance to win a world title come December. 

The big money winner in Florida was bull rider Ernie Courson Jr, he secured an 89-point ride on Hi Lo from ProRodeo's Midas, earning himself $1,762. That may not seem like much but those quick turn around rodeos are crucial in the long run when earning margins get into the nitty gritty later on in the year.

The First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo is an opportunity to earn a championship title for athletes on the East Coast but also marks a huge 2026 payout for them as well. Last year paid out nearly $150,000, with the top money earners taking home over $10,000. Even though it’s a circuit finals rodeo, those who qualified last year will take their winnings to the bank come December when it’s time to decide who will step into the Thomas & Mack. 

More Rodeos Equals More Money For These Athletes

Stetson Wright | Nathan Meyer Photography

The Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo begins in Odessa, Texas on January 8th and it runs through the 17th. The longest rodeo of the year so far gives athletes ample opportunity to take a chunk out of the over $235,000 payout. 

The team ropers and steer ropers competing in Odessa will each have a chance to earn money in two rounds, and the average, while the rest of the timed events will get one shot. Shad Mayfield made his mark early in 2025 as he took home nearly $7,000, but with him sidelined, there will be a new tie-down champion. 

The National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, is quickly approaching, and marks the first huge payout of the season. This is a rodeo where you see top money earners taking home more than $10,000. Last year, Bull Riding World Champion, Stetson Wright ,took home $16,488, marking a substantial win for him right at the beginning of the season.

It’s numbers like these that allow for the best of the best to pull ahead in season earnings. It also marks which athletes are going to be ones to watch for the rest of the season. Wacey Schalla debuted in bareback riding at the beginning of 2025, and earned his place after winning some money in Denver last year. 

Rodeo Rapid City rolls into South Dakota at the end of the month as well, and with a payout of nearly $200,000, it will give athletes yet another opportunity to shine in the early days of the season and kickstart their year. 

Bareback rider Garrett Shadbolt is fresh off the NFR, and a win at The Chase Hawks Rough Stock Rodeo. He was last year’s Rodeo Rapid City champ and is well on his way to earning the title once again if he keeps his NFR momentum rolling.

By the end of January, some will have paved an easier path to their qualification, which is the reason that nobody who was just at the finals will take a break. Earning the big bucks now will not only make things simpler for them down the line, but it will also raise the bar when it comes to who takes home the world champion title. 

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