Reigning PRCA World Champion Bareback Rider Rocker Steiner to Undergo Neck Surgery

The rodeo world was collectively shocked by a recent announcement on social media that reigning World Champion Bareback Rider Rocker Steiner will be out for the summer, following neck surgery.

Hot off his first gold buckle, a dominant winter at the lucrative limited-entry building rodeos, and a $100,000 win at The American Rodeo, Steiner has been on a heater in professional rodeo. Despite being plagued by neck issues, the 22-year-old cowboy has remained unstoppable inside the arena.

Steiner is expected to miss roughly three months for recovery and, consequently, sit out the entire summer run, according to PRORODEO. He is scheduled to undergo surgery on June 2.

Steiner advised Cowboy+ (formerly The Cowboy Channel) that two herniated discs were pressing into his spinal cord, affecting his left hand. The resulting weakness and numbness are clearly problematic for a professional bareback rider matching up with some of the most powerful bucking horses on earth.

By Steiner's recent performances, most would never have been able to tell. He went 90.5 points aboard Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Resistol's Secrets Out to earn his second consecutive The American Rodeo title. The week prior, he topped Rodeo Corpus Christi with a 91-point ride.

Three-time World Champion Bareback Rider Tim O’Connell shared further insight on the injury in a clip from Cowboy+ and Rodeo Live. He reported that Dallas-based Dr. Dawson, a neck, back, and spine specialist, is set to perform a discectomy procedure to relieve the pressure on Steiner's spinal cord.

O’Connell emphasized the importance of being proactive with this injury, as the severity of Steiner’s symptoms could become worse and/or permanent if left untreated. If not addressed, the risk of long-term effects caused by the vertebrae pressing on the spinal cord is simply not worth risking.

In the candid 2025 docu-series Hell On Wheels, produced by The Cowboy Channel, Steiner shared an inside glimpse at what neck issues can look like for an athlete competing at his level. He took some time away from the rodeo road to address lingering issues caused by the very physical sport.

Steiner's Rise in Professional Rodeo

Steiner poses with the saddle for his RODEOHOUSTON win — Rocker Steiner | Fernando Sam-Sin

Steiner has been a force in professional rodeo since breaking onto the scene in 2022 and qualifying for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He has since qualified for the NFR three more times, and in 2025, he set a new season earnings record of $507,533.

After taking home his first World Championship, Steiner carried the momentum into 2026. He has only competed in eight rodeos so far this year, but Steiner currently leads the World Standings by $8,000, with $122,132 in season earnings.

In the past two seasons, that $122,000 mark was not safe in the top 15 cut-off for the NFR.

Only time will tell what Steiner's recovery looks like and if he can return to competition in time for the heavily-weighted end-of-season payouts at rodeos like the CINCH Playoffs in Puyallup, Wash., and the Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D.

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