Ten-Time World Champion Stetson Wright Sidelined Due to Shoulder and Knee Injuries

Stetson Wright's rides at the Calgary Stampede will be his last for a few weeks, as he recovers from knee surgery and a shoulder injury.

Stetson Wright | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

At just 26 years old, Stetson Wright has already put together a legendary career and continues to raise the bar each season in professional rodeo. A ten-time World Champion with $3,974,000 in career earnings, Wright is a dual-event rough stock cowboy. 

Six of his gold buckles were awarded for the coveted All-Around Cowboy title, three for bull riding, and in 2021, he claimed the saddle bronc riding win. 

Plagued by Injuries

Stetson Wright at the Red Bluff Round-Up | Fernando Sam-Sin

For Wright, the past few years have held a grueling battle with injuries.

A hamstring injury that had become too severe to ignore halted his bid for a gold buckle at the 2023 NFR. Ultimately, he spent the majority of 2024 rehabbing the injury. 

Wright focused on his recovery and returned in 2025 in world title contention. After 726 days between NFR trips, he returned to the Thomas & Mack with a vengeance.

Throughout the 10-day rodeo, it looked quite plausible that Wright could be taking home three gold buckles. When the dust settled, he took home two: the All-Around and Bull Riding Championships. 

That momentum has carried into 2026, where Wright has once again found huge success. 

He is currently ranked No. 1 in the World in saddle bronc riding and No. 3 in bull riding. Wright also leads the way in the All-Around race. Unfortunately, the remainder of his summer plans quickly changed this week.

Wright shared in a social media post that he had gotten bucked off and separated his shoulder. He further shared that Dr. Delcore completed surgery on his knee for a torn meniscus and PCL on July 14.

Wright reported that he was looking forward to spending the downtime at home with his daughter, Kingsley, and his family. 

For Wright, who rides left-handed in both saddle bronc and bull riding, the shoulder injury impacts his free arm. Time and rest are the ultimate healers for this type of injury.

In a release from PRORODEO, Wright’s father, Cody, gave more insight regarding Stetson’s decisions to address the injuries. 

"The knee had been bugging him, and he had just been dealing with it, but he figured it had been affecting his riding.”

Cody explained that since Stetson would be taking some downtime for the shoulder to heal, he decided to have surgery on his knee and clean up the pesky soft tissue issues that were impacting his performance. 

No stranger to recovering and making his way back to the arena, Wright is eyeing the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo in Castle Rock, Colo., for his return. Held on August 2, the event will be just three weeks after Wright’s knee surgery.