Rodeo Daily

Texas Swing Rodeos Will Kick Off Exciting 2026 Professional Season

Four rodeos over the next two months will have a massive impact on the 2026 road to the NFR.
Teal Stoll|
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi | The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The professional rodeo season may have begun on October 1, 2025, but there are just a few major rodeos in the last quarter of the calendar year. Aside from several circuit finals and high-paying standalone events across the country, it is the slowest part of the year for many competitors.

With the Texas Swing kicking off this week, we are heading into one of the most lucrative and busiest seasons in professional rodeo. The winter building rodeos are primarily comprised of stock shows and longstanding western lifestyle events. In Texas, several of the highest-paying rodeos are known as the "Texas Swing."

Many of these rodeos follow a tournament-style or bracket format, meaning athletes compete multiple times throughout the lengthy events to advance to the next round. The ultimate goal is to qualify for the Finals at each rodeo, as many are clean-slate or "sudden death."

Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo

Held January 8 - 17, 2026, at the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, Texas, the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo marks the beginning of the Texas Swing. The men's timed events are paid out on two rounds and an average, while the rough stock and barrel racing are paid on one long round. Odessa is the only Texas Swing rodeo with this format.

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Haven Meged roping his calf.
Haven Meged | FWSSR photo by James Phifer.

In Fort Worth, Texas, the iconic Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo will take over the town from January 23 - February 7, 2026. With over $1.2 million in added money to be paid out in Dickies Arena, there will be daily rodeo performances for over two weeks. The rodeo is comprised of seven brackets, a Wild Card round, two semi-finals, and a finals.

San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo

San Antonio, Texas, is home to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, February 12 - 26, 2026. Similar to Fort Worth, this rodeo is comprised of five brackets, two semi-finals, a Wild Card round, and a finals. Again, the rodeo will span over two weeks and pay out over $1.5 million at the Frost Bank Center.

RODEOHOUSTON

Team Ropers at Rodeo Houston
Derrick Begay and Colter Todd | RODEOHOUSTON

For nearly three weeks, RODEOHOUSTON is a hotspot of rodeo and nighttime entertainment. From March 2 - 21, 2026, in Houston, Texas, this legendary rodeo will pay out over $2.2 million. Similar to Fort Worth and San Antonio, RODEOHOUSTON is comprised of five "series," two semi-finals, two Wild Card rounds, a Championship, and the Shoot-Out. First-place in the Shoot-Out is worth $65,000.

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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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