Two-Time NFR Qualifier JR Stratford Retires From Bull Riding After Tragedy

A car wreck earlier this week has led to two-time NFR qualifier JR Stratford to announce his retirement from bull riding.

JR Stratford | PRCA File Photo

A two-time bull riding NFR qualifier is facing an uncertain future as JR Stratford has announced his bull riding career is over after a car wreck led to spinal surgery last week. The news comes after he crashed his pickup truck on Monday, Oct. 26. 

Medically Retire

This devastating turn of events for the 24-year-old cowboy is nothing any rodeo athlete wants to see. He told PRORODEO Sports News that the wreck caused damage to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and led to broken bones in his back that were putting pressure on his spine.

Luckily, doctors were quick to work on Stratford and earlier this week he underwent surgery “to fuse the vertebrae and remove broken bones from his neck at OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City.” 

Stratford left the hospital able to walk and in good spirits, and now Stratford is looking towards the future. 

ProRodeo Career

JR Stratford, shown here in a file photo, picked up a pair of big wins over the weekend, taking home top honors at the High Desert Xtreme Bulls and High Desert Stampede. | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

The cowboy out of Bronaugh, Missouri debuted in the PRCA back in 2020 where he quickly rose through the ranks. He earned two qualifications to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) (2022, 2025) and landed at a career-best No. 8 in the world after the 2025 season, but again he fell short because of an injury sustained during round six. 

This isn’t the first time Stratford has faced an injury setback either, during round four of his 2022 trip to the NFR (finished at No. 12), the cowboy had to cut his time short due to a broken tibia and fibula and a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Despite being able to make a return to the arena the following season (2023), his injuries sustained this week are much harder to bounce back from. 

He entered the arena strong at the beginning of 2026, taking home wins at the Adirondack Stampede Rodeo and the Ozark Empire Pro Rodeo. Although he finished the season unranked, he wasn’t ready to give the sport up just yet, until the accident. 

While it’s clear that injuries have been plaguing Stratford his whole career, no cowboy expects something like this to take them out of the arena forever. The cowboy is now looking toward the future and as he continues to recover, just hopes one day he can return to rodeo in some form. 

In the interview with PRORODEO he said,

"You think you know everybody, but then they're sending support your way, and it makes it feel worth trying, getting better and getting out of here," Stratford said. "Now I'm figuring out what the next chapter in life will be."