Who Leads the Way: The Cowboys Currently Atop the 2026 World Standings

With four months remaining in the professional rodeo season, every dollar counts, and these cowboys currently lead the way.

Tyler Waguespack | Fernando Sam-Sin

There are only four months left in the professional rodeo season. The World Standings are an ever-changing leaderboard at this point, and these are the athletes who made their way to the top this week.

Bareback Riding

Rocker Steiner is not only the reigning World Champion, he is also No. 1 in the 2026 World Standings. With $122,132 in season earnings so far, his most recent major win came at Rodeo Corpus Christi.

Steiner took nearly a month off from rodeos in April and still holds the lead by $8,000. He has only competed at eight rodeos this year. Steiner is setting a new definition of "possible" in bareback riding.

Steer Wrestling

2026 could mark 12 consecutive trips to the biggest show in rodeo for Tyler Waguespack. "Wag" has $90,921 in season earnings and holds down the coveted No. 1 spot. A five-time World Champion and two-time NFR Average Champion, Wag is hungry to add to his resume this year.

He has focused on circuit rodeos and the lucrative winter building rodeos to amass those earnings. The Louisiana man will undoubtedly be headed west for the summer soon and continue adding to that number.

Team Roping

The $65,000 win at RODEOHOUSTON propelled young guns Corbin Rice and Cooper Freeman to the No. 1 position, which they still hold. With a total of $93,043 each in season earnings, this pair could very well be headed to Vegas for the first time in their careers.

Saddle Bronc Riding

Rusty Wright is a five-time NFR qualifier, but his most recent trip was six years ago, in 2020. With $1.4 million in career earnings, Wright now holds the lead over his brother, Stetson, by $5,000.

Coming in at $167,693 in season earnings so far, Wright's most recent win came at the World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale Matched Xtreme Bronc Ride. The $14,128 payday rocketed him to No. 1, and his confidence must be soaring heading into the summer run.

Tie-Down Roping

Riley Webb after breaking the arena record at RODEOHOUSTON | Photo Courtesy of RODEOHOUSTON

The indomitable Riley Webb leads the way with an unbelievable $144,316. A four-time NFR qualifier, Webb has taken home the gold buckle three times and the NFR Average twice. At just 22 years old, he is a $1.7 million cowboy.

Webb has focused on lucrative limited-entry winter rodeos, as well as a run to the Southeast in February and one to the West in April. With a relatively small rodeo count, he has nearly $35,000 over the No. 2 man.

Bull Riding

A four-time NFR qualifier, Tristen Hutchings is hungry for his first gold buckle. With over $1.3 million in career earnings, Hutchings has racked up $121,028 in season earnings.

The majority of those earnings came from limited-entry winter building rodeos, with the biggest paycheck of his year so far coming from his win at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.