Haven Meged RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE, Great Falls Tribune via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Haven Meged Fights for His NFR Future While On the Bubble

Originally posted on Rodeo on SI | By Kate Robinson | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Former World Champion tie-down roper, Haven Meged, is not having the 2025 season he had dreamed of. After injuring his back in May and having to sit out for the entirety of June, his season was cut short. Now back in the arena, he’s fighting tooth and nail to secure a spot at the National Finals Rodeo in December, but only the top 15 get to go, and he is currently riding the bubble at No. 19.

After managing an NFR qualification for the last six years, two NFR average titles in 2019 and 2023, and winning the title in 2019, Meged feels uncertain about how this season will end for him for the first time.

“My season started off good. I went into the summer with 40,000, and then I had to sit out till Ogden, which is, like, July 17. I think I started back, so I had to miss all the big rodeos over the fourth, Calgary, Colorado Springs,” he told Rodeo on SI, “but the last three or four weeks haven't been too bad, I guess. We're trying to battle back and just see where we end up.”

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Despite the setback Meged faced, he’s keeping his eye on the prize when it comes to getting into the Thomas and Mack arena. Even though he’s still injured, he’s changed his diet, is going to physical therapy, and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

“I got 30 rodeos left to go to, and we're all over just trying to, you know, take one calf at a time and win every check we can.”

The uncertainty surrounding the season is a new feeling for Meged. After placing third in the world in 2024, second in 2023 and 2021, and eighth in 2022, not being in the top 10 is a new experience for him. The season hasn’t been totally off for Meged, he’s taken home wins at seven rodeos, including the Central Montana PRCA Rodeo, the Montana (Great Falls) Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals, and the Newell Pro Rodeo.

“There's a lot of rodeos I haven't been to. So, it's a new experience. I'm not saying I like this experience being on the bubble, but, it's different.”

Once the season ends, Merged has no plans to call it quits. He may limit his time in the arena to continue to heal his back but he wants to get right back out there to take back his spot at the top in 2026. But with weeks to go in the 2025 season, he wants to see the NFR arena in December.

“I wanna be inside the top 15. You know, it scares me to death at night going to sleep. Just if you're not gonna be at the national finals, that's my livelihood,” he said, “I've been there the last six years. That's how I make my money. So, it scares me not to make it. We're taking one calf at a time, and it's God's plan, so we're just doing what we can do.”

This article first appeared on Rodeo on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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