Rocker Steiner Makes Statement in NFR Round 2 as World’s Top Bareback Rider

Originally posted on Rodeo on SI | By Kate Robinson | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 9:57 PM ET

Round 2 of the NFR brought huge rides and even bigger payouts for the best bareback riders in the country. The most anticipated rodeo event of the year kicked off with a bang in the bareback riding. It was a whirlwind of a Round 1, seeing No. 1 Rocker Steiner place 10th, giving underdog Cooper Cooke (No. 6) a chance to surge forward and take home the Round 1 win.

Steiner took Round 2 on the night to prove why he went into the NFR as the best bareback rider in the world. The man in red came out strong and took his place back as the leader of the pack. He slides into first place after his fall to the bottom of the top 10 just speaking of rounds.

Steiner was seen on the back of Silver Beavers from Bridwell Pro Rodeos, proving this horse was just what he needed to take home the best score of the night with an 88-point ride. In an interview post-ride ride Steiner commented on how the days go.

“Every horse is a new day and every day has a new horse.”

Steiner And Schalla Go Head To Head On Night Two Of NFR

While Steiner proved to be the athlete everyone knows he is, Wacey Schalla also came into the arena with something to prove. Schalla jumped from No. 11 to No. 2 in the world standings after an impressive 86-point ride on the back of Sippin Firewater.

Schalla is in the running for the All-Around title, and this ride just propelled him further towards Stetson Wright. If he continues to perform like this for the next eight days, Schalla has a serious chance of taking home a title in any of the events he’s competing in.

While Steiner and Schalla pushed themselves to the top of the leaderboard, former world champion Dean Thomspon succeeded in reaching the pay window for the second straight night, jumping to third place (tying with Garrett Shadbolt) and No. 8 in the world standings. Thompson took a ride on Wayne Vold Rodeo’s True Grit, which proved to be a beneficial matchup for the cowboy.

One shocking ride came from No. 3 Bradlee Miller, after his horse, Painted Hawk from J Bar J struggled out of the gate, staying on for eight seconds just wasn’t enough to give him more than a 79.75-point ride. This is disappointing for the cowboy as last year Miller collected a Round 2 win with an 86.5-point ride.

The National Finals Rodeo is only just beginning, and these bareback riders are sure to continue to shake things up night after night.

Rodeo on SI will have full coverage of all things NFR from December 4th through 13th.

Round 2 Full Results

Second round:
1. Rocker Steiner, 88 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeos' Silver Beaver, $36,668
2. Wacey Schalla, 86, $28,980
3. (tie) Garrett Shadbolt and Dean Thompson, 84, $18,630 each
5. (tie) Waylon Bourgeois, Sam Petersen and Kade Sonnier, 83.75, $5,126 each
8. Mason Clements, 83.5
9. Jess Pope, 83.25
10. Cooper Cooke, 82.25
11. Jayco Roper, 82
12. Cole Franks, 81.75
13. Tilden Hooper, 81.5
14. Bradlee Miller, 79.75
15. Jacek Frost, NS.