BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
There are many ways to make the NFR. In every event, cowboys young and old, hit rodeos big and small, close and far away from home, with hopes of meeting in Las Vegas in December.
Right now, there are two bareback riders who exemplify both ends of that spectrum.
First, there’s World No. 1, 20-year-old rookie Keenan Hayes. Hayes is one of two bareback riders with more than 90 qualified rides and his 46 rides of 85 Points or More and 21 Go-Round wins rank first in the PRCA as well. He has accumulated $204,000 by going to (and cashing at) more rodeos than most of his counterparts.
Then there’s the approach of 36-year-old Kaycee Feild, a six-time World Champion currently ranked sixth in the world. He does just enough in the regular season to stay sharp enough and healthy enough to have a chance to win every rodeo he enters. He makes sure he’s fresh for the NFR, while also staying within striking distance to add to his Gold Buckle collection.
Is one strategy better than the other? Well, Feild has won two Gold Buckles in the last three seasons and Hayes is on his way to breaking the regular season earnings record for PRCA bareback riders in his first full year of ProRodeo. They both work pretty well.
You can see the full Top 20 in all six statistical categories below and the full PRCA Bareback Riding World Standings here.
QUALIFIED RIDES
1. Dean Thompson - 91
2. Keenan Hayes - 90
3. Jacob Lees - 84
4. Jayco Roper - 79
5. Tanner Aus - 78
6. Jacek Frost - 75
7. Sam Petersen - 69
T8. Tim O’Connell - 67
T8. Jess Pope - 67
T8. Taylor Broussard - 67
11. Cole Reiner - 65
T12. Kade Sonnier - 64
T12. Clayton Biglow - 64
14. Richmond Champion - 58
15. Coop Cooke - 56
T16. Leighton Berry - 51
T16. Mason Clements - 51
18. Rocker Steiner - 50
19. Kaycee Feild - 44
20. Orin Larsen - 35
RIDING PERCENTAGE
1. Kaycee Feild - 100%
2. Sam Petersen - 99%
T3. Keenan Hayes - 98%
T3. Cole Reiner - 98%
T3. Richmond Champion - 98%
T3. Dean Thompson - 98%
T7. Kade Sonnier - 97%
T7. Jess Pope - 97%
T9. Mason Clements - 96%
T9. Tim O’Connell - 96%
11. Jayco Roper - 95%
T12. Rocker Steiner - 94%
T12. Tanner Aus - 94%
T14. Jacob Lees - 93%
T14. Jacek Frost - 93%
16. Clayton Biglow - 90%
17. Taylor Broussard - 89%
18. Leighton Berry - 86%
19. Coop Cooke - 79%
20. Orin Larsen - 76%
AVERAGE SCORE
1. Kaycee Feild - 84.77
2. Rocker Steiner - 84.66
3. Jess Pope - 84.20
4. Keenan Hayes - 84.12
5. Cole Reiner - 84.05
6. Leighton Berry - 83.76
7. Clayton Biglow - 83.59
8. Orin Larsen - 83.01
9. Mason Clements - 82.83
10. Tim O’Connell - 82.73
11. Richmond Champion - 82.56
12. Tanner Aus - 82.42
13. Coop Cooke - 81.89
14. Kade Sonnier - 81.78
15. Sam Petersen - 81.64
16. Jacob Lees - 81.24
17. Dean Thompson - 81.12
18. Taylor Broussard - 81.10
19. Jayco Roper - 80.99
20. Jacek Frost - 80.18
90+ POINT RIDES
T1. Keenan Hayes - 4
T1. Leighton Berry - 4
T3. Cole Reiner - 3
T3. Kaycee Feild - 3
T3. Rocker Steiner - 3
6. Clayton Biglow - 2
T7. Kade Sonnier - 1
T7. Tim O’Connell - 1
T7. Jess Pope - 1
T7. Jacek Frost - 1
T7. Dean Thompson - 1
T7. Coop Cooke - 1
85+ POINT RIDES
1. Keenan Hayes - 46
2. Jess Pope - 34
3. Tim O’Connell - 33
4. Cole Reiner - 31
T5. Rocker Steiner - 30
T5. Clayton Biglow - 30
T7. Leighton Berry - 25
T7. Kaycee Feild - 25
T7. Tanner Aus - 25
10. Jayco Roper - 24
11. Kade Sonnier - 21
T12. Taylor Broussard - 20
T12. Mason Clements - 20
14. Richmond Champion - 19
T15. Sam Petersen - 18
T15. Dean Thompson - 18
T15. Coop Cooke - 18
18. Orin Larsen - 17
19. Jacob Lees - 14
20. Jacek Frost - 12
GO-ROUND WINS
1. Keenan Hayes - 21
2. Tim O’Connell - 15
T3. Rocker Steiner - 14
T3. Tanner Aus - 14
T5. Leighton Berry - 13
T5. Clayton Biglow - 13
T7. Jess Pope - 12
T7. Jacob Lees - 12
9. Kaycee Feild - 11
10. Jayco Roper - 10
T11. Cole Reiner - 9
T11. Richmond Champion - 9
T11. Taylor Broussard - 9
T11. Dean Thompson - 9
T15. Kade Sonnier - 8
T15. Jacek Frost - 8
17. Coop Cooke - 7
18. Sam Petersen - 6
T19. Orin Larsen - 5
T19. Mason Clements - 5
Stats via ProRodeo.Com are accurate as of 1 PM ET on Wednesay, Aug. 16. Only athletes in the Top 20 were included.
