The reigning World Champion will focus on recovery following surgery and return to competition in 2027.
It’s been one of the biggest questions surrounding the 2026 rodeo season: Will Rocker Steiner return to competition following surgery earlier this year? The reigning Bareback Riding World Champion has now answered that question, and he will not be returning to competition in 2026.
Steiner, who captured the 2025 Bareback Riding World Championship, has been sidelined while recovering from two surgeries in June to repair herniated discs in his neck. The 22-year-old had two herniated discs pressing into his spinal cord, resulting in weakness and numbness in his left hand.
Doctors performed a discectomy procedure to relieve the pressure and address the injury. The recovery timeline has kept Steiner out of competition for much of the 2026 season, but he had been expected to return in Hermiston, Oregon, last month. Ultimately, he decided at the last minute to get a doctor’s release and stay on the sidelines – a decision that allowed him to prioritize his recovery rather than push his return before he was ready.
“I know that I was planning on coming back in mid-August sometime and getting to a bunch of rodeos and putting myself back into a World Title position, but my doctor pretty much told me that would be the stupidest thing I could do because the chances of me redoing my neck and having another surgery would be very high," he shared in an Instagram post. "Then after that, me riding again would probably be a very low possibility. It's a pretty sad conversation to have, but I've been thinking a lot and I think the best thing for me is to just hold off. It's hard because I've had a ticket to the NFR behind the bucking chutes every year since I've been 18. Thank you guys for sticking with me and I'll be back soon."
Despite sitting out for much of the season, Steiner currently sits No. 15 in the bareback riding world standings, and his absence leaves a notable hole in the 2026 bareback riding field. Not being able to defend his World Title is certainly not the way he expected the season to unfold, but we have no doubt that his return in 2027 will be one for the record books.
The Rodeo Roundtable team is sending plenty of thoughts and prayers your way, champ! We’ll be cheering you on through the recovery and anxiously awaiting your return to the arena. Take care of yourself, heal up, and we’ll see you back in action in 2027!
