After a $100,000 win at The American Rodeo, it was announced Rocker Steiner would undergo neck surgery and be sidelined for the majority of the summer.
In 2025, Rocker Steiner made history. Not only did he become a World Champion, and set a single season earnings record, but he became the third World Champion in his family. Three generations of Steiners have a gold buckle with their name on it, and in three different events. Rocker emerged on the bareback scene as a young gun with a lot of talent and a lot of energy. Now, Steiner is known as one of the greats at just 22 years old.
The Weatherford Texas cowboy is sitting number 1 in thr 2026 World Standings going into the summer run, but now there has been a wrench thrown into his plans.
Bareback riding is very physically demanding. These guys get a beating everytime they get on, rather they get bucked off or score 90. Steiner is in great shape, and has stayed relatively healthy in his young career. However, throughout the past couple of years there has been some wear and tear on his neck.
The 4x NFR Qualifer will undergo neck surgery on June 2nd according to all sources. With this, he is expected to miss 3 months. This mean he won’t be able to take advantage of the money over the 4th of July, or any other summer rodeos. However, if you know Steiner, you know this won’t change his goals.
Right now Steiner has over $122,000 on his year and sitting at the top of the standings. Bradlee Miller, a young Huntsville Texas talent and Wacey Schalla, the PRCA’s youngest million dollar cowboy are hot on his heels.
After the surgery, Rocker will recover correctly for longevity purposes, and then come back when he is 100% ready to win. He still has a very long career ahead of him. 2026 is not over though. With the year he has had, there is a great chance he could get some big wins at the end of the year and still be in Vegas come December.
Rodeo Roundtable sends our prayers to Steiner, hoping for a smooth surgery and recovery. See you back in the winning circle soon World Champion!
