This past weekend previewed the chaos of summer rodeo. The days of one marquee Texas Swing event dominating the headlines are gone. In their place? A coast-to-coast sprint where top athletes compete at five or six rodeos weekly.

San Angelo, Red Bluff and its $500,000 payout, and Battle Born Broncs in Nevada gave us a glimpse of what’s to come. It already feels like a lot, but in two months, we’ll wish we only had three major events to track.

Headliner – TJ Gray: The 23-year-old bull rider got his first career Texas Swing win in San Angelo over the weekend and did so in a big way by sweeping the event with an 89-point ride in the Long Round and 90 in the Short Round. Two weeks prior, he took third in the High Desert Stampede and since April 3, he is 5-for-7 and has made over $22,000.

Hidden Gem – Thayne Elshere: The 20-year-old was unflappable riding against some of the best cowboys in the World and finished in a tie for third in San Angelo in the saddle bronc riding after rides of 85.5 and 88 points, the latter of which was second in the Finals. The most impressive part? The two bronc riders he tied with Ryder and Stetson Wright.

Headliner – Jesse Brown: The five-time NFR qualifier made a 2.9-second run to kick things off in San Angelo and ended up winning the rodeo with three straight runs of 4.3 seconds or faster. It was his second win of the season and he bookended the Texas Swing with wins in Fort Worth and San Angelo. He is now No. 2 in the PRCA World Standings.

Hidden Gem – Landon Beardsworth: The Canadian steer wrestler took second in the Average in Red Bluff and made four runs of 6.9 seconds or faster along the way. That included a 4.8 for third in Round 1 and a 5.3 for second in Round 3.

Headliner – Wacey Schalla: The No. 1 bull rider in the World showed why in Red Bluff by riding for a season-high 91 points, his fourth 90+ Point Ride since March 15. Since March 12, he is 7-for-9 and has brought in over $40,000.

Hidden Gem – Lane Vaughan: Vaughan finished second to Schalla in Red Bluff and also finished second in the San Angelo Xtreme Bulls on April 13. Those two rides were 88.5 and 88 points and both paid him over $6,000. He is up to No. 31 in the World and 17-for-37 on the season.

Headliner – Dawson Hay: Hay was 85.5 points on his first horse and roared to victory in San Angelo with 90 in the Short Round on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Rough Motion. With 175.5 points on two, he became one of the athletes to win multiple Texas Swing rodeos in 2025.

Hidden Gem – Riley Minor/Brady Minor: Looking for their first NFR since 2022, the Minor Brothers are both in the Top 25 after their biggest win in several years in Red Bluff. They were 30.5 seconds on four, more than a second clear of every other team.

Headliner – Shad Mayfield: With a win in San Angelo, Mayfield only needs Houston to have crossed all five Texas Swing rodeos off of his list. He was 7.7, 8.5, and 7.7 on his three runs to edge Marty Yates by one-tenth in the Average.  Mayfield is No. 2 in the PRCA World Standings.

Hidden Gem – Chance Fleming: In his first career Playoff Series Rodeo, the 20-year-old finished fourth in the Average in San Angelo and made over $7,000. Entering the weekend, he had about $5,000 in 2025 earnings.

Headliner – Sage Allen: The rookie moved from No. 16 to No. 13 in the PRCA World Standings with a a sweep of his own in the bareback riding, going for 89 in Round 1 and 89.5 in the Finals.

Hidden Gem – Darcy Radel: The 25-year-old saddle bronc rider made $7,000 for tying for the win with Sage Newman at Battle Born Broncs. He was 88.5 on Sankey Pro Rodeo’s The Black Tie for the highest marked ride of his 2025 season