Storylines and Stats to Know for Every Event at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo
Storylines and Stats to Know for Every Event at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

FWSSR Photo/James Phifer
The Texas Swing begins Friday at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, kicking off a run of five Texas rodeos that rank among the Top 15 paying in the PRCA from now until the middle of April.
A year ago, six of the champions in Dickies Arena went on to make the NFR. Let’s take a look at what to watch for this time around. The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo begins Jan. 24 on The Cowboy Channel and Cowboy Channel+.
BAREBACK RIDING
Of all of the events at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, the bareback riding has had perhaps the most elite class of winners in recent years. Since 2021, it has been Rocker Steiner twice to go along with Tilden Hooper and Kaycee Feild. To take it one step further, all of their rides were marked 90 or better, including Steiner’s 92.5 to win a year ago.
We have seen more and more bareback riders be selective as to where they ride in recent years, so Fort Worth is the first time in 2025 we will see the best of the best in one place.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: Just like in 2024, Rocker Steiner will make his season debut here.
STAT TO KNOW: Between the Semifinals and Finals last year, there were four 90+ Point Rides compared to one the rest of the rodeo.
BOLD PREDICTION: Cole Reiner wins the rodeo and quickly goes from $0 into the Top 5 in the PRCA World Standings.
STEER WRESTLING
The setup at Dickies Arena is perhaps the fastest of the Texas Swing, so going from the Thomas & Mack to Fort Worth isn’t a crazy adjustment for those who were just at the NFR in December. In fact, NFR steer wrestlers might have the biggest leg-up on their peers than any event. They just spent 10 nights having to go incredibly fast to win a check, and with only two runs in your Bracket, Fort Worth is not an Average game. It heavily rewards winning rounds and sub-4 times, especially early on.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: Things can start with a bang in Fort Worth. Last year, the fourth place finishers in Bracket 1’s two rounds were 4.3 and 4.1 seconds respectively.
STAT TO KNOW: Five of the Go-Round winners in the Bracket Rounds made runs of 3.6 seconds or faster.
BOLD PREDICTION: Dalton Massey repeats as the champion.
TEAM ROPING
The partner carousel turned more than usual between the NFR and Fort Worth so there will be a little extra intrigue in the team roping in 2025. With a bracket style format for most Texas Swing events, team ropers are incentivized to go for it rather than make a businessman run. There have been multiple instances over the last three or four years of a team catching on half of their runs and still getting a $20,000+ payday for first place at one of these events.
Another thing to note for the team roping for Fort Worth, and really the entire Texas Swing, is the fact that it took about $109,000 to make the NFR in this event a year ago. So, winning Fort Worth can put you 25 percent of the way there by the beginning of February.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: There are plenty of NFR qualifiers with new partners in 2025, and this will be the first look at all of them in the same place.
STAT TO KNOW: Clay Smith/Coleby Payne would have missed the NFR had they not won this event in 2024.
BOLD PREDICTION: An off-the-radar team gets the win.
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
It seems like we get a worthy winner every year in the saddle bronc riding to start the Texas Swing, with 2024 being no exception as Damian Brennan triumphed to kick off a campaign that would finish with a regular season earnings record. He was 91.5 points to get the job done, and when the Finals roll around, expect it to take at least 90 to be the champion in Cowtown.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: Stetson Wright is looking to get rolling in the bronc riding after a terrific return in the bull riding.
STAT TO KNOW: It took 88 points to get a check in the Finals in 2024.
BOLD PREDICTION: Dawson Hay rides a Calgary Stampede horse for 90+ to win the rodeo.
TIE-DOWN ROPING
A year ago, the narrative in tie-down roping at Fort Worth revolved around Shad Mayfield’s decision to forgo hip surgery. Remarkably, he competed at Dickies Arena and throughout the season without undergoing the procedure. He quickly silenced any doubts by winning Fort Worth with a blazing 7.8-second run in the Finals, followed by a victory in San Antonio. Now, history seems to be repeating itself. Mayfield, currently ranked No. 2 in the PRCA World Standings, is gearing up to compete through the Texas Swing once again after winning the 2024 PRCA All-Around World Champion and finishing as the Reserve World Champion in the tie-down roping.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: Will this be the beginning of another Shad Mayfield-Riley Webb battle?
STAT TO KNOW: Shad Mayfield had $63,633 and lead the PRCA World Standings by more than $40,000 after winning Fort Worth in 2024.
BOLD PREDICTION: Ty Harris or Haven Meged win the rodeo.
BARREL RACING
Last year, Sara Winkleman dominated down the stretch winning her Semifinal as well as the Finals with runs of 16.26 and 16.40 seconds. It is to this day likely the biggest win of her career.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: Hailey Kinsel has won this rodeo twice and finished second, second, third here over the last three seasons.
STAT TO KNOW: Barrel racing was the only event at the 2024 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo whose winner has never made the NFR before.
BOLD PREDICTION: Kassie Mowry wins the rodeo. Everywhere she goes the last three years, she wins a check. I like my odds.
BULL RIDING
There’s always talk about how these big Texas Swing rodeos more often than not feature a Finals filled with NFR qualifiers. In fact, I did it myself earlier. However, last year’s bull riding proved that rodeo is still often unpredictable. Cody Teel won the event and finished No. 32 in the World Standings and seven of the eight qualifiers to the Short Round did not make the National Finals.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: The last two Fort Worth bull riding champions are PRCA World Champions, and neither of them are Stetson Wright.
STAT TO KNOW: 2024 champion Cody Teel was 2-for-4. It’s very possible in bracket style rodeos to ride the right bulls at the right time and make a ton of money.
BOLD PREDICTION: Stetson Wright wins the rodeo. That one, admittedly, isn’t that bold, but he is just coming back from a season-long injury.