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Every rodeo season seems to produce one Rookie of the Year race that fans simply can't stop watching. In 2026, that race may just belong to the saddle bronc riding.
This isn't a rookie class filled with cowboys just hoping to earn a Resistol buckle. Several are already proving they belong among the best bronc riders in the world, and more than one has a legitimate shot at qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo before ever finishing their rookie season.
Leading the conversation is Gunnison, Colorado's Coleman Shallbetter.
In 2025, Shallbetter rewrote the PRCA record books by winning over $120,000 on his permit, the most money ever earned by a permit holder in a single season. Had he purchased his PRCA card, that total would have landed him inside the Top 20 in the World Standings. Instead, he stayed on his permit, won the Permit Champion title, and entered 2026 with big goals: Rookie of the Year and a trip to Las Vegas.
Despite battling an early-season injury in 2026, Shallbetter has already climbed to No. 23 in the PRCA World Standings. A third-place finish in the average at the prestigious Reno Rodeo is just the latest reminder that he is hot in pursuit of several titles this year.
Standing right behind him is another Colorado cowboy who has spent years battling Shallbetter.
Ordway's Waitley Sharon finished second in last year's permit standings after winning over $88,000 and the rivalry has carried seamlessly into the professional ranks. The two grew up competing against each other throughout Colorado's high school rodeo circuit, where both established themselves as future stars of the event.
Now, they're doing it on rodeo's biggest stages.
Sharon currently sits second in the Rookie of the Year standings with more than $39,000 won while climbing to No. 27 in the PRCA World Standings. Like Shallbetter, his sights are set on much more than rookie honors. An NFR qualification is very much within reach.
Colorado's impact on the next generation of saddle bronc riding doesn't stop there.
Bayfield's Mitchie Story currently leads the permit standings with more than $40,000 this season. Story finished third behind Shallbetter and Sharon in last year's permit race and has elected to stay on his permit throughout 2026, setting himself up for what could be a formidable Rookie of the Year campaign in 2027.
The Sharon family also continues to build its rodeo legacy.
Waitley's younger brother, Traven Sharon, recently finished fourth in the nation at the College National Finals Rodeo while representing the University of Wyoming. Already sitting fifth in the permit standings, the younger Sharon appears well on his way to joining the professional spotlight in the near future.
Outside the Colorado connection, Blake Steuck of Hume, Missouri, has also put together a strong rookie year and is well in the race. With more than 33,000 won already this season, Steuck sits third in the Rookie of the Year standings and remains firmly in the hunt as the richest stretch of the season approaches.
Perhaps the most impressive statistic is that before the Fourth of July run has even begun, the top three rookies in the Saddle Bronc have each surpassed the $30,000 mark.
That's a testament not only to how talented this class is but also to how aggressively these young bronc riders are competing against the sport's veterans. The summer run has a way of changing everything. Calgary, Cheyenne, the NFR Open, Salt Lake, and dozens of other major rodeos will reshape both the world standings and the rookie race over the next several weeks.
By the time December rolls around, don't be surprised if one, or even two, of these rookies is riding under the bright lights of the Thomas & Mack Center.
The 2026 Saddle Bronc Riding Rookie of the Year won't be decided early; it's shaping up to be a knife fight until the very end.
Continue reading...
This isn't a rookie class filled with cowboys just hoping to earn a Resistol buckle. Several are already proving they belong among the best bronc riders in the world, and more than one has a legitimate shot at qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo before ever finishing their rookie season.
Leading the conversation is Gunnison, Colorado's Coleman Shallbetter.
In 2025, Shallbetter rewrote the PRCA record books by winning over $120,000 on his permit, the most money ever earned by a permit holder in a single season. Had he purchased his PRCA card, that total would have landed him inside the Top 20 in the World Standings. Instead, he stayed on his permit, won the Permit Champion title, and entered 2026 with big goals: Rookie of the Year and a trip to Las Vegas.
Despite battling an early-season injury in 2026, Shallbetter has already climbed to No. 23 in the PRCA World Standings. A third-place finish in the average at the prestigious Reno Rodeo is just the latest reminder that he is hot in pursuit of several titles this year.
Standing right behind him is another Colorado cowboy who has spent years battling Shallbetter.
Ordway's Waitley Sharon finished second in last year's permit standings after winning over $88,000 and the rivalry has carried seamlessly into the professional ranks. The two grew up competing against each other throughout Colorado's high school rodeo circuit, where both established themselves as future stars of the event.
Now, they're doing it on rodeo's biggest stages.
Sharon currently sits second in the Rookie of the Year standings with more than $39,000 won while climbing to No. 27 in the PRCA World Standings. Like Shallbetter, his sights are set on much more than rookie honors. An NFR qualification is very much within reach.
Colorado's impact on the next generation of saddle bronc riding doesn't stop there.
Bayfield's Mitchie Story currently leads the permit standings with more than $40,000 this season. Story finished third behind Shallbetter and Sharon in last year's permit race and has elected to stay on his permit throughout 2026, setting himself up for what could be a formidable Rookie of the Year campaign in 2027.
The Sharon family also continues to build its rodeo legacy.
Waitley's younger brother, Traven Sharon, recently finished fourth in the nation at the College National Finals Rodeo while representing the University of Wyoming. Already sitting fifth in the permit standings, the younger Sharon appears well on his way to joining the professional spotlight in the near future.
Outside the Colorado connection, Blake Steuck of Hume, Missouri, has also put together a strong rookie year and is well in the race. With more than 33,000 won already this season, Steuck sits third in the Rookie of the Year standings and remains firmly in the hunt as the richest stretch of the season approaches.
Perhaps the most impressive statistic is that before the Fourth of July run has even begun, the top three rookies in the Saddle Bronc have each surpassed the $30,000 mark.
That's a testament not only to how talented this class is but also to how aggressively these young bronc riders are competing against the sport's veterans. The summer run has a way of changing everything. Calgary, Cheyenne, the NFR Open, Salt Lake, and dozens of other major rodeos will reshape both the world standings and the rookie race over the next several weeks.
By the time December rolls around, don't be surprised if one, or even two, of these rookies is riding under the bright lights of the Thomas & Mack Center.
The 2026 Saddle Bronc Riding Rookie of the Year won't be decided early; it's shaping up to be a knife fight until the very end.
Continue reading...
