Posted by By Lillian Landreth
DENVER — Rocker Steiner of Weatherford, Texas, aims to make the most of his rookie year in the PRCA. The 18-year-old bareback rider clinched his first big win of the season in the final round at the 2022 National Western Stock Show in Denver, riding The Cervi Brothers’ Ain’t No Angel. “I couldn’t be any happier with how Denver went.
That was a huge thing for me and my family,” says Rocker. He was also pleased with his ride on The Cervi Brothers’ Dream Machine in Denver, his favorite bronc he’s ridden thus far. “I had the high-marked ride of the rodeo in the bareback riding on him (88 points). He definitely stayed real close to the chutes. He got up off the ground and kicked over his head, and gave me time to get flashy for the crowd.”
With his mane of hair flying behind him as he rides, Rocker gives off a surfer vibe, reminiscent of his first sport of wakeboarding before the chutes beckoned. He was already a world champion wakeboarder by the time he was 10. The mental game of the sport translated to rodeo as well. “I wanted to ride bulls, but no one in my family really wanted me to. Bareback fit my style more than anything else. It’s a lot like a fight, and that’s my personality—go get ‘em.” Rocker is the fifth generation of his family to be involved in rodeo. His dad, Sid Steiner, was the 2002 PRCA World Champion Steer Wrestler, and his grandpa, Bobby Steiner, was the 1973 World Champion Bull Rider.
Rocker is traveling with his friend and fellow bareback rider Cole Reiner, and they plan to jump in with Tilden Hooper, Leighton Berry, and Kaycee Feild later in the season. “That’s my group—it doesn’t get much better than that,” says Rocker. He and several of his friends and family members even appeared in an episode of Yellowstone in 2020. “My smaller goal is winning rookie of the year and I definitely want to get to the big rodeos this summer. My big goal is making the world finals and going for a world title.”
National Western Stock Show Finals: 1. (tie) Rocker Steiner, on The Cervi Brother’s Ain’t No Angel and Cole Franks, on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Guardian Angel, 87.5 points, $4,554 each
About the Author
Lillian Landreth is a freelance writer and editor. She particularly enjoys writing about rodeo and the extraordinary people and animals who make the lifestyle fascinating. The author of more than 1,000 stories, her writing has appeared in the Rodeo News; The Ketchpen, published by the Rodeo Historical Society and National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum; and local newspapers. She is also working on her first novel. When she’s not writing, Lily enjoys riding with the Snake River Stampeders night light drill team, coaching the EhCapa Bareback Riders, a PRCA specialty act, and teaching horseback riding lessons. She makes her home in Southwest Idaho with her entrepreneurial husband, their dog, horse, and cows.
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