5 things to watch at NFR: Precautions taken after Equine Herpesvirus outbreak

The end of the year means Las Vegas will begin its 10-day reign as the epicenter of the rodeo universe.

The National Finals Rodeo will begin Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center. It’s the 40th year the NFR will take place in Las Vegas. The city has hosted it every year since 1985, except for 2020 when it was in Arlington, Texas, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 10-day run will end Dec. 13. Nine world champions will be crowned. There are plenty of storylines going into the biggest rodeo of the year with the most money on the line.

Here are five things to watch:

1. Virus outbreak

One of the biggest storylines is the Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak that has infected horses across the Midwest and Southwest.

It has forced two events surrounding the NFR to be postponed, including the National Finals Breakaway Roping that was scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at South Point Arena.

A Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association spokesperson said the outbreak has not impacted the 10 days of the NFR. The PRCA and Las Vegas events said there are extra precautions in place for the horses.

“While some additional precautions will be in place to ensure the animals avoid unnecessary contact with nonsecure animals, this will not impact the competition,” a PRCA statement said. “One modification is the increase in stall space for animals, as we will require all to stay onsite for the full 10 days. With this increase, we had to make the unfortunate decision to remove the dedicated stalls for the animals used in the iconic Grand Entry.”

Las Vegas Events and the PRCA are working with the Nevada Department of Agriculture and Texas Animal Health Commission and have created health guidelines to “protect the well-being of all participating horses.”

2. He’s back

Stetson Wright, a five-time all-around world champion from 2019 to 2023, is back competing at NFR after a nearly two-year absence. He’s a two-time bull riding champion and the 2021 saddle bronc riding champion.

In 2023, Wright aggravated a hamstring injury in the second round of the NFR and missed the rest of the competition, though he still won his fifth straight all-around title. He tried to make a comeback in 2024, but in August of last year said he would not compete for the rest of the year.

Wright, 26, is leading the all-around standings with $391,670.61 in earnings. In bull riding, he is second with $350,175, trailing Wacey Schalla, who has won $352,596.

Wright is 12th in the saddle bronc standings with $165,336. His older brother, Ryder Wright, leads with $293,994.

3. Tight All-Around

Stetson Wright and Schalla are in a tight bull riding competition. That’s the same story for the all-around title.

Wright leads, but Schalla has won $358,985.70, $32,000 behind Wright. There’s a lot of money on the line at the NFR, with a total of $13.5 million in earnings for the competitors across all events.

Schalla, 20, also competes in bareback riding and is 13th in the standings with $136,109. He’s making his second appearance at the NFR. He finished fourth in the all-around standings last year.

4. Rocker on top

One of the brightest young stars in rodeo is bareback rider Rocker Steiner. The 21-year-old is leading the bareback standings with earnings of $303,547.

Steiner leads by more than $81,000 over second-place Sam Petersen ($221,901). Bradlee Miller ($207,474), Jess Pope ($203,629) and Cole Franks ($200,362) round out the top five.

Steiner is making his third appearance at the NFR. Last year, he finished second to Dean Thompson for the bareback riding title.

Steiner has become a fan favorite for his brash and outgoing style. His father, Sid, was a world champion steer wrestler, and his grandfather, Bobby, was a world champion bull rider.

5. Looking for a repeat

Several competitors are looking for repeat titles.

Ryder Wright won the saddle bronc title last year and leads second-place Damien Brennan by almost $16,000 this year. Wright’s title last year was his third overall and first since 2020.

Kassie Mowry won her first barrel racing title last year. She leads the standings this year with $203,445.06, with three-time champion Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi second with $194,716.09.

Riley Webb is looking for his third straight tie-down roping title. He leads the standings with $305,132, with 2024 all-around champion Shad Mayfield second with $256,310.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.