FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 23, 2026) Leighton Berry of nearby Weatherford returned to winning form to take the first round of Bracket 1 at the opening round of the $1.6 million the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (FWSSR) ProRodeo Tournament on Friday.
Berry, a second-generation bareback rider who has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) three times, returned to action after ending his 2025 season in June with hip surgery. Although the recovery sidelined him for the remainder of the year, the positive result was that he had the chance to spend quality time at home with his wife and their new baby.
He drew Brookman Rodeo’s horse Ruffie’s Rage and scored 86.5 points for the round win. Since Berry’s season was cut short, he did not qualify for the tournament based on his 2025 season. Instead, he, along with one contestant in each of the other events, qualified for bracket one by winning at the Ellis County Fair & Rodeo at Waxahachie.
The 16-day tournament features 56 competitors (56 teams in team roping) in each event, divided into seven brackets of eight. The field includes top-ranked rodeo athletes from the 2025 and early 2026 season along with the winners from six nearby 2025 rodeos – Waxahachie, Cleburne, Gladewater, Mineral Wells, Wichita Falls and Denton – and the winners from Thursday’s $100,000 FWSSR Rookie Rally.
Contestants in each bracket compete in two rounds of back-to-back action with the top two money earners in each event advancing to the semi-finals. The top four from each semi-finals move on to Championship Saturday, February 7.
The third highest money winner in each bracket advances to the wild card round along with the highest remaining money earner in each event after all brackets are completed. The top two in the wild card round also advance to the semifinals.
Berry wasn’t the only round one winner coming back from injury. Tie-down roper Andrew Burks of Kiln, Mississippi, lost fingers in a roping accident at Mandan, North Dakota, over the fourth of July. After several months of recouperation, his 9.4-second run gave him the round win.
Rookie Thayne Elshere who earned a spot in the saddle bronc riding at the Rookie Rally competed in both saddle bronc and bull riding, winning second in bull riding with 82 points on Rafter G’s Mr. Blue Sky and tying for third in saddle bronc riding.
Two-time National Finals Breakaway Roping qualifier Rylee George of Oakdale, California won a tight round with a time of 2.1 seconds and seven-time NFR barrel racer Emily Beisel edged the field with a time of 16.47 seconds.
Bracket 1 concludes Saturday night at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Action starts at 7:30 p.m. at Dickies Arena.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The following are unofficial results round one of bracket one of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s Pro Rodeo Tournament, January 23, 2026.
Bareback riding: 1, Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas, 86.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Ruffie’s Rage, $2,500. 2, Jacob Lees, Caldwell, Idaho, 85.5, $1,900. 3, Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, Canada, 84, $1,500. 4, Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, La., 82.5, $1,000.
Steer wrestling: 1, Joe Nelson, Watford City, S.D., 4.0 seconds, $2,718. 2, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., 4.2, $1,918. 3, Jacob Daniell, Cisco, Texas, 4.7, $1,518. 4, Tucker Allen, Ventura, Calif., 4.8, $1,018.
Breakaway roping: 1, Rylee George, Oakdale, Calif., 2.1 seconds, $2,575. 2, Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 2.2, $1,975. 3, (tie) Erin Johnson, Fowler, Colo., and Summer Williams, Mineral Wells, Texas, 2.3, $1,325 each.
Saddle bronc riding: 1, (tie) Jake Finlay, Goondiwindi, Queensland, Australia, on Rafter G Rodeo’s Muddy Creek, and Zac Dallas, Mesilla Park, N.M., on Brookman Rodeo’s Apollo, 85 points, $2,218 each. 3, (tie) Darcy Radel, Injune, Queensland, Australia; Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah; and Thayne Elshere, Sturgis, S.D., 84.5, $893 each.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Andrew Burks, Kiln, Miss., 9.1 seconds, $2,575. 2, John Douch, Huntsville, Texas, 10.4, $1,975. 3, Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., 10.5, $1,575. 4, Cash Enderli, Liberty, Texas, 13.0, $1,075.
Team Roping: 1, Dawson and Dillon Graham, Wainwright, Alberta, Canada, 4.8 seconds, $2,575 each. 2, Colby Lovell and Ty Arnold, Midway, Texas, 6.5, $1,975 each. 3, Dalton Turner, Sidney, Ark., and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 7.2, $1,575 each. 4, Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif., and Hunter Koch, Vernon, Texas, 10.7, $1,075 each.
Barrel Racing: 1, Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla., 16.65, $2,500. 2, Stephanie Fryar, Waco, Texas, 16.65, $1,900. 3, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 16.75, $1,500. 4, Presley Smith, Danham Springs, La., 16.88, $1,0000.
Bull Riding: (two rides) 1, Trevor Reiste, Linden, Iowa, 85 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Darth Vader, $4,000. 2, Thayne Elshere, Sturgis, S.D., 82, $3,400.
PROVIDED COURTESY OF JOHNA CRAVENS FOR THE FORT WORTH STOCK SHOW & RODEO TO TENN TEXAS MEDIA
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