Steven Peebles (born May 2, 1989) is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bareback bronc riding.
He qualified for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)'s National Finals Rodeo (NFR) seven times and won the world championship in 2015, after recovering from a near-fatal injury incurred after being bucked from a horse.
In 2015, Peebles became a shareholder in the Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) tour and was then blocked from participating in future PRCA-sanctioned events, including the NFR.
[3] Peebles grew up in Salinas where his uncle, former rodeo cowboy Bob Sailors, taught him the basics of bareback riding and roping.
His uncle introduced him to Redmond resident Bobby Mote, a PRCA world champion bareback rider.
[2] After graduating high school in 2008, Peebles joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
At the final ProRodeo Tour stop, in Ellensburg, Washington, Peebles set the arena record for bareback riding, earning a 90 on Mad Money.
In the next round, he broke his right leg and tore ligaments in his right ankle, forcing him to withdraw from the competition.
"[7] A few days later he won a round of the Calgary Stampede with an 87.5 point ride on Ragged Ann.
"[8] Peebles entered the 2014 NFR second in the rankings, behind defending world champion Feild.
This caused a compression fracture in his back, forcing him to withdraw from the competition and ending his hopes of displacing Feild.
[5] On June 26, Peebles won the Reno Rodeo for the first time, with an 83-point ride on Peppy Bound.
He won with an 86-point ride, but just after the buzzer he lost his hold and was bucked from the horse, landing flat on his back in the dirt.
Blood began pooling in his chest cavity, slowly causing his lungs to collapse.
[5] The two argued; Peebles was convinced his broken ribs could wait until they arrived in Billings, Montana, 100 miles (160 km) away.
Six weeks after the injury, however, Peebles had slipped to number 22 in the rankings, which put his chances of qualifying for the December NFR in jeopardy.
[2] Peebles said that during this time, "I was weak and I could barely breathe[....] There were a few rides where I was about to faint, and I'd have guys helping me get all my stuff off when I got off.
[5] At the 2015 NFR, his seventh time to compete for the title,[2] Peebles won or tied for first in three of the first four rounds, moving him from 14th in the standings to 2nd, behind Feild.
[10] At the end of nine rounds, Peebles held the lead in the average standings but trailed Feild in earnings.
[2] Peebles broke his back for the second time when he was a passenger in a car that flipped, in February 2016.
The PRCA quickly enacted a new bylaw prohibiting ERA shareholders from participating in PRCA-sanctioned rodeos, including the NFR, beginning in 2016.