Over the last 12 months, Bradlee Miller has earned more than $440,000 riding bucking horses, including $234,000 at last year’s National Finals Rodeo. He returns to the scene of the crime as the third-ranked bareback rider in the world standings.
(PRCA PHOTO BY ALEXIS CADY)

 

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The life Bradlee Miller had as a professional bareback rider changed Dec. 5, 2024.

It was the first round of his first National Finals Rodeo. Miller, who was wrapping his sophomore campaign in ProRodeo, had entered championship as the 11th-ranked cowboy in the world standings. He had earned nearly $140,000 during the regular season, which is a hefty sum. He was content and excited to compete at the sport’s biggest event.

Before he nodded his head to start the ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Shady Nights, Miller hadn’t even dreamed of what was possible, but the 86.5-point ride was good enough for second place and served as a catalyst. He placed in eight rounds – a third-place or higher finish seven times – and collected $234,038 during his 10-day stay at Las Vegas.

“My confidence was a lot different this year compared to last year,” said Miller, 22, of Huntsville. “When I made the NFR last year, I felt in the back of my mind like it was still a fluke and still like I got lucky to make it. After I did well there, I finally believe that I was meant to be there.

“Going into this year, I felt like I was one of the best bareback riders in the world, at least good enough to compete with the best in the world. No matter what horse that’s underneath me, I felt like I could handle anything.”

It’s why he’s not only returning to ProRodeo’s grand finale but will arrive as a contender for the world championship. He finished the regular season with $207,474 and sits third in the world standings. Fellow Texan Rocker Steiner leads the pack of bronc busters with more than $300,000 in earnings, but ground can be made up quickly in the Entertainment Capital of the World.

The NFR will pay go-round winners nearly $37,000 per night, so Miller could move into the lead in just three nights if everything goes his way.

“I’ve just kept getting on bucking horses to keep the momentum from this season,” said Miller, who dominated the Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo in early October, winning three of four rounds and the aggregate title by having the best four-ride cumulative score. “I was 90 points the other day (at The Hondo Rodeo the first weekend in November), so that helps the confidence.

“I don’t remember who said it, but you’ve got to practice winning. You don’t practice getting on; you practice winning, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do is going to more rodeos and working on that.”

The mentality has certainly paved a way for Miller, a five-time College National Finals Rodeo qualifier while competing at hometown Sam Houston State University for his father, rodeo coach Bubba Miller – he earned four straight trips to Casper, Wyoming, in bareback riding and added another in bull riding. In fact, he still hungers for the chance to compete in bull riding professionally to see if he can be elite in two events.

“I’m planning on getting on some (practice) bulls whenever I get home from the NFR,” he said.

For now, though, his focus is on riding bucking horses. He finished the 2024 campaign fourth in the world standings with more than $370,000. Rodeo is unique in that money not only helps pay bills, but dollars equal championship points. The contestant in each event with the most money when the NFR concludes will be crowned the world titlist.

“My plan was to go back to the NFR No. 1 this year, but then I had to take all of July off,” Miller said, referring to a groin injury that sidelined him for four weeks. “I felt like that hurt my chances, but still going in third, it just adds to the confidence.

“I felt like last year I was like one of those songwriters that has one big hit. Do you really believe you’re a good one or not? Now, I feel like I am going in as one of the best in the world this year, not one that got lucky and somehow made it.”

He’s adding to the song he started more than a dozen months ago. This verse is a bit more melodic, something that comes with greater experiences. He battled through a neck-and-shoulder injury at Las Vegas; he wasn’t just building confidence but also knowledge of how to overcome challenges.

“Looking back, it was kind of a self-inflicted injury,” said Miller, who credits part of his success to his sponsors, Barstow Pro Rodeo, Wrangler, American Hat Co., Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, Gordy And Sons, Triple Deuce Angus, and Queen Creek Health Center. “I built a new neck roll, one that would look better than the one I normally ride with. The seams were cutting into my trap(ezius) muscle, so the neck roll wasn’t supporting my head the way it was supposed to.

“Once I figured out what was actually happening, it was a lot easier to mitigate the problem, but I still felt like an idiot.”

He didn’t ride like one in 2025. In fact, he picked up a least a share of 14 event titles. Of those, 10 came in Texas. From Dalhart to El Paso to Huntsville and almost everywhere in between, he was riding a success rate like no other.

“One thing you don’t realize is that the No. 1 and No. 2 checks pay exponentially bigger than the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place checks,” he said. “I was having some $10,000 and $20,000 weekends this year instead of the $4,000 and $5,000 weekends the year before.”

His biggest victories came at opposite ends of the campaign’s spectrum. He won San Antonio in February, then was part of the three-way tie for first in Ellensburg, Washington, in September – the rodeo season is cyclical in that it begins Oct. 1 and wraps Sept. 30, but the world champions aren’t crowned until December.

Every stop, every mile traveled, every rush to the gate at the Salt Lake City airport paid off in a second straight adventure to the Nevada desert. Most of those miles were done with rookie Gavin French from College Station, Texas, and veteran Garrett Shadbolt, a four-time NFR qualifier from Merriman, Nebraska.

“I couldn’t pick any better traveling partners,” Miller said. “If I could go with anyone, it would be those two guys. After being gone a month and getting back in with them, it just felt like I hadn’t missed a day. They’re like brothers to me. Their encouragement was always there, and they never doubted me.

“I wasn’t allowed to doubt myself in any way. That brotherhood they showed me helped push me through.”

It’s teamwork and comradery, but it’s just another aspect of the confidence the Texas cowboy has as he prepares to battle at the world’s biggest rodeo. He’s in the mix with the sport’s elite, 14 other cowboys who outlasted dozens of others to play their game on the highest level for 10 December nights.

Bareback riding is characterized as a man-vs.-equine fist fight, and Miller is primed to go toe-to-toe with the best rodeo has to offer.