Steven Peebles

Steven Peebles (born May 2, 1989) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized 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. He has won many of the elite rodeos, including the Calgary Stampede, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, the Reno Rodeo, the Cody Stampede, and the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

Peebles was mentored by world champion bareback rider Bobby Mote. 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.

After the collapse of the ERA, Peebles returned to PRCA competition.

Early life Steven Peebles was born in Salinas, California, on May 2, 1989 to Ken and Amy Peebles. Mote was impressed with Peebles riding skills. "You'd show him what to do and he would do it [....] He was always tough, a little hardheaded, and determined. Those are all attributes that it takes to be able to do this. He knew what he wanted to do early on and he put in the time and the work." At his second NFR, Pebles finished 13th. A few days later he won a round of the Calgary Stampede with an 87.5 point ride on Ragged Ann. He went on to win the RAM Columbia River Circuit Finals. At that event, his intermittent back pain returned. Peebles attributed it to his "right hip get[ting] out of line and pinch[ing] some nerves." The win brought him to within $45,500 of Feild's total, giving him an outside shot to win the title. By the end of June, Peebles was ranked 9th in the bareback riding standings. On July 2, 2015, he competed at a rodeo in Livingston, Montana. 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. The fall broke several ribs, one of which sliced an artery. Blood began pooling in his chest cavity, slowly causing his lungs to collapse. Peebles was able to walk away unassisted, although in a great deal of pain. At the end of nine rounds, Peebles held the lead in the average standings but trailed Feild in earnings. The winner was decided in the tenth and final round. Peebles tied for first in that round, earning an 83.5 on Good Time Charlie. Feild earned only 77 points, finishing out of the money. This was enough for Peebles to win both the world championship and the aggregate, breaking Feild's string of consecutive championships. According to Peebles, "It was the longest break I've ever had and I was going crazy at home."

The ERA's inaugural season, in 2016, consisted of five rodeos. Three other scheduled events were cancelled due to poor sales. Peebles qualified for its first and only championship event.

In August 2025, Peebles suffered from a severe case of acute pancreatitis and was in ICU care for several days, but eventually recovered.