Payton Brzymialkiewicz and Rodi Torres, both of Waller, Texas, won the #18 Bareback/Bridleless at the 2026 Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, sorting 30 head in 144.53 seconds over three rounds to earn $1,350.
A Comeback, Not a Retirement
For Torres, fresh off a win in the Priefert Open Gold Shootout with Kevin Reese, the bareback title completed a memorable return to the Finals after several years away.
“I never actually retired,” Torres said. “I just didn’t have the horsepower to justify going to shows. This past year we moved into another barn, business has picked back up and I’ve been able to get more rides and go to more shows. Everything’s coming together again. I had a few setbacks but never stopped riding. It’s not really coming out of retirement; I’m just coming back.”
Neighbors Who Know: Each Other’s Move
Living only a few minutes apart, Brzymialkiewicz and Torres had ridden together before, and were familiar with each other’s communication shorthand.
That familiarity paid off, especially in the short round. With Brzymialkiewicz at the gate, Torres got the first cow then found himself in prime position to get the second.
“Next thing I know, he’s going again for two,” Brzymialkiewicz said. “And then he runs out three.”
Torres said it comes down to trusting the calls in the moment.
“Those ‘stay there, I’ve got it’ calls happen really fast,” Torres said.
Brzymialkiewicz said the pace made it hard to keep track of which cow was next.
“I didn’t even know where the next cow was and Rodi had already got it!” Brzymialkiewicz quipped.
Built for Bareback
Brzymialkiewicz rode Cat Azur (High Brow Cat x Blue Quilena), a 2015 sorrel mare she calls “Chubs.” A fall off a different horse in her first bareback competition pushed Brzymialkiewicz to appreciate Chubs’ stout build.
“The first year I did the bareback class, I fell off because my horse didn’t have much wither,” Brzymialkiewicz said. “Then I got Chubs. She’s built like a chunky barrel. I just grip on.”
Torres rode Jelly Rollz (Rollz Royce x Miss Metallica), a 2020 bay gelding owned by Scott Henderson, whose low-slung stop suits the bareback format.
“A lot of horses drop their front end when they cow hard like that,” Torres said. “But when he cows, his whole body drops. He just sits you Torres, a Platinum member of the Cinch RSNC Hall of Fame, has competed in RSNC since 2010.
Between them, the riders each have more Cinch RSNC World Champion buckles than this story has space to list.
#18 Bareback/Bridleless — 2026 World Finals Champions
| Champions | Payton Brzymialkiewicz (Waller, Texas) & Rodi Torres (Waller, Texas) |
| Winning run | 144.53 on 30 head |
| First-place payout | $1,350 |
| Total class payout | $4,220 |
Payouts
| Place | Team | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Payton Brzymialkiewicz / Rodi Torres | $1,350 |
| 2 | Bodee Kruger / Paisley Weigand | $1,012 |
| 3 | Kori Haile / Rodi Torres | $718 |
| 4 | Cayson Spencer / Kori Haile | $422 |
| 5 | Hannah Kaufman / Manu Young | $380 |
| 6 | Cloraldo Leal, Jr. / Cali Brookshire | $338 |
