Following Injury-Plagued 2024, Bareback Rising Star Relishing Fresh Start

Kade Sonnier’s relocation to Texas has allowed him to focus on competing in a new circuit and build some early confidence for the 2025 campaign.

Kade Sonnier is returning to form after some significant setbacks in 2024 and hopes to be back at NFR next December. / Roseanna Sales/For PRCA

Logistics. Of all the explanations Kade Sonnier could give, that one word is what everything boils down to. 

Yes, there’s some competitive nuance to why he’s already competed at four rodeos that go towards his 2025 count. After suffering several setbacks last season, the third-year bareback rider is starting to feel healthy, so maintaining that comfort level is important. Getting a jump start on the new Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association season is also a factor, and he’s already put more than $6,700 in his ledger. 

But at the end of the day it all comes down to one thing – Sonnier now calls Madisonville, Texas, home with his fiancé, Sonora Schueneman, and their daughter, Kalgary Anne. Competing closer to them just makes more sense. 

“It’s easier to get to them Texas rodeos and it’s way easier to go to Hempstead and Rosenburg and those kinds of rodeos to get a circuit count than it is to go to Florida in the Southeast (Circuit),” the Louisiana native said. “Being able to be home as much as possible while I can is pretty important nowadays. We’re kind of starting to build our own place, so being home is pretty important. That’s where that decision kind of came from – shorter drives and easier to get to rodeos.”

Kalgary🤝🏻Calgary Her facial expressions were the vibe the past couple of days🤣 Thankful for all the wonderful memories we get to make and the beautiful people we get to be around! On to the next one!

Posted by Kade Sonnier Professional Bareback Rider on Monday, July 8, 2024

Officially, Sonnier hasn’t swapped his address from Louisiana to the Lone Star State with the PRCA yet, but intends to shortly. The move will make him a competitor in the Texas Circuit versus the Southeast Circuit where he cut his teeth. 

Even though the paperwork hasn’t been finalized, Sonnier is already off to a good start in his soon-to-be new circuit. So far, he’s picked up wins at the Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo in Rosenberg and the Austin Co. Fair and Rodeo in Bellville. Additionally, Sonnier secured top four finishes at two other events, giving some significant winnings before the calendar flips to 2025. 

It’s a small consolation after a somewhat tumultuous 2024. Coming off a rookie year that featured a trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and a third-place finish in the PRCA World Standings, Sonnier was hoping to build on the fast start to his career. 

Instead, a spiral fracture in his thumb sustained in Guymon, Okla., on May 4 sent him to the sideline. He returned to action in late June only to hurt the thumb again at the Central Wyoming Fair and PRCA Rodeo in Casper in mid-July. There was also a rib injury mixed in that left him in significant pain.

Following another 14-day pause in competition after re-injuring the thumb, Sonnier got an injection to reduce the pain. Doctors told him the injury was unlikely to get worse and the procedure allowed him complete use of his hand as normal. He decided to push through and try to make a late surge for NFR. 

Ultimately, the comeback led to some strong earnings (more than $94,000) but not enough to secure one of the last qualifying spots for a second trip to Las Vegas. Sonnier finished 22nd overall in the World Standings. 

Despite the ups and downs, Sonnier managed to close 2024 with some confidence-boosting rides, including a round win at the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up and a third-place finish in the average. When the new schedule officially started in October, he was looking to keep things rolling. 

“I’d love to say that I wanted to get a super early jump, but that wasn’t really the main motive. I was just trying to knock some circuit rodeos out early. And the other part of it was I finally felt healthy come September. I felt like from breaking my thumb in May, and then separating some ribs and rebreaking it in July, it was kind of just one thing after another,” Sonnier said. “I never felt 100 percent like myself until probably like September 1. It was hard to not keep it going. It’s hard to get rusty when you’re just now getting back right. We’ll try to maybe keep it going, keep drawing pretty good and cashing some checks every now and then.”

While he won’t get to ride at Thomas and Mack Arena this December, Sonnier is already thinking about what he needs to do to get back in 2025. 

He’s got a schedule mapped out to close out this year before ramping things up with the winter rodeos in January. Having six circuit events knocked out by New Year’s Day is part of the plan, which should give him a jump on qualifying for circuit final and an eventual trip to the NFR Open in 2026 as well. 

Ultimately, the practical decision to move to Texas and join a new circuit is giving Sonnier a chance to be with his growing family and get back to competing at a high level, a combination he’s thoroughly enjoying. 

“I feel back to my normal self again. The confidence is back too, and that’s a big part of the game,” Sonnier said. “This game is 95 percent mental and five percent physical – until you’re hurt. Then it's 100 percent physical. But that plays a big part in it. You’ve got to have your confidence and feel like you’re on top of your game. I’m back there.”