When the name JB Mauney comes up in any rodeo conversation, even casual fans of bull riding tend to lean in. He isn’t just another champion. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest bull riders to ever swing a leg over a chute, a two-time PBR World Champion, the highest-earning Western sports athlete in history, and the cowboy who famously chose the toughest bulls on the planet because, as he put it, riding the best is the only way to be the best.
But the JB Mauney story isn’t only about championships and prize money. It’s about a kid from North Carolina who broke nearly every bone he could break, walked into chute after chute knowing the risks, and built a legacy that bull riding fans will tell their grandchildren about. It’s about a marriage, a family, and a career-ending injury that finally did what no bull ever could: make him stop.
This is the complete story of JB Mauney, his life, his legendary career, his retirement, his net worth, and what he’s doing today.
Who Is JB Mauney? A Living Legend of Bull Riding
James Burton “JB” Mauney is a former American professional bull rider who specialized in bull riding and was a top contestant in the Professional Bull Riders circuit (PBR) for several years, winning the PBR world championship in 2013 and 2015. He earned the nickname “The Dragonslayer” later in his career, a name that captured the essence of who he was as a competitor.
While most riders look at the bull draw and hope for a manageable bull they can score well on, Mauney did the opposite. He was known for choosing the most difficult bulls, explaining “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to ride the best.” That mindset defined him. It made him famous. And eventually, it cost him.
JB Mauney Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | James Burton Mauney |
| Date of Birth | January 9, 1987 |
| Birthplace | Charlotte, North Carolina, USA |
| Hometown | Mooresville, North Carolina |
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches |
| Weight (competitive) | 140 pounds |
| Heritage | French descent (paternal side) |
| Education | Lake Norman High School |
| Spouse | Samantha Lyne (married 2016) |
| Children | Bella Mauney (2011) and Jagger Briggs Mauney (2019) |
| Parents | Tim and Lynne Mauney |
| Career Span | 2005 to 2023 |
| World Championships | 2 (PBR 2013, PBR 2015) |
| Career Earnings | $7.4+ million (PBR record) |
| Current Residence | Stephenville, Texas |
| Nickname | “The Dragonslayer” |
How Old Is JB Mauney? Age and Background
Many fans search “how old is JB Mauney” because his career felt timeless, like he had been competing forever. James Burton Mauney was born on January 9, 1987, in Charlotte, North Carolina. As of 2026, that makes him 39 years old.
What’s remarkable is that Mauney spent nearly two decades at the elite level of bull riding, a sport where careers usually end far sooner due to injuries. He competed professionally from age 18 until 36, an extraordinary run by any measure.
Early Life in North Carolina
Mauney grew up in Mooresville, North Carolina, raised by his parents Tim and Lynne Mauney. He didn’t come from a state typically associated with rodeo culture, North Carolina is far from Texas or Oklahoma, where most great bull riders are born and bred, but the rodeo bug bit him early and hard.
At the age of 13, he rode his first “big” bull. He attended Lake Norman High School in Mooresville, North Carolina. Mauney won the Southern Rodeo Association (SRA) junior all-around title in 2002 and the adult all-around title in 2004.
By the time he was a teenager, it was already obvious that Mauney wasn’t pursuing bull riding as a hobby. He was building toward something. The kid from Mooresville was preparing to dominate a sport that had no idea what was coming.
The Climb: From Rookie to World Champion
Mauney’s professional career officially began when he joined the PBR in 2005. From the very start, his talent was unmistakable.
2006: Rookie of the Year
In just his first full season, Mauney announced himself to the rodeo world by winning PBR Rookie of the Year. The award wasn’t a fluke. It was a preview. The kid had a natural feel for bulls that even seasoned veterans noticed.
2009: First Major Breakthrough
Mauney won the PBR World Finals Event Championship in 2009. He had now established himself as a regular contender for the world title and a fan favorite for his all-or-nothing riding style.
2013: First World Championship
After years of finishing close but not quite at the top, Mauney finally captured his first PBR World Championship in 2013. The win confirmed what bull riding fans had been saying for years: this kid from North Carolina was the real deal, and he was now officially among the greatest in the sport.
2015: Second World Championship
Just two years later, Mauney did it again, winning his second PBR World Championship in 2015. With back-to-back-quick titles, he cemented his place among the all-time elite bull riders, joining a small fraternity of two-time PBR world champions.
2016: Crossing the $7 Million Mark
On November 5, 2016, Mauney made PBR history by being the first bull rider to reach the $7 million mark in career earnings. No bull rider in history had ever earned that kind of money in the sport. He had not just become a champion. He had become the most financially successful rider the sport had ever produced.
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to ride the best.” — JB Mauney’s career philosophy in eight words
The JB Mauney Riding Style: Why He Was Different
Plenty of cowboys can ride bulls. What made Mauney special was how he rode them and which ones he picked.
He Asked for the Toughest Bulls
Most riders look at a bull draw and hope to avoid the rankest, most dangerous animals in the pen. Mauney did the opposite. He asked for them. He wanted Bushwacker. He wanted Asteroid. He wanted Arctic Assassin. The bulls that other cowboys feared, Mauney chased.
Mauney is one of only five riders to get a qualified ride on Asteroid, which he accomplished on the BFTS in San Antonio, Texas, in August 2012, for a score of 93.50 points.
He Ditched the Helmet for a Cowboy Hat
In an era when more riders were transitioning to helmets for safety, Mauney went the other direction. Mauney competed the first several years of his professional career with a helmet. However, by 2013, he was riding with a cowboy hat.
The cowboy hat became part of his identity, a throwback to traditional rodeo culture in a sport that was modernizing fast. It also became part of his risk profile. He knew the cost. He chose it anyway.
His Mindset Was Almost Unmatched
In one of his most quoted interviews, Mauney told Monster Energy: “It’s part of being a cowboy, when you crawl in to a chute, nothing else matters. You tie your hand and you don’t give up until you hit the dirt.”
That single sentence explains his career better than any statistic.
JB Mauney Injury: The Night Everything Changed
The most-searched topic about Mauney today is “JB Mauney injury“, and for good reason. The injury that ended his career was as dramatic as the career itself.
September 6, 2023: The Final Ride
JB Mauney, widely considered one of the greatest bull riders in history, retired in September 2023 due to a career-ending neck injury. The specific incident that forced his retirement occurred on September 6, 2023, during the Lewiston (Idaho) Roundup Division 2 Extreme Bulls event. Mauney was bucked off by a bull named Arctic Assassin, landing on the side of his head and breaking his neck.
He had already been competing through serious pain. He was already competing with a broken foot. Then came the ride that ended it all.
The Surgery and Recovery
According to The Washington Post, the injury resulted in inserting rods, a plate and screws into Mauney’s neck. Doctors warned that if he were to land on his head again, he would likely break his neck for a second time and potentially end up in a wheelchair for life, or even dead.
In an Instagram post that broke hearts across the rodeo world, Mauney announced his retirement four days after the injury. “This is not the way I wanted to go, but everything happens for a reason,” he said.
A Lifetime of Injuries Caught Up
The neck break wasn’t Mauney’s first major injury. Far from it. In 2017, Mauney suffered a significant injury to his right arm, requiring surgery to install a screw and 13 anchors. Mauney’s career has been plagued with many injuries, but he has continued to pursue professional bull riding history.
He had broken his back, his ribs, his hands, his foot, and countless other bones over the years. The 2023 neck injury was simply the one his body finally couldn’t override.
Why He Walked Away
Mauney told The Washington Post that the only reason he didn’t continue bull riding was because of his wife and 5-year-old son. After everything, after all the championships and all the broken bones, it was family that finally pulled him out of the chute for good.
JB Mauney by the Numbers
To really understand the scale of his career, here are the most important statistics from JB Mauney’s professional life:
| Achievement | Number |
|---|---|
| PBR World Championships | 2 (2013, 2015) |
| PBR Career Event Wins | 48 |
| Career Earnings | $7.4 million+ |
| PBR World Finals Qualifications | 15 (2006–2020) |
| Years Riding Professionally | 19 |
| Total Bulls Ridden Professionally | 1,000+ |
| First Million-Dollar Mark | 2010 |
| First Rider to $7 Million | November 5, 2016 |
| Highest Single Score on Asteroid | 93.50 (only 5 riders ever rode him) |
JB Mauney Net Worth: How Much Did the Dragonslayer Earn?
A lot of fans search for “JB Mauney net worth” because the numbers are genuinely staggering for a bull rider. Most professional cowboys retire with modest savings. Mauney is in a different universe.
Confirmed Career Earnings
His confirmed PBR career earnings sit at $7,419,474.90, making him the highest-earning Western sports athlete in history. That figure alone is more than triple what most top-five lifetime PBR riders have made.
Estimated Total Net Worth
JB Mauney’s estimated net worth in 2025-2026 is approximately $6 million to $8 million. This includes his career prize money, sponsorship deals, his Texas ranch, his bucking bull operation, his coaching income from the PBR Team Series, and revenue from his bull riding events and schools.
Where the Money Comes From
His income streams are diversified across:
- PBR career prize money (the bulk of his lifetime wealth)
- Long-term sponsorship deals with brands like Wrangler, Monster Energy, and others
- The XV Ranch (Bucktown XV) in Stephenville, Texas, where he raises bucking bulls
- Bull riding schools and events he hosts at his ranch
- PBR Team Series coaching salary (during his time with the Oklahoma Wildcatters)
- Merchandise and licensing tied to his brand
For a bull rider, this kind of post-career portfolio is extremely rare. Most cowboys don’t have the means or the planning to convert prize money into long-term wealth. Mauney did.
JB Mauney Wife: The Samantha Lyne Story
The other deeply searched topic about him is “JB Mauney wife“, because her story is fascinating in its own right.
Who Is Samantha Lyne?
JB Mauney is married to Samantha Lyne, an American professional barrel racer and the daughter of legendary rodeo cowboy Phil Lyne, a multi-time PRCA World Champion. Samantha isn’t just an NFR wife. She’s a rodeo athlete with deep family roots in the sport.
The couple married in 2016 and have lived in Stephenville, Texas, for years, on the ranch where Mauney now spends his post-retirement life.
His Previous Marriage
Mauney was previously married to Lexie Wiggly from 2012 to 2015. From a previous relationship, he has a daughter named Bella, born in 2011.
His Children
JB Mauney has two children:
- Bella Mauney (born 2011), his daughter from a previous relationship
- Jagger Briggs Mauney (born January 23, 2019), his son with Samantha
His son Jagger has reportedly already shown interest in riding, growing up surrounded by bucking bulls on the family ranch.
Why Family Tipped the Decision
When Mauney broke his neck in 2023, doctors made the risk crystal clear: another fall on his head could be catastrophic. He had ridden through countless injuries before. But this time, with a young son at home, the math was different. Family changed everything.
Life After Retirement: The Ranch, the Bull, and the Coaching Job
The most poignant part of JB Mauney’s post-career story is what he did next, and who he brought home with him.
He Bought the Bull That Ended His Career
In one of the most extraordinary moments in modern rodeo storytelling, in early 2024, Arctic Assassin, now also retired, was purchased by Mauney and moved by his owners to spend his remaining days on Mauney’s ranch in Stephenville, Texas.
The bull that broke his neck, the bull that ended his career, now lives on Mauney’s land. Mauney feeds him by hand and treats him like a pet. There’s footage online of Mauney scratching Arctic Assassin’s back, with the giant bull following him around like a dog.
When asked why, Mauney has explained that the bull did nothing wrong. He was just doing his job. There were no hard feelings. Only respect between two athletes whose careers ended on the same night.
XV Ranch and Bucktown XV
Mauney’s ranch, located near Stephenville, Texas (about 90 minutes southwest of Fort Worth), is now the center of his life. He raises bucking bulls, hosts bull riding events, runs bull riding schools for upcoming riders, and welds his own fences. He bought the property while he was still actively riding, treating it not as a backup plan but as the next chapter waiting for him.
Bull Riding Hall of Fame
In 2024, Mauney was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame, polling more votes than anyone else on his ballot. The PBR also dedicated its 2024 World Finals weekend to honoring him at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, an event that became known as “the Month of Mauney.”
Coaching the Oklahoma Wildcatters
In 2024, Mauney returned to the PBR to be the head coach of the Oklahoma Wildcatters; one of two new teams for the PBR Team Series that season.
He coached the Wildcatters through several seasons. On February 20, 2026, Brandon Bates, a former PBR arena announcer and current general manager of the Oklahoma Wildcatters, announced that J.B. Mauney had stepped down as head coach of the team. Both parties had mutually agreed to part ways, as Mauney wished to spend more time with his family and his BuckTown XV Ranch where he raises bucking bulls and puts on bull riding events and schools for upcoming riders.
After stepping away from coaching, he returned full-time to ranch life and his family.
JB Mauney’s Legacy: Why He Matters in Bull Riding History
JB Mauney isn’t remembered just for his statistics. He’s remembered for what he represented.
He Reset the Bar for Toughness
Plenty of bull riders are tough. Mauney was something else. He competed with broken bones that would put most professional athletes on the disabled list for months. He rode through pain that he didn’t even publicly acknowledge until years later. The phrase “old-school cowboy” gets used a lot. Mauney lived it.
He Built a Brand on Honesty
In an age of sanitized athlete media training, Mauney spoke plainly. He didn’t dress up his answers or play to sponsors. In an interview for the PBR, Mauney said “What gets me is when people who don’t ride bulls for a living try to tell me when it’s time to hang it up.” Fans loved that honesty because it was real.
He Inspired the Next Generation
The bull riders coming up today, the kids riding at his Bucktown XV Ranch and watching old footage of him on Bushwacker and Asteroid, are training with Mauney’s standard in mind. He didn’t just dominate his era. He raised the bar for everyone who would follow.
He’s Considered Top 10 All-Time
He is considered one of the greatest bull riders of his generation, and the ninth greatest bull rider in the history of the PBR. Some fans and experts argue he’s even higher on that list. Either way, his place among the all-time greats isn’t debated. It’s settled.
Frequently Asked Questions About JB Mauney
How old is JB Mauney? JB Mauney was born on January 9, 1987, which makes him 39 years old as of 2026.
What is JB Mauney’s net worth? JB Mauney’s estimated net worth is between $6 million and $8 million as of 2025-2026, built from his record $7.4 million in career PBR earnings, sponsorships, his Texas ranch, and his bucking bull business.
Who is JB Mauney’s wife? JB Mauney is married to Samantha Lyne, a professional barrel racer and the daughter of multi-time PRCA World Champion Phil Lyne. They married in 2016 and live in Stephenville, Texas.
What injury ended JB Mauney’s career? JB Mauney broke his neck on September 6, 2023, after being bucked off Arctic Assassin at the Lewiston Roundup Division 2 Extreme Bulls event in Idaho. The injury required surgery with rods, plates, and screws.
Did JB Mauney really buy the bull that ended his career? Yes. In early 2024, Mauney purchased Arctic Assassin from his original owners. The retired bull now lives at Mauney’s ranch in Stephenville, Texas, where Mauney cares for him personally.
How many world championships did JB Mauney win? JB Mauney won two PBR World Championships, in 2013 and 2015.
Where does JB Mauney live now? JB Mauney lives at his ranch, Bucktown XV (XV Ranch), near Stephenville, Texas, where he raises bucking bulls and runs bull riding events and schools.
Is JB Mauney still involved in bull riding? Yes. While he no longer competes, Mauney continues to be deeply involved in the sport through his ranch operations, bull riding schools, and event hosting. He previously coached the Oklahoma Wildcatters in the PBR Team Series before stepping down in early 2026.
Final Thoughts: The Cowboy Who Couldn’t Be Tamed
JB Mauney’s career doesn’t read like an ordinary athlete biography. It reads like folklore. A kid from North Carolina, the wrong state for bull riding, walks into the toughest sport on the planet, asks for the meanest bulls, refuses to back down through countless broken bones, and walks out with two world titles, more money than any rider before him, and a nickname, “The Dragonslayer”, that will follow him forever.
The injury didn’t define him. The way he handled it did. He could have raged at the unfairness of his career ending. Instead, he bought the bull that ended it and gave him a home. He could have disappeared into bitter retirement. Instead, he started coaching, training young riders, and pouring himself into the next generation.
JB Mauney isn’t just a former champion. He’s a living chapter of bull riding history, and one whose influence on the sport will outlast every record he ever set. Whatever the next wave of bull riders accomplishes, they’ll do it in a sport that JB Mauney made bigger, louder, tougher, and more honest just by being himself in it.
The Dragonslayer doesn’t ride anymore. But the legend keeps going.
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