Macaulie Leather grew up one of 13 kids in Calliope, Queensland, following his older brother Elijiah onto a steer before riding his way to the 2023 PBR Australia Championship and eventually becoming one of the Missouri Thunder’s biggest home-run hitters. The left-hander has four 90-point rides in 2026, including a career-high 93.35 on King Tut, and Thunder GM Luke Snyder has praised his ability to handle bulls in either direction and take on the toughest matchup in the draw. Thunder Head Coach Ross Coleman has his own way of describing Leather: “a hand on a rope horse” — the kind of cowboy you can throw into a tough spot, trust to stay composed and know will give you a chance to win.

That calm, gritty style showed up well before Anaheim. In early 2026, Leather broke his jaw in the chute, still called for the bull and walked back to the locker room with blood trailing behind him, his lower jaw visibly out of alignment and his teeth no longer lining up. In true Aussie fashion, he made short work of the recovery and was soon back doing what he does best.

Off the dirt, Leather hunts, follows the NRL, PBR, ProRodeo, NFL and UFC, splits his NFL loyalty between the Eagles and Bills, listens to rap, hip-hop and country, and lists Taco Bell and Asian food among his favorites. If bull riding were not his full-time job, he says he would still want to work with horses. His biggest influences include his dad, Calvin Leather, and Cody Lambert.

Bull riding also runs in the family: younger brother Boston Leather won the 2024 PBR Australia Championship, making them the first siblings to win back-to-back Australian titles, and now rides for Kansas City after briefly sharing Missouri’s locker room with Macaulie.

Quiet, even-keeled and rarely rattled, Leather does not say much.

The jaw, the gold buckle and four 90s say plenty.