Keenan Hayes: Reining in Success – The Story Behind the 2024 Bareback Riding World Champion

Hayden, Colo.’s Keenan Hayes is poised for another successful season in bareback riding and a potential return to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) after winning the 2023 World Championship. In 2023, Hayes made history by becoming the first-ever Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year to win the world title, earning over $400,000 in prize money.

Despite being a rookie in 2023, Hayes was no stranger to big stages and titles. He has competed in all three roughstock events in high school and won the National High School Finals Rodeo World Championship in bareback riding in 2019. Since then, he has focused solely on bareback riding and has been on a winning streak. He kicked off the 2024 PRCA season with a victory at the New Year’s Eve Buck n’ Ball and has continued to place at rodeos such as Rodeo Houston, San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, and the recent San Angelo event.

Currently sitting at No. 3 in the PRCA World Standings with $67,645 in winnings, Hayes is aiming to defend his world championship title in 2024. The competition is fierce, but with his talent and determination, Hayes is setting himself up for another successful season in bareback riding.