Pro Rodeo’s top bareback rider in the world once again hails from Northwest Colorado. 

Hayden’s Keenan Hayes has been in a back-and-forth battle for the No. 1 bareback ranking all season against Leighton Berry of Weatherford, Texas. But after a three-rodeo weekend, Hayes for now has taken back the lead. 

A top ranking is something the 20-year-old has worked for since he was a child growing up in Routt County, and he said it means the world to see himself in the top spot once again. 

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“It’s been something I’ve been working for my entire life and you just have to keep working at it,” Hayes said. “It’s pretty awesome to see, especially being so young and that being my main goal for my whole life.”

Last week, Hayes traveled to rodeos in Nevada, Texas and Arkansas, earning just shy of $10,000 between his six rides. He said his biggest ride of all was in Reno on the back of Yeti Rambler, a bronc that he rode for an 86-point, second-place finish. 

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He later split second in Pecos, Texas and finished his weekend earning second in The Rodeo of the Ozarks in Springdale, Arkansas. 

According to Hayes, summer rodeos are just starting to kick off and get into the busy season. During the wintertime, it is much more relaxed for the cowboys but now, “we are getting right back into rodeoing like we like to,” Hayes said. 

In total, Hayes has earned $131,316.42 this season and leads Berry by nearly $5,000. But with the highest volume of rodeos still to come, the standings will likely see some movement. The rankings depend on many variables. 

“It’s a weekly deal,” Hayes said. “This week is crazy, especially being the Fourth of July. There are 12 rodeos or more in the next 10 days. There is a whole mess of them going on so it kind of depends on where you go to, how you do at those rodeos and how everybody else does at the same time. Nobody knows what is going on until the end of it.”

Hayes is finishing up his rides at the Greeley Stampede Thursday night before traveling to Prescott, Arizona for a ride on Friday. He then has a full schedule of nine rodeos between Saturday and Tuesday traveling to Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and North Dakota. 

He estimates he will have two days off during the entire month of July. 

Seeing his hard work pay off in the rankings has kept Hayes motivated and prepared for the thick of rodeo season. He plans to remain in the mix for being crowned 2023 bareback world champion. 

“We’ve been winning everywhere pretty good and pretty consistently still, so we just have to keep on with it and keep doing my job,” Hayes said.