Keenan Hayes, PRCA Bareback World Champion, lived it up on and off the dirt at the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®

Writer Brian Hurlburt takes us into the minds and hearts of the PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®. 

Keenan Hayes is right out of central casting for a rising rodeo world champion.

He looks the part. 

He acts the part.

And he, most definitely, rides the part.

Hayes became the first PRCA Bareback Rider Rookie of the Year in history to also win a world title and the customary gold buckle. He also won the average in his first NFR appearance.

And, boy oh boy, did he have some fun along the way.

“Oh, man, last year was just a blast,” Hayes said during a break from media commitments in Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center in June. “From the beginning of the year to the very end of it, it was the best time I ever had. I just went out and had as good of a time with my buddies as I can. Every time I go to a rodeo or even just hanging out in the parking lot, I’m always having a good time. That’s what I do with Rodeo; I have fun with it. Luckily, they pay me to do it.”

Last we saw Hayes prior to this June was during the post-NFR media session that also included family, just moments after officially clinching his title. There we spotted Hayes and a friend carrying out a case of Pendleton Whisky that is awarded to each champ.

It went to good use into the early hours.

“That night was very special, but the whole Vegas experience is the coolest thing with the atmosphere of the Thomas & Mack Center and then everywhere you do in the city,” Hayes said. “This building is unlike any other I’ve ever been to. The electricity every night from the time you walk out of the locker room to the time you walk out to go back to the hotel or whatnot, it’s just electric the whole time. The feeling being out on that floor is like you feel a buzz going on around you. It’s the coolest rodeo I’ve ever been to by far. And it being 10 days long just adds to it.”

As of this writing in mid-July, Hayes was first in the bareback season standings. He had already racked up eight wins and $148,000 on the young summer season. Rocker Steiner was second, trailing by about $16,000. He was already setting his sights on the upcoming NFR in December.

“The NFR is a long, long, 10 days and nights, but when you get into it, it flies by like nothing,” Hayes said. “You just kind of keep your head on straight and keep going at it every single night. You know going into it that you’re getting on the best 10 horses in the world. Once it is time to go, you just need to believe you are riding good and trust it.”

Off the dirt in 2023, Hayes soaked up the NFR atmosphere and enjoyed being the man about town.

“I got recognized all of the time and we are all celebrities for the 10 days in Vegas,” Hayes said. “Pretty much any casino you go to, somebody is going to recognize you or see the NFR coat on you and come up and talk to you. It’s cool to be amongst everything and the people. Unlike a lot of different celebrities or athletes that people never get to see, during the NFR, they get to come up and talk to us face to face. I like it a lot. Also, it is an amazing time being around the top 15 cowboys in the world.”

Hayes might have enjoyed his time in the competitor’s locker room the most during the 2023 NFR. The room is located down a hall from the Thomas & Mack Center tunnel, and cowboys from each discipline gather there before, during and after the rodeo.

“Down there in that room, it’s carefree and we are all having a good time, but it does get serious about an hour before you ride,” Hayes said. “The vibe does change. There are different nights when it’s way quieter than usual, but then you just walk in there and give somebody [stuff; not the word used] and break the mood. We just have a blast in there. I sat next to some veterans who have made the finals a bunch of times and some good buddies of mine. Guys like Richie Champion, Cole Reiner, Orin Larsen and Mason Clements. They were a big help. If I had a problem or got thinking too much, they shut it down right away. They’re like, ‘You haven’t been thinking all year long. Quit thinking now.’ Those were special times in that room.”