Hayle Gibson-Stillwell’s Fairytale Becomes Reality in Pro Rodeo Journey

Redcrest, Calif., cowgirl, Hayle Gibson-Stillwell, never thought it would be possible to live the life she has built. Like any journey, hers has not always been smooth sailing, but she never stopped dreaming.

Through hard work and perseverance, Gibson-Stillwell earned her first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualification in 2025 and is currently ranked No. 4 in the 2026 World Standings.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Catching Up With Hayle Gibson-Stillwell

A bay horse and her rider turn around a barrel — Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Fancy at the San Diego Rodeo | Fernando Sam-Sin

Gibson-Stillwell's current success began a decade ago, while she was working on the racetrack. A sorrel mare caught her eye and as they say, the rest is history.

Rodeo On SI: Tell us how your journey with Ruby and Piper began.

Gibson-Stillwell: "I call her Ruby, her registered name is Rambunchkie. I was ponying on the Ferndale race track... Ruby was in the paddock and she reminded me of Babyflo (Fallon Taylor's World Champion, Flos Heiress). A little 15-hand red mare, just all the right lines, low hocks, looked like a barrel horse, but she was a thoroughbred."

"She daylighted the field. She had a first-time jockey on her back and kind of blew the first turn and went to the middle of the pack, but you could see the grit and fire she had on the straightaway. She gave it everything she had to try to get to the front of the pack. I knew the trainer pretty well, so I asked what it would take to get her bought... He asked what I had in my wallet and I took her home that day."

"I started running barrels on her and she placed at pro rodeos, amateur rodeos, was a pretty solid 1D horse in California and Arizona. I was actually back at the race track and they were having a benefit auction for a gal. The Dinero (PC Frenchmans Hayday) breeding was in there. I actually bought three (breedings) that day, French StreakToVegas, Streakin Ta Fame, and Dinero."

"The crazy thing is that I only used the Dinero breeding. We pulled an embryo out of Ruby and it just gives me chills thinking about it. That's Ruby's first foal, the first horse I bred and raised, put the first ride on her, I've been the only one on her back, so it's really cool and special that Piper was the one to take me to the finals (NFR). Ruby is such a special mare, she has a very cool presence about her, and Piper has that same presence."

Rodeo On SI: So you bought three breedings, but what made you decide to use the breeding to Dinero instead of the others?

Gibson-Stillwell: "Pure divine intervention! There was no reasoning behind it. I sold the other two. So thank you, God, thank you, universe, it was just divine intervention."

Rodeo On SI: Clearly, that was a great cross and choice! A lot of time passes from embryo to qualifying for the NFR, so tell us a bit about Piper's training process.

Gibson-Stillwell: "She's a freak, to be quite honest. She was born broke. I put her first ride on her and we ended up going on a trail ride. We started in the round pen... she was bored in the round pen. A very great horseman named Mike Angelini helped me start her. I attribute a lot to him on how he taught me to start a horse."

"Going on that trail ride was the best thing ever for her, because from day one, she had confidence and was confident in herself. I ranched on her a ton, branded on her, gathered on her. It's pretty crazy hill country. There are some crossings that they really have to think about, you could get hurt or they could. She was put into some high-pressure situations as a young colt and just handled it. She takes pressure and adapts to it. She learned that on the ranch."

From the start, Piper was a star in the arena. In January of her futurity year, she earned the Reserve Championship. At the next futurity, she broke a 15-year arena record, winning the Open and the Futurity.

Rodeo On SI: She's always been a superstar! When did you start transitioning from futurities to rodeos?

Gibson-Stillwell: "She was on the trailer as a buddy horse her futurity year. She started the year with my mare, Bebe (Fling N Fortune), who I ended up losing that year (2024) to colic. I went to Fort Worth and San Antonio and then we lost Bebe, so Fancy (RDC DancingToTheLead) was coming back and I had gotten into Houston. I took Piper and Fancy to Houston and was actually going to run Piper until I got a call from my great friend and mentor, Troy Crumrine. He told me not to scare her that early in her career. I knew he was right. He told me to let Fancy have her chance and she got me into the Finals."

"Then Fancy got hurt at Reno and I only had Piper and another mare. I used rodeos that were smaller or I thought would fit her, just to take some runs off the other horse and she ended up placing at pretty much all of the ones I ran her at. So we got her feet wet in the rodeo world in her futurity year, then last year, Fancy had gotten hurt again and I only had Piper. She had to start the year for me. I took her to San Antonio, it was the only rodeo I had gotten into. She placed in a round and after that, she just kept going and getting stronger.

The 2025 season was incredible for the team, which entered the NFR in the No. 12 position. After an incredible rookie NFR, they finished No. 4 in the World, with $328,641 in season earnings. The year was marked with countless wins, arena records, and the California Circuit Championship.

Rodeo On SI: So now that we have your incredible horses' backgrounds, how did you get your start in barrel racing?

Gibson-Stillwell: "My parents raced motocross... My mom loved horses and always wanted one. She had one as a kid, so when I showed interest, she did everything she could to put me on the horse trail. When I was four, my parents got me lessons with a retired jockey. I learned how to ride in a flat saddle, because the stirrups wouldn't go short enough on anything else. I always had the need for speed. My parents signed me up for my first gymkhana when I was four. It was my first race, and I was hooked.

Gibson-Stillwell: "This is truly a dream I'm living... I didn't think that it was something I could ever pursue, so for Piper to be able to make that dream come true, it's just hard to put into words, because I probably shouldn't have done what I did and be where I am, but it's just cool that a small-town girl with a big dream can do big things."