From Rookie Bull Rider to NFR Contender: Hayden Welsh’s Standout Season

At No. 6 in the world, this bull riding rookie is ready to stamp his first ticket to the National Finals Rodeo.

Hayden Welsh | Fernando Sam-in

Time is running out for rodeo athletes to earn a spot in the top 15 and qualify for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in December. With just weeks left in the regular season, bull rider Hayden Welsh is well on his way to securing his first trip to the Thomas & Mack at No. 6 in the world standings. 

Cinderella Season

With $210,305 earned so far this season, the 21-year-old cowboy from Gillette, Wyo., is having an outstanding season. He is No. 2 in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race behind Noah Lee, who currently sits at No. 1 in the world. 

It’s rare to see not one, but two rookies head to the NFR in their first season, but Welsh is defying the odds as he keeps raising the bar in the bull riding arena. He’s taken home six rodeo titles already this year and is ready to take on the Thomas & Mack Arena.

He started the season off strong, winning the Mountain States Circuit Finals, his highest-scoring ride being 84.5-points. His scores only continued to get better as the season went on, too; he earned a massive $20,000 at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. 

Welsh’s first 90-point-plus ride happened at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo Xtreme Bulls, where he won $8,672. He continued to ride that momentum as the summer months began, winning the Reno Rodeo in June with another 90-point ride. 

Summer Season Checks

He scored his two biggest checks of the season during his late-summer run in July and August. He pocketed over $10,000 at Cheyenne Frontier Days Xtreme Bulls thanks to a massive 93.5-point ride in Round 1 and a 92-point ride in Round 2.

Welsh earned his biggest cash prize just weeks ago at the Kitsap Stampede Xtreme Bulls, where another 90-point ride earned him $12,831. It’s clear that this cowboy has the talent to compete with the best of the best.

While he’ll have to continue to fight Lee for the No. 1 rookie spot, Welsh is already making a name for himself in the future of the sport. The cowboy will have his work cut out for him in Las Vegas as he’s up against some of the best bull riders the world has ever seen, but he’s beaten many of them already this season, and if he has a chance in Las Vegas, he has the grit to do it again.