Keenan Hayes Stays Undefeated Sweeping the Mountain States Circuit Finals

World Champion Keenan Hayes has left little doubt of who the best bareback rider in the Mountain States Circuit Finals is. At the finals in Loveland, Colorado he won all three rounds and the bareback riding average to claim his fifth year end circuit championship.

The Hayden, Colorado, cowboy started the weekend with the highest scored ride of the finals, with 87.5 points aboard Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Wild Child in the first round. He followed with an 83.5 point ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Fallen Angel to win the second round before closing out the sweep with 85 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Lakota Park in the third.

Hayes finished with 256 points over three rounds, averaging over $10,000 per round. The championship adds another milestone to a season in which he has worked his way back into contention after injuries interrupted his momentum over the past two years.

The Mountain States Circuit Finals were a missed stop for Hayes in 2025 as injuries kept him out of competition for much of the season. Returning to Loveland this year, he made up for lost time by winning every round and taking home the average title. At the end of the weekend, he had claimed his fifth Mountain States Circuit title at just 23 years old.

Hayes first established himself as one of bareback riding’s top competitors in 2023, when he won the PRCA World Championship in his rookie season. He became the first rookie bareback rider to become a world champion. He returned to the National Finals Rodeo in 2024, but injuries slowed him down in 2025. This year though, Hayes is back in contention for another gold buckle entering his third finals. 

The circuit championship also comes on the heels of Hayes winning the inaugural Riggin Masters Xtreme Bareback title in Billings, Montana. That victory paid over $20,000. Between circuit finals and this big win, Hayes has had a couple big paydays as the 2027 season gets underway. As it sits, he is number 1 in the world in the 2027 standings with already over $30,000 won. 

With his third NFR qualification secured, Hayes will head to Las Vegas for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo December 3rd-12th.  He enters the Finals ranked as the No. 5 bareback rider in the PRCA World Standings.

Keenan Hayes will once again represent the Mountain States Circuit Finals at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs in 2027.