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CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The significance of the setting was written all over Hayden Welsh’s face.
The horn sounded, Welsh dismounted the bull, landing on his feet, ran toward the arena fence and pulled his helmet off, chucking it in the dirt before climbing the rail to celebrate with the fans inside Frontier Arena.
A year ago, things went less than ideal at Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Cheyenne Extreme Bulls event. On Tuesday, the next leg of his comeback story came to fruition.
Welsh’s second ride against Badlands from Dakota Rodeo at the Extreme Bulls went for 92 points on Tuesday, sending the Gillette, Wyo., cowboy into a well-earned celebration mode. He finished with 185.5 on two head to edge Qynn Andersen by a point and claim the title.
“We needed redemption,” Welsh said with a laugh. “It was just a freaking exclamation point. It was the way it needed to happen, praise God. We had a textbook finish to capitalize on what we needed to do.”
Cheyenne is a place that has deep meaning for Welsh. His family routinely came to the Daddy of ’Em All, with his father, Bobby, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals qualifier, competing in Cheyenne.
“My dad stuck me behind the chutes when I was 11 years old to pull the bull rope," Welsh said. "I’ve been waiting for the Dad."
Riding on his permit a year ago, Welsh had his first taste of CFD as a competitor. He earned a check from the regular rodeo but got bucked off in the short round. During the Extreme Bulls competition, he did record an 88-point ride, but finished outside of getting paid. His second trip resulted in a no score.
The lackluster results of 2025 made his return home to the Cowboy State a highly anticipated visit. So far, Welsh has made it count.
During the regular rodeo, Welsh won his opening round with an 89-point effort against Wrong Gina from Korkow Rodeo. The score ensured him a spot in the semifinals later this week.
Then came the Extreme Bulls event on Monday and Tuesdays.
Monday’s opening ride went for 93.5 points against Buck Cancer from United Pro Rodeo, giving him an early advantage over the field. The 92-point ride on Tuesday was tied with three other people for second, with Anderson’s 92.5 edging everyone for the round win. But Welsh's aggregate total was more than enough to secure the victory and a huge payday.
“I knew he bucked. He wasn’t supposed to be that hard to ride, but after that first draft, he kicked the back of the bucking chute, that’s why he jumped forward so hard,” Welsh said.
So far in Cheyenne, Welsh has taken home $26,660 for Extreme Bulls and another $1,650 from the regular rodeo. The outcomes have vaulted him to No. 3 in PRCA World Standings with more than $187,000 in earnings for the year.
Welsh is trying to keep the momentum going during a visit to Spanish Fort (Utah) Fiesta Days Rodeo on Wednesday. He’s hoping to work out some trades with other riders that will allow him to hit up Salt Lake and Ogden, Utah before coming back to Cheyenne for the semifinals.
No matter how the schedule shakes out, he's ready for the next one and eager to keep building.
“I’m blessed and highly favored. I’m just ready to continue,” Welsh said. “I”m just going to keep my head down, let all that pride and anything go. Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today. We just need to focus on what the Lord has in store for us.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/rodeo as Cheyenne Surge Continues for Wyoming Cowboy with Extreme Bulls Victory.
