To say that the month of July was a turning point for Logan Hay would be a bit of an understatement.
For the first time in his career, Hay earned the coveted championship at the Calgary Stampede in his home province of Alberta. Two weeks later, he set a new standard in saddle bronc riding by riding Calgary’s Xplosive Skies for 95.5 points, a world record for highest score ever.
Those two experiences were worth nearly $75,000, with all but $25,000 counting toward the 2022 world standings. It’s a big reason why Hay earned his first National Finals Rodeo qualification and will head to Las Vegas seventh in the world standings with $139,440.
“I won the long round, and in Pollockville, you get to pick the order you get to come in, and I knew that was the one I was going to have to take,” Hay said of the 2021 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year. “I had seen her last year, and she was the rankest horse I’ve ever seen. That horse is quite the athlete. I have never been (on) anything like her.”
It was the highlight to a terrific season for the 25-year-old from Wildwood, Alberta. He is the oldest son of bronc riding legend Rod Hay, and he will join his younger brother, Dawson, in the field of 15 competing for the 2022 world championship. Their father is also in the ProRodeo history books with 20 NFR qualifications, second most to Billy Etbauer for trips to the finale by a bronc rider.
Now, the next generation is taking the reins. Logan Hay finished the 2021 campaign 17th in the world standings, just missing the mark on qualifying for last year’s NFR by two spots on the money list. He got over the hump this season, and he has a lot to show for it.
Besides the two big wins in Alberta, Hay earned titles at the Chase Hawks in Billings, Montana; Omak, Washington; Bremerton, Washington; and Fort Madison, Iowa.