GUNNISON, Colo. – Bucking horses run in the blood of the Hayes family from Hayden, a community of 1,900 in northwest Colorado.
Kaitlynn Hayes was just 9 years old when she got the idea for her business, which now operates as Rocky Mountain Mini Broncs & Bulls/KH Bucking horses. She’s a producer and has been such most of her life. Now, 16 years after she started, she’s created a brand that not only showcases smaller bucking animals but also helps develop young cowboys and cowgirls through a passion they all share.
In fact, starting young people out in such a way has already proven to be successful. Her brother, Keenan, is just 22 but already has set records in ProRodeo. Three seasons ago, he collected more than $108,000 en route to setting a new earnings mark for permit-holders, those still on a test drive for the PRCA.
A year later, he became the first PRCA rookie to win a bareback riding world championship, finishing the season with single-season earnings mark of $435,050. He returned to the sport’s grand finale again last year, finishing the campaign third in the world standings.
The future generation of bucking horse and bucking bull riders is on its way to Gunnison for the Mini Broncs & Mutton Bustin’ set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3, at the Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. This event is a week prior to the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, set for Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13.
“Karla Rundell and I have become personal friends, and we were talking one day about mini broncs,” Kaitlynn Hayes said. “She told me they used to do them in Gunnison a long time ago, and I thought, “We should bring them back.’ I also thought it would be great if we could do something with the Golden Circle of Champions.”
It’s the perfect fit: Mini broncs celebrating the accomplishments of athletic youngsters while also joining with Cattlemen’s Days’ beneficiary. Golden Circle of Champions helps raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer. In addition to the evening’s festivities, the youngsters in competition will also be on hand during a special clinic for youth that begins at 10 a.m. that day.
“I work in health care and have since I was 16 years old,” Hayes said. “I love being able to help people on that side, especially when they are very vulnerable and not really having the best time of their life. I love being able to help them and, at the same time, put a smile on their face and give them something to look forward to while being a friend to them.
“The clinic will a peer mentorship, where these kids who ride mini broncs and bulls can talk to the kids who’ve been fighting pediatric cancer and other children and tell them why they do this.”
The mini bronc and bulls contestants will come from across the country and showcase their talents on mini bulls and ponies. It’s a great chance to see what rodeo’s future looks like at its most genuine level, where the love of the game can be seen through the smiles of young people.
“I do this for the love I have for bucking horses and children,” she said. ”I love the fact that I get to help make a difference in kids’ lives,” she said.
That’s the mindset that helps heal minds, bodies and souls while also creating champions.