PRORODEO Sports News - August 8, 2025

Hay came just a point shy of matching the world record, set by his brother, at the Hardgrass Bronc Match. PRCA photo by Billie-Jean Duffw

DAWSON HAY NOTCHES 94.5-POINT RIDE TO WIN HARDGRASS BRONC MATCH By Zach Alvira

P ollockville, Alberta, has been kind to saddle bronc riders in recent years. It's been the site of some of the highest scores ever recorded in PRCA history, including the world record currently held by Logan Hay at 95.5 points. Logan reached that mark in 2022. Three years later, his brother, Daw son, came just one-point shy of matching it aboard Calgary Stam pede's Agent Lynx to win this year's title. "I kinda had a feeling and you see a lot of really big scores come out of the Hardgrass Bronc Match," Hay said. "You know you have to do something pretty special in the short round to win with all the animals that are there." The Hardgrass Bronc Match offers an opportunity saddle bronc riders will not see at most other rodeos and Rank 45 Xtreme Broncs events: The

ability to choose their matchup in the short round. Typically, cowboys draw their stock at random ahead of the performance. That remains the case for the long round in Pollockville, but the short round allows leaders to choose from the stock in order of top score. Hay's 90.5-point ride on Calgary Stampede's Annual News in the long round gave him the opportunity to choose first. He took the opportunity to match with Agent Lynx, a two-time National Finals bareback horse. He was one of many of the top bucking horses brought to Pollockville by Calgary Stampede. That alone draws interest from cowboys like Hay. "It's one of the only bronc matches that Calgary Stampede brings broncs to and they also bring out their abso lute best horses," Hay said. "I think the unique thing about it is most

of the really high scores are from bareback horses. It's the only event I've heard of where they'll switch over their world champion bareback hors es to saddle bronc." The win resulted in a big payday for the 27-year-old Wildwood, Alber ta, native. He currently sits inside the top five of the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings with nearly $200,000 in total earnings for the season. He also collected a small check from Cheyenne Frontier Days over the weekend and $20,000 from the Cal gary Stampede two weeks prior. Sitting comfortably in the world standings, Hay said he will take time off to heal nagging injuries. "I don't want to make things worse and avoid a longer recovery time," Hay said.

22 PRORODEO Sports News