story by Kyle Eustice
Portales, NM native Will Haley is anticipating getting his learner’s permit. At 14, the Elida Junior High student has just a few months to go before he’s able to get one, although it’s nothing compared to the excitement he feels when he gets on a horse. Will started riding horses in kindergarten when he was just 5 years old, something he watched his father Tommy Haley and older sisters, Hunter and Madi, do.
“My sisters had been rodeoing a lot in Portales,” said Will. “We have a little rodeo association here and they’d had done pretty well. My dad has always been a good team roper and he made sure we all did it a lot.”
His father, Tommy, is still a team roper in the USTRC while Madi is a member of the NMHSRA. Hunter, 20, is away at college, but is still a member of the NIRA and rodeos in the Southwest region. Will’s mother Stacey is a teacher at Elida and encourages her son to pursue his dream of getting to the PRCA.
Will’s first horse, Lemon, was more like a family horse. His dad used him for team roping and his sisters rode him, as well. “He was a pretty good horse,” said Will.
Currently, he’s riding a chestnut horse named Dually in the calf roping events and team roping with a buckskin mare, although Will also participates in chute dogging and ribbon roping.
“I like doing as many events as possible,” said Will. “It pushes me to strive harder to win and be overall good in each event.”
In 2016, his final year in the NMJRHS, he was the boys goat tying year end champion, as well as the boys all around champion. “It felt really good,” said Will. “Going from two years of not making it to nationals, then winning my first state championship and qualifying for nationals was an awesome feeling.”
Will also won reserve calf roper, placed 3rd in chute dogging and 5th in team roping.
“I like calf roping a lot,” said Will. “It gives me something to strive for. I have to push myself no matter what. There’s always someone who’s going to be a little better and that makes me want work harder. I’ve learned you have to lose before you can win, which means you have to work harder at everything you can do.”
That deep insight comes from initially not qualifying for the NMJRHS nationals during the three years he’s been in the association. Next year, everything changes. He will start his freshman year of high school at Elida High School and start competing in the NMHSRA.
“It’s going to be a lot different,” admitted Will. “I won’t be a little kid anymore.”
Will’s favorite subjects are history and sports. During the school year, he plays football, basketball and runs track while juggling schoolwork and rodeo commitments. He really wants to rodeo through college and eventually get his pro card. With his family’s support and the talent of his team roping partner Bryce Derrer, he’s well on his way.
“My family hauls me around to all my events,” said Will. “I would like to thank my sisters, Sylvester Mayfield, Dee Fish, my parents and many others for their help and support. My mom is really proud of what I’ve accomplished and hopes I continue working hard. I plan to do just that.
