Haiden Thompson banked $24,023 across six rodeos this Cowboy Christmas, more than any breakaway roper has ever won over the Fourth-of-July run. 

She did it running on fumes. 

The Yoder, Wyoming, cowgirl averaged roughly 10 hours of sleep total across the first four days of July. Not per night. Total. 

Somewhere between charter flights, catching rides and horse swaps, she chased down the richest week women’s breakaway roping has ever had. 

“The Cowboy Christmas was the exact definition of planes, trains and automobiles for me,” Thompson said. 

A Record Run 

Thompson’s total clears the previous Cowboy Christmas benchmark of $16,628, set in 2025 by Erin Johnson, by $7,395.  

The win moved Thompson, the reigning Resistol Rookie of the Year, back into the top 10 of WPRA world standings. 

“It’s pretty awesome, the opportunities we’re getting now,” Thompson said. “To be able to rope for that kind of money and have that good of a week definitely sets the rest of the year up a little bit better. I’m just thankful for all the rodeos that are adding equal money and letting us run up that kind of money.” 

Not that she was chasing a number. 

“My main goal going into this whole thing was just to see my start and catch the calf,” she said. “It didn’t matter where we were at. I think that’s just going to keep being my goal, keep roping the neck.” 

The Route 

Getting there took some doing. 

Thompson roped early in Round 1 at the Greeley Stampede, then hauled to Prescott, Arizona, for the World’s Oldest Rodeo, and on to Oakley, Utah. She circled back to Greeley for the short round, riding a horse borrowed from Jackie Crawford. 

From there, she and a handful of fellow breakaway ropers caught a charter flight to Basin City, Washington, on July 2. That stop didn’t pan out, so she hitched a ride with Cheyenne McCartney to St. Paul, Oregon. 

The next morning, she boarded a flight with barrel racer Andrea Busby to Cody, Wyoming. That’s where she reconnected with her traveling partner, Martha Angelone, and finished out the run at the Killdeer Mountain Roundup and Mandan Rodeo Days, both in North Dakota. 

“Having all those friends in my corner, whether it’s people with planes or people picking us up from the airport, it means a lot,” Thompson said. “I couldn’t have done it without any of them.” 

Two Horses, One Reason 

She couldn’t have done it without her horses, either. 

Thompson ran two of them during this run, and each had a job. Dingo carried her through the shorter-scored rodeos, including St. Paul. Tom, her good gelding, covered the long-score rodeos, and stepped up at Killdeer and Mandan when Dingo didn’t make it back in time. 

Thompson found Tom through her uncle, who used to run a horse sale barn. 

“He would call me every time he thought a good horse was going to come through,” she said. “[Tom] didn’t have a lot of special things about him as just a 2-year-old, but he has so much speed and such a good mind. He takes to whatever you ask him to do. He’s been a huge asset to what I’ve been doing.” 

This marked just Thompson’s second full Cowboy Christmas, and she felt the difference. 

“Last year I rode the wrong horse at some rodeos. That cost me, I felt like,” she said. “This year, everywhere I rode my horses was where I should have. Having that experience from last year really helped me make those decisions.” 

Sisters on the Road 

None of it would have worked without Angelone, who kept Thompson’s horses ready through a stretch that had the two splitting up more than usual. 

“She’s the true definition of a team player, and I’m just blessed to travel with her because she’s a great person in and out of the arena,” she said of her traveling partner . 

The pair live together six months out of the year in a small living-quarters trailer. They’re not just friends, Thompson said. They’re sisters.  

What It Means 

Thompson isn’t just banking her own record. She’s watching the sport’s whole ceiling move. 

“There’s a lot of girls at home right now seeing that they can actually make a living doing this,” she said. “We’re getting to the point where we’re not just out here trying to make ends meet. We’re actually making a living. It wasn’t just me breaking the record, either. I think four other girls also won more than $16,000. To see that many cowgirls able to win that much money sets a huge precedent for next year and the years after.” 

Thompson’s total also outpaced every barrel racer on the week, a detail her mother pointed out before she’d even seen it herself. 

“For the sake of women’s rodeo, I hope that record gets beat,” Thompson said. “Us women deserve to go for as much money as possible.” 

Next Up 

Thompson isn’t slowing down to enjoy it. She’s headed into her home circuit swing this week: Casper, Sheridan, Estes Park, Laramie, Gunnison and Monte Vista. Her farthest stop is just seven hours from home. 

Asked to sum up her Cowboy Christmas in one word, she didn’t hesitate. 

“Memorable,” Thompson said. “I placed at six of the eight rodeos I entered, winning two of them. Not many people can say that. I’m just blessed my horses stayed working incredible and I had all the help that I did over the Fourth.”