Hali Williams completed a career-defining arc at the first-ever Kimes Million Dollar Breakaway Roping, winning a total of $115,000 and clinching the High-Money Earning title in Scottsdale, AZ, on Nov. 30, 2024.
Williams pulled checks in five of the 10 Rounds, finishing No. 2 in the average behind Kelsie Domer for another $40,000 check.
“I came into this wanting to be the high-money earner,” Williams, 20, said. “I didn’t think I would go through the average to get it, though. I would have thought I’d won more rounds. I was a little trigger happy on two and broke the barrier, but now I get to go home with a good check and pay some bills.”
Hali Williams’ Kimes Ranch Million Dollar Breakaway resume
| Round | Time | Money |
| Average | 43.02 on 10 | $40,000 |
| Round 9 | 1.94 | $10,000 |
| Round 4 | 2.03 | $20,000 |
| Round 3 | 2.21 | $5,000 |
| Round 2 | 2.01 | $25,000 |
| Round 1 | 2.28 | $15,000 |
| Semifinals | 2.09 | $2,073 |
Find full Kimes Ranch Million Dollar Breakaway Results here.
For Williams, the victory comes following a year of rehabilitation for an injury she sustained in October 2023, where a horse pinned her in a trailer and stepped on her right leg, damaging her Brevis and Achilles tendons, torquing her knee and more. Following her injury, Williams says she developed bad habits compensating for her right foot—which she didn’t want to put weight on in the stirrup.
“My weakness since I got hurt, is when [the calves] go right, I lose my balance,” Williams said. “But this was the first time in a year that I felt confident roping. I feel like my most memorable run was my 2.01 that I won Round 2 with. Just because I’d missed a calf in the Semifinals that went right like that, and I knew that calf went right hard.
“I am so very thankful for the Kimes Family and Chris Neal Productions for making it such a cool show. From having the youngsters rope [between rounds] to the calf ropers, it was really cool to have us all on the same stage where we’re getting to rope for a lot of money.” – Hali Williams
How Hali Williams climbed onto the big Kimes Million Dollar Finals
Finishing No. 12 in the WPRA World Standings, Williams wasn’t one of the top 10 seeded into the Kimes Ranch Million Dollar Breakaway finals. Instead, she roped in the Semifinals on Nov. 28, securing her place following a rope off Round 2 against phenom Kelsie Reininger.
“I fee like the last six months I’ve had to learn how to give up control and trust the process,” Williams explained. “Last year I tried to control a lot of things that were out of my control, and make it work. You have to stay in your lane, do your job and let the cards fall.”
Million dollar magic
It was a packed, rowdy crowd inside West World’s Equidome on Saturday night, where the crowd leaned in for each run, cheering for the ladies and giving them high-fives as they rode down the return alley.
“There are very few perfs you go to where they’re truly cheering,” Williams said. “They were engaged, they knew what was going on, they knew who was winning. It’s so exciting to run a calf for $25,000 every round. It’s something our dreams are made out of.”
Williams was quick to praise her mount, Redlight, too. The big sorrel is known for scoring well and catching up with ease, putting Williams in prime position. In 2023, the pair won RodeoHouston together, helping Williams secure her first-ever NFBR Qualification.
“Redlight was a beast on the first day,” Williams said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better. He was a little strong on the last calf last night, so we went to Dean Tuftin‘s house where we’ve been staying and Melvin Helmuth helped me with him. Melvin even came and loped him down for me tonight and he felt amazing.”
The event team took notice of the red gelding, too, and bestowed him the Horse of the Event title, adding to the pair’s accolades.
Now, the fun’s not over for breakaway ropers. The Top 15 are headed to Las Vegas to compete in the National Finals Breakaway Roping Dec. 3–4, in the SouthPoint. Williams said her team was headed out early Sunday morning, and she looked forward to seeing who was going to collect the World Championship whilst cheering on her peers.
