BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
In terms of diet and exercise, Dawson Hay keeps it simple. Bacon and eggs and steak and potatoes are his breakfast and dinner go-tos.
He often skips lunch too, and he does not have a set workout routine, instead he stays generally active, opting to ride his bike and the bucking machine to stay in shape.
Mentally, he’s as sharp as they come. From the time he sees the draw to the time he gets in the chutes, he is doing things to visualize the ride.
For Dawson Hay, 90-point rides come from the mental preparation, not the time in the gym. He also has had an opportunity to get a first-hand look at the mindset of an elite saddle bronc rider. His dad Rod qualified for the NFR 20 times in his career.
“I like to think our preparations are pretty similar,” he said. “I have always looked up to the way my dad prepared himself before competition and I was lucky enough to be able to watch him compete growing up, and learn his routine.”
At just 20-years-old, Dawson Hay qualified for the Wrangler NFR for the first time in 2019. After some injuries in 2020, he returned in 2021 and finished No. 9 in the final PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding World Standings with $151,685.
He took some time out of his day to let The Cowboy Channel know what the diet and training regimen of a 22-year-old bronc rider looks like.
TCC: What is a typical breakfast for you?
DH: Pretty simple bacon and eggs, usually the only thing I ever want to eat in the morning.
TCC: What is a typical lunch for you?
DH: Depending on the time of year, if we are traveling all day everyday I typically will skip lunch. I don’t like to feel really full when I’m crammed in a vehicle all day.
TCC: Favorite food?
DH: Probably steak, I do like eating seafood and crawfish whenever I get the chance.
TCC: Anything unhealthy you’ve tried to cut out recently?
DH: Although I haven’t necessarily cut out any foods lately, I have just been working on eating healthier overall.
TCC: What is your workout routine like?
DH: I don’t have a traditional regimen workout routine. I just try and stay active each and every day. If I am working out I will be riding a bike, I have had a few knee injuries and it’s important to me to keep my knee strong. Also just staying as active as I can. For example outdoor activities I enjoy that definitely give me a healthy workout are; snowboarding, riding my horses, and riding the bucking machine.
TCC: What muscles are you trying to target and why?
DH: I try and keep my core muscles as strong as I can. I have very short legs and a bigger torso so it’s important for me to keep my upper body strong to ensure strength and balance are the best they can be.
TCC: Do you do anything to prepare yourself mentally?
DH: Yes, absolutely. With bronc ridding and all sports I’m my opinion, at least 90 percent of success comes with mental preparation. I think 90 point rides don’t come from the gym, but from wanting to win and being mentally strong.
TCC: If so, what?
DH: After seeing my draw at each rodeo, I try and imagine the ride over and over again in my head and how I can make the best out of each horse. After getting to the rodeo I do everything I can to be as confident as I can going into the ride. You can ride any bucking horse in the world with the right mindset, but you can also fall off of the easiest horses in the pen if your mind isn’t in the game.
TCC: What is your favorite physical activity outside of riding broncs? Why?
DH: In the winter time I love to snowboard, I get a big adrenaline rush from it. In the summer time I like to ride my horses and go dirt biking.