Raised by Rodeo Royalty

Hiatt had another advantage other than the abundance of roping cattle he had growing up: the people around him.

Beginning on his mom Tygh’s side of the family, Hiatt’s grandfather was the late Butch Meyers, who qualified for the NFR 12 times; his uncle, Cash Meyers, made it 13 times, and his other uncle, Rope, is an 11-time NFR qualifier. His dad, Chad, was the College National Finals Rodeo champion tie-down roper in 1992, a tradition Hiatt carried on when he became the CNFR men’s all-around champion in 2023, rodeoing for West Texas A&M University.  

When asked what it was like to grow up in that environment, he said: “I was fortunate. Growing up, you don’t really even understand it and kind of take it for granted, but the older you get, the more you see it; I couldn’t have had it any better. Butch, he was a winner. It didn’t matter what it was, he was going to win. The whole family is that way: it’s pretty cutthroat, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing cards or roping.”

Outside of his kin, Hiatt had two other mentors in 11-time NFR cowboy Brent Lewis and six-time NFR cowboy Monty Lewis, who both reside in the windy Texas Panhandle along with Hiatt.

“I took a lot from Dad and Brent,” he said. “Brent, he really just beats the run into your head. The best thing about him is you get your mind strong.”

Made for This

All those calves he ran finally paid off in December 2024, when Hiatt found himself backing in the box at the National Finals Rodeo for the first time.

“That arena is electric,” Hiatt said. “I do think that is the hardest place to rope — the finals — it looks easy on TV, but it is not easy.”

The 2024 NFR saw Hiatt place in the fifth round with an 8.2-second run for $14,127 and tie one in 7.5 seconds for second in the ninth round to win $20,285; after the week was over, he ended up 12th in the world standings with $195,836 won for the year.

Leading up to the little yellow arena, Hiatt’s practice plan is simple: enter jackpots and make as many runs as possible.

“I like to enter,” he explained. “I like to go jackpot. I’ll have a couple of horses to make runs on and mess with. But I don’t like to beat my head against the wall. I don’t like to just run them like crazy, especially real early. I probably won’t start making NFR runs until about two or three weeks before I leave to go out there. I think you just get a hole making runs. The only way to stay sharp is being behind barrier.”

As of Aug. 15, 2025, Hiatt is sitting 13th in the world, so there is no doubt a trip back to the Thomas & Mack is on his mind. This year, however, he has a new plan of attack for the finals: “Before I go this year, my big focus is going to be getting off the corner faster and be on the barrier every night.”

Now What

From buying his card in 2021 to the 2025 season, Hiatt has found one thing to be true of the ProRodeo road: you have to make your run.

“It took me a while to settle in and figure out how to make my run day in and day out,” he said. “It took me a while to figure out how to not be so streaky and just place every time. That was the hardest thing for me.”

With the help of JJ Shimmer Cat — Big Red — the 7-year-old gelding Hiatt took to the finals with him last year, he’s gotten his run figured out.

So far this season, Hiatt has won the first round (9.2 seconds) and average in Redding, California, with a totally time of 19.5 seconds on two head to win $5,636 for his efforts; won the second round at the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho, tying one in 7.8 seconds to pocket $4,400; was second in the second round at the Calgary Stampede with a 8.1-second run to win $5,500; and won first round (8.6 seconds), final round (8.7 seconds) and average in Casper, Wyoming, with an total average time of 17.3 seconds on two head and take home more than $12,000, just to name a few.

The goal is simple from here: qualify to make the trip to Las Vegas in December. It is in Hiatt’s blood to do just that.