By Larry Stalcup, Contributing Editor
AMARILLO, Texas – While the NFR saddles up in Las Vegas this month, top working ranch cowboys recently competed in the World Championship Ranch Rodeo (WCRR) in Amarillo in November. And the action was as lively as cutting a stubborn calf during a blustery Panhandle blizzard.
The WCRR saw entries like the Muleshoe and Hatchet ranches in Arizona and the sprawling 6666 in Texas compete in what’s often called the “real deal” of rodeos.
Conducted by the Working Ranch Cowboys Association (WRCA), the Nov. 14-17 event attracted the top 25 ranches that won sanctioned ranch rodeos across the country. It’s likely that the Muleshoe/Hatchet team from Kirkland and Paradise, Ariz., is still celebrating after being crowned World Champion.
This was the 29th annual WCRR conducted by the association, headquartered in Amarillo. The Muleshoe/Hatchet team was made up of Logan Anderson, Logan Westcott, Ace Peterson, Whip Peterson, Dally Peterson and Cole Hubbell.
The Reserve World Champion team was EC Cattle Co./Mule Creek Cattle from Santo and Breckenridge, Texas. Its team members were Reece Clark, Waylon Davis, Nathan Carter, Slick Robison and Karle Carter. Circle M8 Land & Cattle of Silverton, Texas, took home third place honors. Team members were Phillip Reynolds, Rye Reynolds, Chance Holcombe, Jayde Smith and Casey Pope.
The fourth place team was the Thompson Ranch from Munday, Texas, with fifth-place honors going to the Rocking P Cattle/S&P Cattle from Latham, Kan., and Welch, Okla.
Other competing ranches included the 6666s Dixon Creek, Panhandle, Texas; Lochhead Cattle Co., Terrell, Texas; Blackmore/Rail 3 ranches, Hillside and Florence, Ariz.; Cook Canyon Ranch, Clyde, Texas; Sandhill Cattle Co./McMillen Ranch, Earth, Texas, and Weatherford, Okla.; Singleton Ranches, Lamy, NM; Sooner Cattle Co., Pawhuska, Okla.; Buford Ranches Rock Creek Division, Adair, Okla.; Snyder Ranch/Woolfolk Ranch, Coldwater and Protection, Kan.; Wilson Cattle LLC, Canyon, Texas; and Burns Ranch, Henrietta, Texas.
Also, Wilders Cattle Co./Perrin Cattle, Clovis, NM and Hereford, Texas; Slash K Cattle, Walters, Okla.; Jolly Ranch/ S&L Cattle, Agate and Lamar, Colo.; Meier Cattle Co./4-E Livestock, Limon and Genoa, Colo.; Pettigrew Ranch/White Ranch, Fort Sumner and Santa Rosa, NM; Daube Ranch/3C Cattle Co., Ardmore and Mill Creek, Okla.; Cameron Livestock/Orme Ranch, Williams, Ariz.; Turkey Track Division-Bogle Ltd./Barrow Ranch, Maljamar, N.M., and Andrews, Texas; and Beachner Bros. Livestock/Mill Creek Ranch, Erie and Ft. Scott, Kan.
Individual awards: Top Hand, Logan Westcott, Muleshoe Ranch/Hatchet Ranch; Reserve Top Hand, Waylon Davis, EC Cattle Co./Mule Creek Cattle; Top Horse, Tic Tick Boom Boon ridden by Rodey Wilson, Wilson Cattle LLC.; Reserve Top Horse, New Metallic, ridden by Tristan Grantham, Daube Ranch/3C Cattle Co.
WRCA’s Mission
The WRCA promotes ranching on national and international levels. Its goal is to preserve the lifestyle of the working ranch cowboy. WRCA began in 1995 when a group horse enthusiasts and ranchers got together to develop a plan to honor the working cowboy, a breed that has been dwindling for decades.
The group raised funds to hold the first World Championship Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo. After a few struggles, the WCRR took off. It has been held annually since in the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum. A giant Cowboy Trade and Trappings Show accompanied the finals. There are also special cowboy poet sessions and numerous western music artists. Western paintings and sculptures are also a hit among rodeo visitors.
WRCA Foundation
With high medical costs and other financial burdens, the WRCA Foundation was established to assist working ranch cowboys and their family members. The foundation aids with heath issues, medical expenses and work-related accidents.
The foundation also helps during natural disasters, such as the early 2024 Texas Panhandle wildfires as well as blizzards, floods and tornadoes. There are also WRCA scholarships that are awarded to ranch family members. Dozens of youth have benefitted from the WRCA Scholarship program.
To apply for WRCA Foundation help with a crisis or information on scholarship applications, contact Kaycee Hooper at 806-374-9722 or kaycee@wrca.org. The WCRR and Cowboy Trade and Trappings Show provide funding for the foundation. However, additional funds are always needed to make sure ranches in crisis can be assisted.
To donate to the foundation, visit wrca.org. While there, check out the long list of sponsors that help make the WRCA and World Championship Ranch Rodeo possible.
Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2025 World Championship Ranch Rodeo, Nov. 13-16 at the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum.
