World Championship Ranch Rodeo winners crowned
The Working Ranch Cowboys Association (WRCA) hosted the 29th Annual World Championship Ranch Rodeo Nov. 14-17 at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex in Amarillo, Texas, where 25 pre-qualified teams competed in five events to showcase the skills of America’s working ranch cowboys.
Following four days of tough competition, Arizona Cowboys Logan Anderson; Logan Westcott; Ace, Whip and Dally Peterson and Cole Hubbell of the Muleshoe and Hatchet ranches in Kirkland and Paradise, Ariz. were named the 2024 World Champion Team.
The Reserve World Champion Team was EC Cattle Company and Mule Creek Cattle, made up of Reece Clark, Waylon Davis, Nathan and Korlee Carter and Slick Robison of Santo and Breckenridge, Texas.
Circle M8 Land and Cattle of Silverton, Texas finished as the third-place team, made up of members Phillip and Rye Reynolds, Chance Holcombe, Jayde Smith and Casey Pope.
Pulling into the fourth-place position were Tyler and Chace Thompson, Chad Williams, Alex Nino, Quay Howard and Colton McCarley of Thompson Ranch in Munday, Texas, and finishing out the top five was a team made up of cowboys from Rocking P Cattle and S&P Cattle of Latham, Kan. and Welch, Okla., including Chris, Colton and Carlee Potter; Justin and Jake Peterson and Dillon Sherrick.
Event winners
The World Championship Ranch Rodeo tests the skills of cowboys across five events representing everyday tasks of the working ranch cowboy, including ranch bronc riding, team penning, team branding, stray gathering and wild cow milking.
With an 82-point ride in the first go and an 84.5-point ride in the second go, Waylon Davis earned a first-place finish for EC Cattle Company and Mule Creek Cattle in the ranch bronc riding.
The EC Cattle Company and Mule Creek Cattle team also topped the podium in team penning with a time of 57.01 seconds on three head in the first round and 41.03 seconds on three head in the second round.
The Blackmore Ranch and Rail 3 team, hailing from Hillside and Florence, Ariz., won team branding. This team is made up of members Shad Beebe, Seth Hall, Dee Oles, Chase Pope and Jason Olson.
A time of 58.99 seconds in the first round and 45.97 seconds in the second round earned the Muleshoe Ranch and Hatchet Ranch team a first-place finish in stray gathering.
To round out the individual events, Colorado Cowboys Jesse Jolly, Dustin Bowling, Will Shaffer, Phy Lord, Kyle Spitz and Luke Kelley of Jolly Ranch and S&L Cattle in Agate and Lamar, Colo. won the wild cow milking.
Top individuals
In addition to recognizing top-performing teams during the four days of ranch rodeo competition, WRCA also honors individuals with the Top Hand and Top Horse awards.
The Top Hand Award is given to a single cowboy chosen by a panel of judges who take note of skill, horsemanship and teamwork abilities over the course of the competition.
This year, Logan Westcott of the Muleshoe Ranch and Hatchet Ranch team was named the Top Hand, while Waylon Davis of the EC Cattle Company and Mule Creek Cattle team earned honors as the Reserve Top Hand.
Four-legged athletes are also recognized for their athleticism, versatility and contribution to the team with the WRCA’s Top Horse Award.
Tick Tick Boom Boom, a three-year-old blue roan ridden by Rodney Wilson and owned by Wilson Cattle, LLC, was named the 2024 Top Horse. Known to his rider as Big Valley, this impressive gelding proved an integral part of the Wilson Cattle, LLC team during the tough week of competition.
The Daube Company’s 10-year-old bay roan Nu Metallic, ridden by Tristan Grantham, was named the 2024 Reserve Top Horse.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
