American Quarter Horse Association (Amarillo, Texas), December 5, 2019 — The historic Four Sixes Ranch at Guthrie, Texas, hosted an AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge on November 2 at its facility, offering exhibitors a unique opportunity to visit the ranch, which is an AQHA Best Remuda winner and home to top ranch horses, cattle and some of the industry’s best stallions.
While this was not one of the six core Ranching Heritage Challenges, the Four Sixes contributed $15,000 in added money to the event, as well as award buckles. Every horse that competed at this Challenge, as with all Challenges in 2019, are eligible to compete at the 2020 AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge Finals at the Lazy E Arena in June 2020.
The Sixes were good hosts, with not only food and fun, but also a full menu of classes for competitors.
Event Gallery
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Ben Baldus and Shes Tuff N Smooth – Open Ranch Riding Champion -
Cooper Jones and Terrific Movement – Youth Team Roping Champion -
Cole Hatfield and WR Gin – Cowboy Working Ranch Horse -
Carisa Kimbro and TS Paddy Shota Spark – Level 1 Amateur Working Ranch Horse Champion -
Chelsea Adams and Adams Litta Drift – Amateur Barrel Racing Champion -
Clint Spiva and SRS Playin Fletch – Amateur Team Roping Champion -
Garrett Cooper and Wanna Be A Pepto – Open 4-Year-Old Working Ranch Horse Champion and Limited Open 4-Year-Old Working Ranch Horse Champion -
Hadleigh Halsell and TRR Mr Roansome Dove – Youth Working Ranch Horse Champion and Youth Level 1 Champion -
Julia Winders and TRR Tanquery Cat – Amateur Working Ranch Horse Champion -
Kambell Schmidt and Hey Doll Cat – Youth Barrel Race Champion -
Melinda Mayes-Kelly – Limited Amateur Working Ranch Horse Level 1 Champion -
Preslie Brooks and De Marcus Hair – Youth Ranch Riding Champion -
Sidney Dunkel and Bobbie Can Do – Amateur Ranch Riding Champion and Amateur Working Ranch Horse Reserve Champion -
Stoney Jones and Boons Ginnin – Open Team Roping Champion
$3,500-Added Open 4-Year-Old Working Ranch Horse
$1,500-Added Limited Open 4-Year-Old Working Ranch Horse
The W.T. Waggoner Estate sent out Wanna Be A Pepto and rider Garrett Cooper to capture both the 4-year-old working ranch horse and the limited 4-year-old working ranch horse classes, marking a 144.5. Their combined earnings for winning the two classes was $3,720.
The bay roan stallion is a homebred for the AQHA Best Remuda-winning ranch based in Vernon, Texas. He is by Pocket Fulla Pepto and out of the Double My Whiskey mare Wanna Be Blonde.
Wanna Be A Pepto’s dam is a sibling to horses that have earned more than $276,000 in National Reining Horse Association earnings, as well as world champion Whata Chic Magnet (by Magnum Chic Dream). They are all out of the producing mare Im Not Blonde.
Finishing second in the open class was Ben Baldus aboard his own Shes Tuff N Smooth (Woody Be Tuff-CR Shes Uh Secret by Peptoboonsmal), a sorrel mare bred by Center Ranch of Centerville, Texas.
Finishing second in the limited division was TRR Hillbilly Rock (Cats Hillbilly-TRR Girls A Rockin by Pepcid), ridden by Elwyn McClesky for breeder and owner AQHA Best Remuda winner Tongue River Ranch of Paducah, Texas.
$1,500-Added Open 5- & 6-Year-Old Working Ranch Horse
World champion Dusty Burson rode Pick Your Bet for employer Burnett Ranches LLC to win the 5- and 6-year-old working ranch horse class.
The 6-year-old red roan gelding was bred and is owned by the ranch, and is by Bet Hesa Cat and out of the Sixes Pick mare Pickin Tivio. They earned $1,170 for the victory.
Pickin Tivio is a money earner, and she and her siblings earned nearly $40,000. Pick Your Bet is a half brother to money earner W Pasture.
Finishing second in the class was Dusty’s brother, True Burson, aboard Whiskeys Rockin (Rockin W-Cynthias Whiskey by Paddys Irish Whiskey), also a homebred competing for Burnett Ranches.
$1,000-Added Limited Open 5- & 6-Year-Old Working Ranch Horse
Capturing the limited division was Sam Norman and TRR Pepoco Cat.
The 6-year-old red roan stallion is bred and owned by Tongue River Ranch. He is by Cats Hillbilly and out of the Pepcid mare TRR Ms Pepcid Poco. They earned $1,300 for their victorious run.
Finishing second was Julia Winders aboard James Winders’ TRR Tanquery Cat (Cats Hillbilly-TRR Sweet Shoot Out by TRR Big Iron).
$2,000-Added Cowboy Working Ranch Horse
The extremely competitive cowboy class had the deepest field and the second-highest score of the day’s cow work, won by WR Gin and Cole Hatfield with a 144, just a half point off the day’s overall highest mark. They won $1,340.
WR Gin is a 4-year-old gelding bred and owned by Burnett Ranches. He is by WR This Cats Smart and out of the Paddys Irish Whiskey mare Paddys Gin. The pair has already been winners in a previous Ranching Heritage Challenge this year.
Garrett Cooper and Wanna Be A Pepto came off their 4-year-old class wins to finish second in this class, earning an additional $1,005 to bring their day’s earnings to $4,725.
$2,500-Added Amateur Working Ranch Horse
The runner-up in the limited 5- and 6-year-old class was the winner in the amateur class.
Julia Winders, riding her husband’s TRR Tanquery Cat, marked a 142 to narrowly best multiple world champions Bobbie Can Do and Sidney Dunkel.
TRR Tanquery Cat is a 6-year-old gray gelding bred by Tongue River Ranch, and the Winderses acquired him last fall. He is by the ranch’s Cats Hillbilly and out of the TRR Big Iron mare TRR Sweet Shoot Out. They earned $1,550 for their win.
Dunkel and the W.T. Waggoner Estate-bred Bobbie Can Do (Cat Man Do-Bo Bobbie Socks by Mr Sorrel Bo) were second, a half point back.
Level 1 Amateur Working Ranch Horse
Carisa Kimbro of Burleson, Texas, guided her own TS Paddy Shota Spark to win the class and pull a paycheck.
TS Paddy Shota Spark is a 13-year-old gelding bred by Una M. Crowley-Ford of Chinook, Montana. He is by Paddys Shota Merada and out of the Shining Spark mare Knot A Shabby Shiner.
The gelding is an accomplished competitor in National Reined Cow Horse Association competition, as well as a money earner in Ranch Horse Association of America competition.
Finishing second was Eric Stevenson aboard the Beggs Cattle Co.-bred Becaco Magnum 357 (CD Son Of Magnolia-Ms Becaco Panchoflo by Mr Haida Flo).
Limited Amateur Working Ranch Horse
Level 1 Limited Amateur Working Ranch Horse
Melinda Mayes-Kelly guided her new mount, Seven S Delightful, to win the limited amateur class and earn $690.
The pair also won the Level 1 division of the class.
The Weatherford, Texas resident bought the 5-year-old mare from breeder and AQHA Best Remuda winner Stuart Ranch in August. The palomino mare is by CD Lights and out of the Genuine Doc mare Seven S Genuine Miss.
Second in the limited amateur was Meredith Lubbock aboard the 12-year-old gelding SCR Dualinforjewels (Dual With Me-SCR Sonoita Doc by Docs My Tio), bred by AQHA Best Remuda winner Singleton Ranch.
Second in the Level 1 division was Michael Thornton and Becaco Flo Three (Mr Haida Flo-Becaco Tres Lady by Preferred Gin), a brown gelding bred by Beggs Cattle Co.
Youth Working Ranch Horse
Level 1 Youth Working Ranch Horse
Hadleigh Halsell rode successfully for the brand, guiding Tongue River Ranch’s TRR Mr Roansome Dove to win both the youth class and Level 1 division, and earning a paycheck in both.
TRR Mr Roansome Dove is a 7-year-old red roan son of Pepcid, out of the Freckles Playboy mare TRR Playboys Dove, and has Ranch Horse Association of America earnings. He is a sibling to two other money earners, TRR Colonel Pep and TRR Pepcids Lil Dove.
The youth class was a perfect storm of cleverly named horses, as finishing second was Doc Hollibay and third was Dee Marcus Hair, both horses bred by Tulia, Texas-based Billy Cogdell, and owned by Jack Brooks of Quitaque, Texas.
Doc Hollibay (Jorge Derecho-Brinks Holly 009 by Maxi Lena) carried Jack Brooks in the class. Dee Marcus Hair (Jorge Derecho-Maxis Yellow Hair by Maxi Lena) – whose name audibly sounds very similar to famed football player DeMarcus Ware – carried Preslie Brooks.
Finishing second in the Level 1 was Rockin To Play (Rockin W-Your Turn To Play by Playin Stylish), ridden by Spur Leathers for breeder-owner Burnett Ranches LLC.
$1,000-Added Open Ranch Riding
Second in the working cow horse class, Shes Tuff N Smooth and Ben Baldus were clear winners in the open ranch riding, marking a 76.5 and earning $472.
The 4-year-old Center Ranch-bred mare is by Woody Be Tuff and out of the Peptoboonsmal mare CR Shes Uh Secret, and Baldus, who is based in Bowie, Texas, acquired her in the spring of her 2-year-old year.
She is a sibling to the earners of more than $30,000 in competition, and is herself a money earner in both ranch-horse and reined cow horse competition.
Finishing second was Blues Wright On (Blue Savannah Holli-Wright On Sandy by Lenas Wright On) and amateur Megan Ciana of Peyton, Colorado. Ciana co-owns the Watrous Valley Ranch-bred gelding with Dean Rand.
$1,000-Added Amateur Ranch Riding
Narrowly defeated in the working ranch horse class, Sidney Dunkel and Bobbie Can Do roared back to dominate the amateur ranch riding, marking an eyebrow-raising 79 and earning $372.
The Archer City, Texas, resident bought her 9-year-old W.T. Waggoner Estate-bred gelding in 2012 and has guided him to multiple Versatility Ranch Horse world championships in both the youth and amateur divisions.
Megan Ciana and Blues Wright On were second in this class, too, meaning they brought home a collective $664 for two ranch riding runs.
Youth Ranch Riding
Dee Marcus Hair and Preslie Brooks won the youth ranch riding.
The Brookses acquired the 5-year-old sorrel gelding in 2016. He is by the Strait Stylish stallion Jorge Derecho, and out of the Maxi Lena mare Maxis Yellow Hair.
Jack Brooks rode Doc Hollibay (Jorge Derecho-Brinks Holly 009 by Maxi Lena) to finish second.
$500-Added Open Team Roping
Who doesn’t like a good roping? Especially with a solid pay day. This open edition was won by Stoney Jones and Boons Ginnin, taking $630 for their quick work.
Boons Ginnin is a 6-year-old by Boon San and out of the Tanquery Gin mare Ginnin Woman. The horse is bred and owned by Burnett Ranches LLC.
Second was Dusty Burson and the Burnett Ranches horse Six Flo Cat (Bet Hesa Cat-Six Flo Jessie by Mr Jess Perry).
$500-Added Amateur Team Roping
Clint Spiva picked up the amateur win aboard SRS Playin Fletch.
The 5-year-old mare is by TRR Son D Seven and out of the Sixes Pick mare Fletchs Pick. She was bred by Scivally Ranch of Canyon, Texas. They earned a solid $750.
Second was Robbie Kelly aboard the Patricia Ann Hillman-bred mare CR Patootie (KR Nuff Said-Megans Wildflower by Passover Peppy).
Youth Team Roping
Cooper Jones and Terrific Movement dallied a win in the youth division, earning enough for a nice supper.
Terrific Movement, who is owned by Burnett Ranches LLC, is an 8-year-old sorrel gelding by Playin Stylish and out of the Tanquery Gin mare Cowgirl Movement.
$500-Added Open Barrel Race
Kim Coleman rode MC Baron Drifts to win the open barrel race, earning $750.
MC Baron Drifts is a 2009 buckskin gelding bred by McPhail Land & Cattle Co. He is by Sevens Baron and out of the Pay Forty Four mare Dashin Drifts Rose.
Second was Frenchmans Dual Pep (TR Haidaway Dual Pep-Frenchmans Randy Rae by Bogie Biankus) and Kaela Haddon for owner Cooper Wade Adams.
$500-Added Amateur Barrel Race
Chelsea Adams rode Cooper Wade Adams’ Litta Drift to top the amateur division, earning $650.
Litta Drift is a palomino mare by Sugar Peppy Drift and out of the mare Litta Cash, a daughter of The Adamas. She was bred by H.G. Adams IV.
Second was Meredith Lubbock and SCR Dualinforjewels.
Youth Barrel Race
Topping the youth division was Hey Doll Cat and Kambell Schmidt.
The Burnett Ranches-bred horse, who is owned by Kyle Schmidt, is a 10-year-old mare by Waresthecat and out of the Juno Dat Cash mare Hey Doll Baby.
Original article by AQHA: AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHAnews on Twitter and visit www.aqha.com/news.
