Barron-Highsmith Cattle Co. of Oologah, Oklahoma, and Short Ranches of Ramona, Oklahoma, captured the title at the 30th annual World Championship Ranch Rodeo, closing out the Working Ranch Cowboys Association’s milestone event held Nov. 13–16 at the Amarillo Civic Center.
This year marked three decades of WRCA championship competition, drawing multi-generation ranching families, former champions and longtime fans to the Civic Center arena. The four-day rodeo featured teams from seven states competing Thursday through Sunday, with the fifth annual Youth World Championship Ranch Rodeo held Saturday.
Attendance surged throughout the anniversary weekend, with fans packing the Amarillo Civic Center long before each performance. Lines stretched through the concourse as attendees browsed the many vendors selling rodeo gear, leatherwork, apparel and all kinds of Western goods, adding to the steady buzz inside the arena. Families, ranch crews and longtime WRCA followers streamed in for every show, continuing the strong crowds that have become a hallmark of the championship weekend. The momentum started with Thursday’s opener and carried through the Special Kids Ranch Rodeo, the youth rodeo and all nightly performances.
Thursday opened not only with the first round of competition, but also with the Special Kids Ranch Rodeo, a longstanding WRCA tradition that pairs working cowboys with children for hands-on, adaptive rodeo activities in the arena. Families filled the stands early as kids took part in modified events alongside some of the WRCA’s top ranch hands.
The first WRCA performance that evening got off to a wild start — fast bronc rides, close calls and a roaring crowd that never let up. For many teams, the championship weekend serves as both a break from fall ranch work and a reunion of families spread across the region.
The winning Barron-Highsmith/Short Ranches team — Willie Barron, Matt Strickler, Jake Dykes, Armando Rodriguez and TJ Hendricks — secured the overall championship with steady performances across multiple events. Dykes also earned Top Hand, one of the rodeo’s most prestigious individual honors. The WRCA requires all competitors to be full-time working ranch cowboys, a rule that distinguishes the event from traditional rodeo circuits and reinforces its focus on authentic ranching skills.
Rocking P Cattle of Latham, Kansas, and S&P Cattle of Welch, Oklahoma, claimed the Reserve World Champion Team title. The group improved on last year’s fifth-place finish with a strong showing throughout the weekend. Team members included Chris, Colton and Carlee Potter, along with Justin and Jake Peterson and Dillon Sherrick. Colton Potter was honored as Reserve Top Hand.
Heck Cattle Co. of Clarendon, Texas, placed third with competitors Cody Heck, Rylan Ferbrache, Josh Halsell, Jody Padilla and Braiden Obermier.
Lonesome Pine of Cedar Point, Kansas, and C5T of Benton, Kansas, finished fourth and also earned the Fan-Favorite Ranch Remuda award.
Fifth went to B&W Land and Cattle of Shidler, Oklahoma, and Sumner Cattle of Ramona, Oklahoma, behind ranch hands Tanner Davis, Keith Sumner, Doug Hall, Kolby Boos and Tucker Begley.
This year’s 30th anniversary field featured ranches representing Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. Those included Haythorn Land & Cattle of Arthur and Hyannis, Nebraska; Lochhead Cattle Co. of Terrell, Texas; Circle M8 Land & Cattle of Silverton, Texas; Beachner Bros. Livestock and Mill Creek Ranch of Erie and Fort Scott, Kansas; Geronimo Ranch of Douglas, Arizona; and others whose traditions run deep across the West.
Horse awards
Hesa Twisted Bet, ridden by Lanham Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, was named Top Horse. Casas Hickory Cat, ridden by Cody Kendall of Beachner Bros. Livestock and Mill Creek Ranch, earned Reserve Top Horse.
Before listing the event winners, it is worth noting that WRCA events mirror real ranch work rather than traditional rodeo competition, with teams roping, sorting, branding and handling cattle in the same ways they do on the job.
Event winners
Youth World Championship Ranch Rodeo
Hat Creek / Sooner Cattle won the 2025 Youth World Championship Ranch Rodeo, with Rimrock Ranch finishing as Reserve Champions and Twin Wells Ranch placing third.
Bradly Burris of Twin Wells Ranch earned Top Hand, while Colter Lee Todd of Little Hatchet / Warbonnet rode the Top Horse.
Event winners included Twin Wells Ranch in Branding, Sterling Ranches in Sorting, Little Hatchet / Warbonnet in Doctoring, C3 Cattle Co. / Myers Cattle in Trailer Loading, and Hat Creek / Sooner Cattle in the Wild Steer Race.
As the 30th anniversary weekend came to a close, the WRCA once again highlighted not only competition, but the culture, heritage and community that continue to define ranch families across the West.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Barron-Highsmith, Short Ranches win 30th anniversary WRCA World Championship
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
