Ranch cowboys show how they ride, rein and rope at Battle in the Saddle in Oklahoma City.

By Larri Jo Starkey

Doug Milholland slides Double My Whiskey for WT Waggoner Estate during Battle in the Saddle in Oklahoma City.

Bragging rights and more than $10,000 are on the line in the ranch remuda contest, sponsored by The American Quarter Horse Journal, at Battle in the Saddle in Oklahoma City.

During the preliminaries, a cowboy hat-wearing audience watched attentively as horses bred and raised on the ranches they represent competed.

“I think it’s great because the whole deal involves the ranchers,” says Ken Jarosz of Saint Jo, Texas, who drove to Oklahoma City to watch the contest. “It opens people’s attitudes toward how cowboys treat their horses, show their horses and ride them.”

Cowboys who work full-time for the ranches rode their horses in a short reining pattern before a calf was released into the arena. The cowboys boxed the calves on the end of the arena before turning them each way on the long side of the rail and finally roping them and pulling them to a stop.

“We love to watch great performance horses, whether they’re doing something like this or cutting,” says Lloyd Pike of Oklahoma with his wife, Shelly. “We came in last night and watched the cutters, which was really good. We especially enjoyed the World’s Greatest Horseman Shootout.”

The horses involved are ages 4-7. AQHA President Johannes Orgeldinger was on hand to watch the action, as was Second Vice President Gene Graves and Bill Brewer, AQHA’s former executive vice president.

“I just like the way these horses are presented and move,” Bill says. “I think anybody would enjoy watching them.”

During the preliminaries, Stoney Jones’ children and wife, Sammy, were willing to offer a prediction: “Tongue River Ranch will win. No doubt about it.”

Tom Moorhouse of the ranch was just as certain of the outcome and had one more belief: “(Stoney) will catch. I’d bet on it.”

Stoney didn’t make the finals, but Tom’s money was never in danger. Stoney caught.

To see photos from these Battle in the Saddle contests, watch the slide show below. Click on the photos to see the captions. To get complete results, go to www.battleinthesaddle.com

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