The Sweetwater-Drummond team has an official fan club, made up of family members and neighbors from northeast Oklahoma. The spirited bunch traveled to about 20 rodeos with the team this summer, and at the WCRR, they could be spotted wearing shirts with their team name.
2009 Reserve Champion went to Bradley J3 Ranch & Veale Ranch.
Former world champs Wilson Cattle, partnered this year with T4 Cattle, scored third place in 2009. They hail from Hereford and Canyon, Texas.
Hatchet Ranch and 10X Ranch, from Hachita, N.M., and Apache, Ariz., took home an overall fourth place win at the World Championship Ranch Rodeo.
Fifth place overall went to Haythorn Land and Cattle Co. of Arthur, Neb.
WRCA director Craig Haythorn earned a fifth “top WCRR horse” title, this time with Four Lil Smart, sired by Smart Lil Riddler and out of Handy Tess. The red roan also was named the top AQHA horse of the World Championship Ranch Rodeo.
Riley Smith of Sandhill Cattle Co., shown here at the head of a wild cow, was named top hand of the WCRR.
Last year’s top hand Hegan Lamb won the reserve title this year, and his horse, Ms Ginnin Badger, also was named reserve top horse.
The hard luck cowboy award went this year to Pete Petersen, the hitch supervisor of the Budweiser Clydesdales. On the opening night of the rodeo, his wagon became hooked on the panels lining the arena. Two double-trees were broken in the incident, but Pete quickly got the horses under control, and his ground crew quickly replaced the broken pieces. Once everything was in place, Pete continued the performance, to the crowd’s delight. As part of his award, he received a piece of one of the broken double-tree with a plaque thanking him for his performances.
Buck Creek Ranch and Lonesome Pine Ranch of Cottonwood Falls and Cedar Point, Kan., scored an event win in team penning.
The 2008 world champs, Rainbow Ranch of Deming, N.M., earned an event win in team branding.
The new world champs, Sweetwater Cattle & Tom Drummond Ranch, were impressive in the wild cow event, winning both go-rounds and, of course, the average.
Brad Shadel of Mimms Cattle & Myers Cattle was the WCRR’s best bronc rider, winning the event title and nabbing the highest score of the event, an 83, shown here. He hails from Clarendon, Texas.
Wilson Cattle & T4Cattle were named the event winners in stray gathering.
Tripp Townsend of Earth, Texas, won the senior division of the ranch horse show, and came back to score the overall win. He was riding Heza Jewel Cat, a 2002 bay gelding by Lenas Jewel Bars and out of Cats Trojan by Highbrow Cat. Tripp also had the highest dry-work score of the event and received a bronze from the West Texas Reining Horse Association.
Matt Koch of Seneca, Kan., rode Tinkertoy Colonel to the win in the junior division of the ranch horse show. The 2004 sorrel gelding is by The Nu Colonel and out of BH Tinkertoy by BH Toy Soldier.
This year’s top hand, Riley Smith, also scored in the ranch horse show, winning the ranch hand division. He rode Seven S Zans Gun, a 2003 brown gelding by Real Gun and out of Seven S Zans Lady by Seven S Zanaday.
Todd Richardson of Gainesville, Texas, won the cowboy class of the ranch horse show held in conjunction with the WCRR. He was aboard Taz N Wood, a 2002 bay gelding sired by Zack T Wood and out of Tasmanian Playgirl by Freckles Playboy.
