Texas team wins ranch rodeo competition

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Sandhill Cattle Co. of Earth (located in the Texas Panhandle/South Plains region) achieved the bragging right of being "the best" following WRCA World Championship competition. Team members are (on horseback, from left) Bruce Bridges, Riley Smith, Tori Townsend, Tripp Townsend and Efrain Corrales. WRCA president Gary Morton (in front) holds the trophy that was presented to the team. Courtesy photo

Nov. 25, 2004 - The sounds of creaking saddles and jingling spurs were evidence that cowboys and their horses were recently a big presence in Amarillo.

Twenty teams from across the country came to the cold Texas Panhandle to compete in the Ninth Annual World Championship Ranch Rodeo finals, Nov. 10-14. The teams were from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, and Canada to vie for the covenant bragging rights of being "the best." Before the winner was declared, the cowboys branded, doctored, rode, milked, and penned what cattle and bucking horses they had to during four nights of World competition.

But when the dust settled, Sandhill Cattle Company from Earth, the first Texas team since 1996, took home the honors. The team, which consisted of Tripp Townsend, Bruce Bridges, Efrain Corrales, Jesse Valdez, Riley Smith, and Tori Townsend, qualified for its third World Champion Ranch Rodeo by winning the Colorado Championship Rodeo in Hugo, Colo. Tripp also won the Reserve Top Hand and his horse, Leo Cheno, was named Top Horse and Top AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) horse. The team also won the top team penning award.

Located near Lubbock, the Sandhill Cattle Company is a partnership between Bridges and Townsend. They lease 11,000 acres in Lamb County where 1,000 to 1,200 yearlings are run every summer. The ranch also leases 5,000 acres in Castro County for 350 cows. Additional yearlings are run each winter.

For their win, the team took home a 20-foot Gooseneck stock trailer, custom saddles, championship trophy buckles, Olathe boots, limited edition prints, animal health products from Fort Dodge, and a bronze trophy.

The Reserve World Champion title went to Wilson Cattle Company of Arthur, Neb., who has previously won the champion title five times. This team was also deemed the winner of the wild cow milking contest.

The third place winner was Rainbow Ranch of Deming, N.M, which also won the ranch bronc riding.

Fourth place was the Van Norman Ranches and Nicholson Land And Livestock of Tuscarora, Nev., and Meridian, Idaho.

The team branding winner was Martin Ranch of Evanston, Wy., who along with Slagowski Ranch won the event last year.

The team doctoring winner was The Buck Creek and Scribner ranches of Cottonwood Falls and El Dorado, Kan.

Lee Hart of D&M Cattle Company of Greeley, Kan. was awarded the Top Hand.

Other winners were the Reserve Top Horse, "Duke," ridden by Texas cowboy John Edward Bland of the Spade Ranches of Colorado City.

Another Texas cowboy, Mike Lyles of the Lyles Ranch in Benjamin, was named the Hard-Luck Cowboy after suffering appendicitis during the rodeo.

Doan Shearer of Fort Morgan, Colo., was awarded $5,000 for his bronc ride.

Other Texas teams who tried their luck was H Ranch and Slash C Cattle Company of Channing and Wildorado; NT Ranch and J & K Cattle Company, Anson and Stamford; and Tongue River Ranch, Dumont.