This award honors working ranches that have top remudas of saddle horses.  This honor includes them in the company of some of America’s most historic ranches.

Howard Haythorn came to Maxwell on horseback at 13 years of age. He helped his father trail in a herd of cattle and horses to their new home. He stayed in the Nebraska Sandhills to raise his own family and continue the legacy started by his grandfather: raising cattle & American Quarter Horses. Which are the tools of their ranch . Howard and his son, Harry Byron Haythorn, run a 1,500-head cow-calf operation on 20,000 acres.

“The only way to handle cattle is on horseback,” Howard said, “and if you have horses, you may as well own good ones. We breed 20 to 30 mares a year. We don’t follow the whims of the market. We raise horses to suit our needs, which translates into horses that can be used by a wide variety of people for a wide variety of activities.”

Ranch stallions;                                             Rusty Gun 876, by AQHA World Show Superhorse Real Gun                                   Peppy San Kai, by a son of Senor George Snickelfritz Mickey by Snickelfritz Chex    Mickey 612, a 3-year-old by Snickelfritz Mickey

 Most of the mares are homebred, and many of them trace back to horses owned by Howard’s father, Harry Jr., and his uncle, Walter.  Howard has built his own legacy form the foundation up, breeding American Quarter Horses for half a century.  He will be featured in the Oct issue of Quarter Horse Journal with other 50-year consecutive breeders.

The Best Remuda Award will be presented in November at the WRCA Finals in AMarillo TX.