For at least 80 years – if not longer – ranches across the country have bred American Quarter Horses with pride. These ranchers were first and foremost cattlemen, and they needed horses to manage and move their herds. In the late 1890s – about the time these ranches were established – their horse herds were called by the Spanish word remuda.
When the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) was established in 1940, the horses from these ranches became some of the first registered Quarter Horses.
Fifty-two years later, AQHA started honoring ranches for their outstanding remudas. Nine ranches have been invited to compete in the Run for a Million’s inaugural $30,000 Cowboy Invitational — presented by XIT Ranch.
Eight of those ranches are AQHA Best Remuda Award winners: Burnett Four Sixes in 1993, Waggoner in 1994, Stuart Ranch in 1995, R.A. Brown in 1997, Bogle in 1999, Tongue River in 2011, Wagonhound in 2018 and King Ranch in 2019.
The AQHA Best Remuda Award is used by AQHA to recognize ranches that have bred and are breeding outstanding American Quarter Horses for use on the ranch.
Following are stories about all of the ranches that are sending their best horses and cowboys to compete for the champion title – and $25,000 in prize money – in the Run for a Million Cowboy Invitational.
Links to more information on the ranches:
