KT Cattle Inc. Named Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year

KT Cattle Inc., based in Amado, Arizona, is recognized as the 2022 AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year.

The ranch has been owned and operated for over 25 years by Kyle and Amy Best and their family who represent six generations of ranching experience and history. “Raising Diamonds In the Rocks” is their motto. The family believes in raising horses as their forefathers did, using them primarily for ranch work over the terrain of Arizona. KT Cattle Inc. also understands that a solid foundation is essential for the success of the horses they sell. Starting at birth, their mares help train the foals to navigate the mountainous trails making the horses they raise exceptionally nimble and sure-footed.

“KT Cattle works to produce quality horses the traditional way,” said Karen McCuistion, AQHA senior director of member programs. ”They are a close family that believes in preserving the values of ranching, and we appreciate their contributions to AQHA ranching by raising top-quality working ranch horses.” KT Cattle Inc. is an active supporter of AQHA programs, including the AQHA Ranching Heritage Young Horse Development Program.

Ranching Heritage Breeders are working cattle ranches that produce five or more registered American Quarter Horses each year for ranch work. Photo credit: KT Cattle Inc.

slated to be hosted during the 2024 AQHA Convention March 1518 at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The 2022 AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year award will be formally presented during the AQHA Breeder Banquet, from page 32 KING

The man who gets Haylee’s highest praise, though, is her dad. “I don’t think I could do it without him,” Haylee says. “Actually, that’s a lie, I know I couldn’t do it without him. It’s been a big blessing to be a part of a Western family who competes in cutting.

My grandfather Ken Welch manages Silverbrook Ranch (owned formerly by King Ranch descendant Helen Groves), so not only do I get the cutting aspect of it, I get the true cowboy lifestyle.” Haylee remembers never being persuaded to hang out at the barn with her dad.

“I was homeschooled when I was younger, and I would go work with my dad every morning,” Haylee remembers.

“My mom would have to call me back home, reminding me that my studies were just as important.” While the teen acknowledges the challenges of being competitive, she’s never one to complain. “For some people, it’s a hobby; for us, it’s a lifestyle,” Haylee says.

“When I was little, I would envy some people, because they would get to show up and show, while we would be there with 15 horses and have to get horses ready for every set. But the older I got, the more I realized how fun it is. There is a lot of work that goes into it. In the winter, it’s freezing, and in the summer, it gets hot so early. So we’ll be up at 4:30 a.m. to work the horses before it gets too hot. There are a lot of hours that go into riding horses.”

This award is open only to AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeders who exemplify the ranching lifestyle. Ranching Heritage Breeders are working cattle ranches that produce five or more registered American Quarter Horses each year for ranch work. Nominees for the award are chosen by their peers, with final voting done by the AQHA Ranching Committee.

Stress, long hours and hard work don’t overshadow one important aspect for the King family, though. “It sounds so cliché, but I cannot name one time that I have gone into the show pen that my dad has not said to me, ‘Just have fun,’” Haylee says. “It can be stressful getting ready to show, but when it’s about 30 seconds before a run, he’s always right there to say, ‘Just go in there and have fun.’”

Haylee and Metabra will spend the next month getting ready for the National High School Finals Rodeo, which will run July 16-22 in Gillette, Wyoming. She says she’ll try to keep Metabra’s schedule as normal as possible. She’ll also keep her dad’s words of advice in mind. “No matter what the competition is like or how a run ends, I’m going to have fun,” Haylee says. “I know I’m lucky to get to compete.”

Taylor Sheridan Talks

Paramount+ Sequel Series and Matthew McConaughey

Yellowstone still has at least six more episodes before it ends, but series creator Taylor Sheridan is already working on the sequel series. The untitled drama, which will potentially star Matthew McConaughey, is in the early stages of development, but Sheridan teased a few details in a recent interview with THR.

The new Paramount+ drama will likely have Yellowstone in the title. Sheridan hints that the new show, which was expected to include several existing characters, might lean heavily on a new cast and location.

“My idea of a spinoff is the same as my idea of a prequel — read into that what you will. There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different. There are a lot of places you can tell this story.”

As for McConaughey, he is not locked in place for the “next chapter” of the Yellowstone saga yet. Sheridan said the following: “He seems like a natural fit. We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that.’ And by ‘that’ he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do.’”

As for Yellowstone, the series was set to return on Paramount Network in November, but that could be delayed due to the ongoing writers strike.

Rodeo Lifer Steve Fechser Passes Away

Steve Fechser, the grandson of Benny Binion, who was involved in the rodeo business in many different aspects for decades, passed away May 15 in Las Vegas. He was 68.

Fechser worked at the Horseshoe for years in Las Vegas, and then he went to work for ProRodeo Hall of Fame stock contractor Mike Cervi for years and he also worked with Michael Gaughan at the Gold Coast and South Point Hotel in Las Vegas.

“Steve was family to us,” Binion Cervi said. “He was the most loyal friend anybody could have. If you and he connected he was loyal to the core. He was a character out of a movie.”

Binion said it wasn’t hard to find Fechser at events because of his distinct voice.

“He had this froggy voice that you could pick out of a crowd,” Cervi said. “He had the most unique voice you ever heard. Cowboys loved him because he was so generous and loyal to people. Whenever you went with Steve, he took care of anybody and everybody. He wasn’t above or below anybody.”

Bobby Fechser, Steve’s younger brother, had this to say about Steve.

“He was a cowboy his whole life,” Bobby said. “We used to spend our summers in Montana on the ranch from the time Steve was 5 years old until he was in his 30s. He broke horses and he could rope.”

There was one photo that turned up showing Steve, who was working for the Gold Coast at the time, doing a great job running the chutes and turning bulls back for Mike Cervi at RodeoHouston in 1998.

Steve also was part of getting the NFR go-round buckle ceremony moved to the Gold Coast. He also helped find entertainers like singer Robert Earl Keen for the go-round events.

A memorial service was held at 10 a.m. (PT), June 20 at St. Thomas More Catholic Community, 130 N. Pecos Rd., Henderson, Nev. Visitation.

Donations can be made in Steve’s name to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.

By Kristina Barnes, Special to ProRodeo.com

A long-time legend of the rodeo arena, Calgary Stampede bucking horse John Wayne has passed away at the remarkable age of 32. His longevity is testament to the care he received throughout his life, as well as his own incredible strength and spirit.

John Wayne joined the Stampede herd in 1995, thanks to a smart purchase at a local bucking horse sale. The big buckskin gelding went on to become a rock-steady performer for just shy of two decades.

"He was a money horse. Rain, shine, indoors, outdoors - wherever he was, he was a winner. It doesn't get more Calgary Stampede than John Wayne," said Tyler Kraft, Manager of the Calgary Stampede Ranch and Stock Contracting operations.

With 19 Calgary Stampede appearances, 11 invitations

Standout Calgary Stampede Horse John Wayne Passes Away

to the National Finals Rodeo and 17 Canadian Finals Rodeo appearances, more than $300,000 was won on the powerful horse throughout his career.

John Wayne had the final out of his career in the spotlight of the National Finals Rodeo in 2013. He spent the last few years of his long and remarkable life showing the yearlings and two-year-olds of the Stampede's Born to Buck™ program the ways of the world, surrounded by the blue skies and wide-open grasslands of the 23,000-acre Stampede Ranch.