Working Ranch Horse Finals

The Montana 4-H Working Ranch Horse Project is a heritage-based, activity-rich program designed to pass on to today’s youth traditional practices of safe livestock handling from horseback. This is not a rodeo project, but instead a practical and exciting opportunity for youth to use horses for handling, sorting and moving cattle. This project also teaches mounted roping skills as a humane and useful livestock handling tool as well as branding techniques, housing and care of cattle and horses. Like all 4-H projects, Working Ranch Horse members will develop the qualities of leadership and responsibility that come with being engaged in4-H. In today’s world, managing cattle from horseback is a disappearing tradition. Ranches are increasingly automated, using four-wheelers and other machines instead of horses. Many of the skills once learned for necessity are being lost. The 4-H Working Ranch Horse Program is designed to teach and preserve the age-old skills and traditions.

Photo Credit: Tom Aldrich

The 4-H Ranch Horse Competition will be Saturday, September 3rd starting at 9:00AM and the Versatility Ranch Horse Show will be on Sunday, September 4th starting at 8:30AM. 

Saturday’s competition is open to any 4-H youth enrolled in the 4-H Working Ranch Horse project (Levels 1-4).  There is no requirement that youth compete at a county level or qualifying show to participate in WRHF. The 4-H youth is required to be enrolled in the same county level as the level entered in at WRHF and be in good standing as a 4-H member. One horse must be used for all classes within the level. Horse must be an approved project horse for the current 4-H year. 

Each competitor will exhibit in 5 classes:  

• Knowledge Test 
• Riding a Pattern 
• Sorting Cattle 
• Roping Heading 
• Roping Heeling 

Sunday’s competition will be a Versatility Ranch Horse Show (VRH) and is open to all youth. Youth do not need to be enrolled in 4-H but will enter the appropriate age groups to compete.  Age groups are based on the age of the child as of October 1, of previous calendar year. Age categories for youth are:  

•  Juniors: 8-10 years old    
• Intermediate: 11-13 years old     
• Senior: 14-18 years old 

Colt classes are for horses 5 years old and younger.  

The WRHF VRH events are formatted in accordance with the Montana 4-H Working Ranch Horse project and styled after the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Versatility Ranch Horse (VRH) and Stock Horse of Texas (SHOT) organizations. Rules are adapted from these organizations.  

Classes include ranch pleasure/riding, ranch reining, working cow horse, and ranch trail. Exhibitors may enter any number of classes. Different horses may be ridden for separate classes. However, for overall competition winners in each division, points will only be counted from one horse/rider combination that demonstrates exceptional versatility in many areas. Exhibitors show by age or enter by age of horse in colt classes. 

Working Ranch Horse Finals 2022 Results

Congratulations to our finalists!

VRH PLEASURE Class Results - Sponsored by Montana Cowboys Association

VRH REINING Class Results - Sponsored by Cowan Select Horses

VRH COW WORK Class Results - Sponsored by Stockman Bank

VRH Overall Placings

TOP HAND AWARDS

4-H Pattern Class Results

4-H Heading Class Results

4-H Heeling Class Results

4-H Knowledge Test Results

4-H Overall Placings