At age 92, Boots O’Neal still gets horseback every day. The longtime Four Sixes Ranch cowboy was raised in West Texas and started working at age 15 in 1947. He has since hired on with legendary outfits such as the JA Ranch, Matador, Waggoner, Babbitts and now the Sixes. Despite encountering his share of broncy horses, snorty cows, merciless droughts, severe winter storms and visits to the emergency room — a couple of them recently — he has never wavered from his chosen occupation. He received the Working Cowboy Award from the National Ranching Heritage Center in 2018 and was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2023.

The devastating Smokehouse Creek Fire in 2024 scorched many family ranches in the Texas Panhandle, including an operation run by Jason Pelham. Despite dealing with many natural disasters, the longtime cowboy and rancher has remained devoted to the cowboy life for four decades. Pelham wasn’t raised on a ranch, but he stepped into the cattle business as a young man. He worked on the famous Spade Ranches for many years, but now he runs cows with his daughter and son-in-law. Here, he discusses wildfires, freezing weather, great horses, and impressive people who have shaped his life.

Special thanks to our sponsor, RA Brown Ranch and its Rancher’s Rendezvous event in March.

https://www.rabrownranch.com/upcoming-sale

Steve Friskup has watched ranch horses skyrocket in value during the past few years, playing a crucial role as the auctioneer at the most elite sales in the Western industry. In addition to working at prestigious auctions such as the Western Heritage Classic and Return to the Remuda, he is the CEO for Clovis Horse Sales in Levelland, Texas, a sale that attracts consignments from many cowboys and ranchers. Friskup also auctioneers at National Cutting Horse Association event sales. Swinging a gavel and selling horses has been his passion since he was a teenager growing up in Oklahoma, and today he is regarded as the top auctioneer in the Western performance horse industry. He also commands a large following on social media through his “Coffee with the Colonel” videos, which are viewed by thousands of Facebook users five times a week.