Good cowboys, smart horses, flying hooves, and whirling ropes entertained spectators as the Pueblo County Stockmen’s Association (PCSA) hosted their annual Ranch Hand Contest on July 29, at the Colorado State Fair Grounds Horse Arena.
Many of the top cowboys of the area came out and formed teams for some friendly competition as they ran through the four events of the evening. Working against a seven-minute time limit, the cowboys had to work four head of cattle, using a different bovine for each event. The teams penned one animal, roped and doctored one animal, roped and mock-branded another, and herded the final animal into a stock trailer. The remaining animals had to be kept behind a competition line as the cowboys worked the animal selected for each event or a 30-second penalty was added to the team’s time. Each of the cattle had to be returned behind the competition line before the next event began. Winners were based on the fastest time with all four events completed; teams with only three events completed were placed behind teams that completed all four events.
Of the eighteen entering teams, the winning teams of the 2022 PCSA Ranch Hand Contest were:
~ 1st Place - Nepesta Stockyards
~ 2nd Place - Hatchet Ranch
~ 3rd Place - Apache Creek Ranch
The PCSA presents the Ranch Hand Contest each year as a part of the Pueblo County Fair.
During this event, PCSA also presents scholarships to local recipients who have competed in 4-H or FFA and are continuing their education in an agriculturally based field. The late C.L. “Dick” and Evelyn Dickerson started the scholarship which is presented during the Ranch Hand Contest. Nathan Bregar and Abigail Bennett were the 2022 winners of the scholarships.
The competing Ranch Hand Contest teams were sold off in a Calcutta auction. In the Calcutta auction, spectators bid, auction style, on the team they think will win the contest. The highest bid buys the team, all the money raised through the auction goes into the pot, and at the end of the contest, those who bought the team that won get a predetermined payout from the auction pool.