The Nebraska based Haythorn Ranch Co. is the 2009 winner of the highly prestigious AQHA-Bayer Best Remuda Award. Craig Haythorn is the ranch President with his wife Jody. Their brand is simply the number four.
A ranch remuda is defined as “the herd of horses from which those to be used for the day are chosen.” The ranches that have received the American Quarter Horse Association Best Remuda Award exhibit quality in their remudas. Without exception, the Best Remuda ranches agree that they could not do their work without their horses, and a lot of planning goes into the breeding and training of the mounts in their remudas. Best Remuda ranches are well known for the cow horses they have produced and are still producing. Some of them say that they are able to keep good cowboys because of the quality of their horses.
From America’s Horse September 9, 2009
“Haythorn Ranch Co. of Maxwell, Nebraska, has been named the 2009 winner of the AQHA-Bayer Best Remuda Award, which honors working ranches that have top remudas of saddle horses. The honor puts them in the company of some of America’s most historic and heritage-rich ranches – including a ranch operated by another set of related Haythorns.
Howard Haythorn came to Maxwell on horseback at age 13, helping his father trail in a herd of cattle and horses to their new home. He stayed in the Nebraska Sandhills to raise his own family and continue the legacy started by his grandfather: raising cattle and well-conformed, cowy American Quarter Horses with which to work them. Today, Howard and his son, Harry Byron Haythorn, run a 1,500-head cow-calf operation on 20,000 acres.
“The only way to handle cattle is on horseback,” Howard said, “and if you have horses, you may as well own good ones. We breed 20 to 30 mares a year. We don’t follow the whims of the market. We raise horses to suit our needs, which translates into horses that can be used by a wide variety of people for a wide variety of activities.”
The ranch stallions are Rusty Gun 876, by AQHA World Show Superhorse Real Gun; Peppy San Kai, by a son of Senor George; Snickelfritz Mickey by Snickelfritz Chex; and Mickey 612, a 3-year-old by Snickelfritz Mickey. Most of the mares are homebred, and many of them trace back to horses owned by Howard’s father, Harry Jr., and his uncle, Walter.
Walter’s grandson Craig and his sons run Haythorn Land and Cattle Co., which received the first Best Remuda Award in 1992.
Both ranches share a common heritage. Howard’s grandfather was born Harry Haythornwaite in England in 1861, and he stowed away on a ship bound for America when he was 16. When he was discovered on board, he was put to work caring for a shipment of Hereford bulls. When the ship docked in Galveston, Texas, Harry went to work for the Texas rancher who owned them. He later shortened his name to Haythorn and became a hand on the boss’ ranch. He went to Nebraska on cattle drives and on his second trip there, he stayed and began building his holdings.
From that foundation, Howard has built his own legacy, breeding American Quarter Horses for half a century. He’ll be featured in the October issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal with other 50-year consecutive breeders.
The Best Remuda Award is presented each year by the American Quarter Horse Association and Bayer Animal Health to honor the contributions that ranch horses have made to the heritage of the American Quarter Horse. The term remuda means a group of working horses bred by the ranch specifically to work and pen cattle.
Any ranch that has five or more American Quarter Horse mares used to produce horses for ranch work and is a member of AQHA is eligible for this award. ”
You can learn more about this great ranch and their horse program at Haythorn Land and Cattle Company.
(The first horse pictured is Figure Four Chex and the second one is Nu Cash Cow)