CANYON, Texas — The West Texas A&M University ranch horse team won its first-ever world championship at a recent contest in Abilene.
“Since we moved up to Division 1 in 2020, we have had numerous individual champion and reserve champion riders at multiple events, as well as two reserve national collegiate titles and a reserve world collegiate championship title,” said team coach Dr. Lance Baker, professor of animal science in the Department of Agricultural Sciences in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. “These students’ great attitudes, hard work and willingness to sacrifice and dedicate themselves resulted in this first-ever championship. I am honored to coach them.”
The team won the Division 1 collegiate team world championship at the 2023 Stock Horse of Texas World Championship show Oct. 25 to 28 in Abilene, coming out on top of 12 competitors, including Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University and Tarleton State University.
Collegiate ranch horse team members compete in riding and working classes on their own horses. Division 1 teams include two riders in each of three divisions — nonprofessional, limited nonprofessional and novice.
Several of the 16 WT riders took home individual awards.
In the novice division, Camry Mangum, a junior animal science major from Jourdanton, was named overall world champion collegiate novice rider after winning the first round, finishing seventh in in the second, and finishing as reserve champion in the ranch pleasure class.
Lily Redden, a senior agribusiness major from Gunnison, Colorado, finished fourth in the first round and third in the second to finish third overall.
Garrett Miller, a senior animal science major from Amarillo, was reserve champion in cow work, winning the second round with a score of 76.
In the top nonprofessional division, Cutter McLaughlin, a sophomore agribusiness major from Amarillo, finished third overall, won the second round, and finished as the collegiate non pro champion in both ranch reining and cow work.
Chloe Rourke, a freshman agriculture media and communication major from Northfield, Massachusetts, finished sixth overall. Ashley Wortham, a freshman agribusiness major from Wimberley, finished seventh overall. Ilda Corrales, a senior animal science/pre-vet major from Dimmitt, finished 10th.
In the limited nonprofessional division, Tucker Huseman, a sophomore animal science major from Ellsworth, Kansas finished fourth overall and won ranch reining in the first round.
Haylee Triplitt, a freshman agribusiness major from Gouldbusk, finished in fifth overall. Layten Graham, a junior agribusiness major from Midway, finished fifth in the second round. Alex Johnson, a senior equine industry major from Ardmore, Oklahoma, won cow work in second round.
Other team members include Thomas Binig, a senior animal science major from Houston; Diana Webster, a senior equine industry and business major from Longmont, Colorado; Grace Hyde, a freshman agricultural business and economics major from Sherman; Paige Finegan, a senior equine industry and business major from Orchard, Colorado; Tess Lewis, a freshman animal science major from Colfax, Washington; and Paige Brandon, a senior agriculture media and communication major from Edgewood, New Mexico.
Such team competition is one way in which WT creates in its students a commitment to being self-reliant, courageous, resourceful and part of something larger than one’s self, as laid out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.
