WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL ) — Ranches from across Texoma are showing off their stuff during the 43rd Texas Ranch Roundup.

In the lull between the ranch horse competition and the cattle dog challenge, the festival and trade show were bustling with people and any wear a rancher or cowboy could want. Saddle makers, hat fitters, spurs and other ranch hardware covered the MPEC floor.

Outside, chuckwagons set up by the ranches competing in the rodeo tailgated while their peers competed in the coliseum.

Heath Ownbey with Waggoner Ranch in Vernon said these types of events are like reunions of sorts, and each one is something to take pride in.

“For us, you know, as ranches, it’s to be a part of something, you know, that we wouldn’t normally get to be a part of. It’s a special thing,” Ownbey said. “And so, everybody that shows up and it’s, you know, just to support this event and we just do our part to try to carry on the legacy that was started, you know, 43 years ago.”

Though the dogs aren’t exactly cowboys, they play a big part in many ranches around the country. The Cattle Dog Challenge featured top cattle dogs in a herding competition. Ten dogs and owner pairs competed in a course to see who could herd a group of three cattle the most efficiently in a seven-minute span.

The final part of the 2024 Ranch Roundup ends Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 7:00 p.m., with awards following after. Tickets are $5 per person at the festival gate.

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