Pam Minick will receive the 2016 Western Horseman Award for her contributions to the western industry.
Pam Minick will receive the 2016 Western Horseman Award on Saturday, January 16, during Ranching Heritage Weekend at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
Minick, who retired in 2013 after 25 years as marketing director for the iconic Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, was selected for the award for her contributions to the Western and stock horse industries.
Minick is a familiar face in the city and beyond. Her stint as Miss Rodeo America 1973 propelled her into a career in the rodeo and television industries. She was the first woman to announce a professional rodeo (RodeoHouston) and to be part of a rodeo broadcast team on a national network (CBS in 1977).
Minick served as the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s vice president from 1978 to 1992, helping promote equal purse money for barrel racers at professional rodeos. She won the WPRA breakaway roping world championship in 1982. An accomplished team roper, Minick ropes at home with her husband, Billy, and in competition. She hosts two RFD-TV programs, The American Rancher, which profiles successful cattle ranchers, and Gentle Giants, which spotlights draft horses and has become the network’s top-rated program.
A longtime proponent of Historic Fort Worth Stockyards preservation and development, Minick is president of Friends of the Fort Worth Herd, which sponsors daily cattle drives through the Fort Worth Stockyards. She also works with several local charitable organizations.
Each year the Western Horseman Award is given to an outstanding individual who has made significant contributions to the Western stock horse industry and who embodies values the magazine embraces: impeccable Western horsemanship; a commitment to education, authenticity and ethics; and a passion for the Western way of life.
