In the Quiet Before the Grand Entry

Producing the West Texas Ranch Rodeo takes year-round grit, vision and an unwavering commitment to the working cowboy.

The grandstands are packed as competitors sit tall in their saddles, heads bowed, cowboy hats in hand, as the national anthem echoes through the Amarillo National Center arena. For co-producer Randy Whipple and the rest of the West Texas Ranch Rodeo production team, this moment — the grand entry — is the payoff.

“When all the teams are in, and you’re listening to the national anthem — wow, what a great feeling,” Whipple says. “You’ve got a grandstand full of people, the arena’s full of competitors and everybody’s just excited to be there.”

The West Texas Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas, began in 2022 from a shared vision between Lane Province and Whipple, who started as the announcer. What began as a conversation quickly became a commitment, with Province taking the lead on what would become one of the fastest-growing ranch rodeos in the country.

“We just jumped in and made it happen,” Whipple says. “We started working on sponsors and getting the rodeo together.”

The Moving Parts

For the team behind the event, organizing the rodeo is a year-round process.

“We always start at the rodeo,” Whipple says. “At the 2025 rodeo, we started planning for the 2026 rodeo.”

Each year, the team revisits and identifies areas for improvement. From coordinating vendors to booking stock contractors and tracking sponsorship dollars, the event is managed by a small but experienced crew. Province and his wife, Tracy, handle livestock and vendors; Carol Butts oversees team hospitality; Emma Taber Miller manages social media; and Whipple leads marketing and sponsor relationships. Supporting them is a dedicated group of 38 volunteers, many of whom have returned for nearly three decades. 

“We put these rodeos on for the love of it,” Whipple says. “I’ve never made a dime off it — and I’ve been doing this for 30 years.”

It’s that kind of dedication — and the many moving parts behind the scenes — that make producing a ranch rodeo feel like a full-time job.

“You get hit with different levels of urgency,” Whipple adds. “About two weeks before, you’re double-checking every detail.”

The rodeo doesn’t just honor ranch work; it helps sustain it. After the bills are settled, proceeds go directly to the Working Ranch Cowboys Foundation to support ranch families in crisis.

“That’s the driving force,” Whipple says. “We’re putting this on for the love of the cowboy, not for profit.”

The event also determines which team will advance to compete at the WRCA World Championship Ranch Rodeo Finals in November. Teams must carry WRCA cards, ensuring that they are full-time working cowboys, not part-time competitors.

“These aren’t performers; they’re professionals,” Whipple says. “The events are reenactments of what they do every day. We want the team representing West Texas to be one of the best — and hopefully the winner.”

Events like branding, stray gathering and wild cow milking reflect the grit of real ranch life. Livestock comes from longtime partners, such as Alan McCloy, Wilson Cattle Co. and Gary Daniels, and is sourced locally whenever possible to reduce travel stress. A recent move to an indoor venue has helped avoid unpredictable West Texas weather, marking one of the team’s most effective production changes.

Building the Story — Online and Off

While Whipple oversees logistics at the arena, Miller focuses on attracting the crowd digitally.

“The West Texas Ranch Rodeo is so unique. It’s West Texas hospitality and grit at the same time,” Miller says. “It’s given me a newfound community, and it’s been so fun to be part of.”

Tasked with shaping the event’s online identity, Miller began posting content in January with a limited content bank and ample creative freedom. She had to get inventive, blending tradition with personality in every post.

“It was intimidating, knowing whatever I did would set the precedent,” Miller says. “I wanted our posts to make people feel like we understand them.”

Despite the challenge, the rodeo’s online following quadrupled in six months — evidence that her strategy of community-driven posts and a focus on what matters resonated.

This year brought new additions, including the Red Boot Affair, which encouraged fans to show up in style, and a national anthem contest for students that delivered one of the weekend’s most touching moments.

“Watching those kids sing in front of a packed grandstand? That image will be in their minds forever,” Whipple says.

More Than a Moment

For the production team, success isn’t measured solely by ticket sales or social media metrics alone. It’s in the smooth handoff from check-in to chutes. It’s a cowboy who shows up to say thank you. It’s in the families who find rest and pride in a weekend built for them.

“I hope people leave with a memory,” Whipple says. “Maybe they saw a great bronc ride or found something they didn’t expect, but I hope they know they were part of something real.”

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Kensie Darst-Todd is a freelance writer and digital communications specialist based in Texas. A graduate of Texas Tech University with a Master of Science in Agricultural Communications, she combines her academic insight with real-world experience covering rodeos, equine events, and Western heritage. Kensie is a freelance journalist for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and works full-time as the Digital Communications Specialist for the American Paint Horse Association. When she’s not on assignment, she enjoys life with her husband and three-year-old son or hitting the road to explore new corners of cowboy country.