Back to all
Chester A. Reynolds Award
Awarded in 2013
Boots O'Neal
Boots O’Neal is widely celebrated as one of the greatest working cowboys of the modern era—an embodiment of the traditional, horseback cattleman whose life has been spent in the saddle. Born on the RO Ranch in Gray County, Texas, O’Neal grew up with horses, cattle, and open country. By the time most boys were figuring out schoolyard games, he was breaking horses for $20 a head, setting the stage for what would become a remarkable cowboy career spanning nearly nine decades.
Through the years, O’Neal worked on some of the most storied ranches in Texas, including the JA Ranch, the Matador Ranch, and the Waggoner Ranch. For the last thirty years, he has called the legendary 6666 Ranch home, serving more than a decade as a top hand at the Four Sixes in Guthrie. His approach to ranch work is simple: “My job is cowboying, taking care of cattle horseback,” he says. “I like to ride a horse. I read where Winston Churchill said the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.”
Though he briefly worked as a cattle inspector for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, O’Neal found ranch life irresistible. After watching cowboys saddle up while he drove away in a car, he realized he belonged in the saddle, not behind the wheel. He returned to cowboying and never looked back.
In 2018, he became the first recipient of the Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award, honoring a life dedicated to caring for livestock on horseback. Admired for his humility, warmth, and Texas drawl, O’Neal has inspired countless people through interviews, articles, and videos.
O’Neal married Nelda Young in 1962, and the couple welcomed their daughter, Lauri, in 1965. After Nelda’s passing in 2006, Four Sixes owner Anne Marion ensured Boots had a home at the ranch, even renovating a bunkhouse room just for him. Today, well into his 90s, Boots O’Neal continues to ride, rope, and drag calves to the fire—a living symbol of honesty, grit, and the timeless spirit of the American cowboy.
Boots O’Neal is widely celebrated as one of the greatest working cowboys of the modern era—an embodiment of the traditional, horseback cattleman whose life has been spent in the saddle. Born on the RO Ranch in Gray County, Texas, O’Neal grew up with horses, cattle, and open country. By the time most boys were figuring out schoolyard games, he was breaking horses for $20 a head, setting the stage for what would become a remarkable cowboy career spanning nearly nine decades.
Through the years, O’Neal worked on some of the most storied ranches in Texas, including the JA Ranch, the Matador Ranch, and the Waggoner Ranch. For the last thirty years, he has called the legendary 6666 Ranch home, serving more than a decade as a top hand at the Four Sixes in Guthrie. His approach to ranch work is simple: “My job is cowboying, taking care of cattle horseback,” he says. “I like to ride a horse. I read where Winston Churchill said the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.”
Though he briefly worked as a cattle inspector for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, O’Neal found ranch life irresistible. After watching cowboys saddle up while he drove away in a car, he realized he belonged in the saddle, not behind the wheel. He returned to cowboying and never looked back.
In 2018, he became the first recipient of the Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award, honoring a life dedicated to caring for livestock on horseback. Admired for his humility, warmth, and Texas drawl, O’Neal has inspired countless people through interviews, articles, and videos.
O’Neal married Nelda Young in 1962, and the couple welcomed their daughter, Lauri, in 1965. After Nelda’s passing in 2006, Four Sixes owner Anne Marion ensured Boots had a home at the ranch, even renovating a bunkhouse room just for him. Today, well into his 90s, Boots O’Neal continues to ride, rope, and drag calves to the fire—a living symbol of honesty, grit, and the timeless spirit of the American cowboy.
