Pitchfork Ranch in Texas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Pitchfork Ranch, formally the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company, is a historic cattle and ranch horse operation headquartered near Guthrie, Texas. The American Quarter Horse Association profile describes about 171,300 acres, and the ranch holds a Best Remuda Award from AQHA and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
| Location | Headquarters near Guthrie, Dickens and King counties, Texas |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1880s; incorporated December 1883 per a ranching-event profile |
| Sectors | cattle; ranch horses; hunting; oil; farming for grazing and grain |
| Scale | About 171,300 acres in total and about 6,000 head of cattle, per AQHA |
| Why it is elite | Best Remuda Award from AQHA and NCBA; over a century of continuous operation |
| Ownership | Company led by a chairman in St. Louis; general manager Bob Moorhouse, per AQHA |
| Official website | AQHA profile of the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company (no ranch website found) |
History of Pitchfork Ranch
The AQHA profile says Dan Gardner and Eugene F. Williams bought a herd of longhorn cattle in 1881, and Gardner managed the operation. A Road to the Horse profile says the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company was incorporated in December 1883 with 52,500 acres in central West Texas and a foundation herd of 9,750 cattle.
AQHA lists Gene Williams as chairman of the board and Bob Moorhouse as general manager and the seventh manager of the ranch. The Road to the Horse profile says the ranch is larger today than at any time in its history. Sources differ slightly on dates and acreage, so check the ranch directly for current numbers.
What Pitchfork Ranch Grows and Raises
AQHA reports about 171,300 acres: 165,000 at headquarters, 3,000 near Benjamin and 3,300 in the Kansas Flint Hills. The home ranch lies in Dickens and King counties, and the profile counts about 6,000 head across the three ranches, either cows or yearlings. A Road to the Horse profile describes about 4,500 mother cows, mainly Black and Black Baldie, with calves source and age verified.
The ranch raises all of its own horses. AQHA lists 55 broodmares and roughly 100 geldings in the saddle horse remuda, and says the cowboys ride only geldings. The Road to the Horse profile describes the signature Pitchfork Gray and the Return to the Remuda Sale, where horses are sold to the public.
How Pitchfork Ranch Makes Money
Cattle
The core business is raising cattle on a large rangeland base. The ranch's calves are described as source and age verified and as natural, which fits premium programs that pay for documentation.
Ranch horses
The ranch breeds its own remuda and sells horses at the Return to the Remuda Sale. Its Best Remuda recognition from AQHA and NCBA is a marketing asset for that program.
Oil, hunting and farming
The Road to the Horse profile says the ranch has expanded into oil exploration, guided hunting for deer, game birds and boar, and farming for winter grazing and grain. These streams use the same land and reduce dependence on cattle prices.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Pitchfork Ranch
Verify what you sell. Calf documentation and source verification can open premium markets, and a named, awarded horse program builds a brand that cattle alone do not.
Stack uses on one footprint. Oil, hunting and winter grazing crops add income without needing more acres, a model smaller ranches can copy with a lease or a forage plan.
Pitchfork Ranch is the sort of place where the cowboys ride geldings and the stories ride everything else. At farm.FM, farm satire writers would happily argue over whether a remuda or a pickup truck is the better coworker, because farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes thrive on the Pitchfork Gray. We mean it affectionately, from admirers of a ranch that has kept its brand for well over a century.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Pitchfork Ranch
Website: https://www.aqha.com/-/pitchfork-land-and-cattle-company
No official ranch website, address, phone or email appeared in the sources reviewed, November 2026. The link above is the American Quarter Horse Association profile; confirm contact details with the ranch before traveling.
Pitchfork Ranch Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- AQHA profile - Acreage, cattle, horses and Best Remuda Award
- Road to the Horse profile - Cattle, horses and ranch businesses
- Texas Historical Commission atlas - State record for Pitchfork Ranch
- USDA Census of Agriculture - National and state farm and ranch statistics
- Texas Department of Agriculture - State agency overview and programs
Pitchfork Ranch FAQ
Where is Pitchfork Ranch?
Headquarters are near Guthrie, Texas, in Dickens and King counties.
How big is the ranch?
AQHA reports about 171,300 acres in total, including 165,000 at headquarters.
What recognition has it earned?
AQHA says it received the Best Remuda Award from AQHA and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
How can I contact the ranch?
No official contact details appeared in the sources reviewed, so confirm through the ranch or the AQHA profile.
Pitchfork Ranch shows how a nineteenth-century cattle company can stay current by adding documented beef, horses and other land uses. See the Texas state guide on this page for more context and the other operations profiled with it.