“An iconic Texas cowboy has ridden off into his final sunset,” read one of the many tributes to the late Buster Welch, who died at his home in Abilene, Texas, earlier this month at 94 years old.
Working horses and cattle since he was a teenager, Welch had found employment with numerous ranches across Texas, including the 6666 Ranch in Guthrie and the King Ranch.
According to an obituary provided by the family, Welch’s “intense passion was for the work that called on a good horse. Though ranching was his life’s goal and life’s work, it could not contain him. By the time he was 26, he became a world champion cutting horse trainer, riding Marion’s Girl to the title. By the age of 32, he helped create the National Cutting Horse Association’s pre-eminent event, the Futurity. Before his career finished, he would win the event a record five times. Buster developed styles of saddles and tack that changed horse training and showing and remain in use by most of today’s competitors. More than that, he developed a reputation as one focused on the greater good of the sport. Buster was generous in advice and assistance to the very people striving against him in the arena. He brought a level of class and dignity to cutting that remains a hallmark of the sport today. In 1974 he signed on with the fabled King Ranch. Riding Mr San Peppy under their banner, he won the NCHA World Championship two more times. A son of Mr San Peppy, Peppy San Badger, more commonly known as ‘Little Peppy,’ became Buster’s magnum opus. Together they won the 1977 Futurity.”
Recognition came Welch’s way more recently—and among a wider audience outside of the ranching community—when he played an older cowboy on a “6666” segment of the “Yellowstone” TV series.
“Buster Welch rode into the sunset this morning, leaving behind a legacy that changed the performance horse world forever," co-creator, Taylor Sheridan, said in a statement to media. “He will be missed and we will be forever grateful for all his wisdom and his contributions to the quarter horse world.”
A tribute posted online by the National Cutting Horse Association described welch as “an icon in the world of cutting and ranching” who “made a mark on the sport that will last indefinitely. In an interview, Welch mentioned, ‘I guess you'd say I bought a one-way ticket to ranching, so I never thought about doing anything else, and I've always enjoyed it.’”
Graveside funeral services were held at Cottonwood Flats Cemetery in Scurry County last Wednesday morning, June 15.
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