Kyle Best
8th RHA Working Cowboy Award-West
Amado, AZ | Marley Cattle Company
Kyle Best is an accomplished cowboy, cattleman and horseman whose career spans decades of ranch management and livestock production. Best is a native of New Mexico and longtime ranch manager for Marley Cattle Company in southern Arizona.
He began building his own cattle operation at a young age while working alongside his family. Over the years, he has managed cattle operations in New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma while also developing a respected ranch horse program, KT Cattle Inc.
Since 2002, Best has managed Marley Cattle Company near Amado, Arizona, where he oversees cattle across more than 178 sections of ranchland. Under his leadership, the ranch has improved cattle quality, increased production and successfully navigated droughts, border-related challenges and the day-to-day demands of a large ranching operation.
“Kyle Best is a true cowboy, cowman, and one of the hardest and smartest working men I know,” Kyle Lange, a Best nominator, said. “In my line of work, I meet all kinds. I have much respect for Kyle, and I am proud to call him friend.”
Photograph by Ross Hecox
In addition to ranch management, Best is a bonded order buyer and a respected ranch horse breeder. Through KT Cattle Inc., he and his family have donated horses and cattle to support youth programs, ranching organizations and charitable causes throughout the Southwest.
In 2024, Best and his family were recognized as the American Quarter Horse Association Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year. In March 2026, they were honored as an AQHA 50-year cumulative breeder.
Photograph by Ross Hecox