Ranching Heritage Association Honors Two Working Cowboys

Arlon Baize of Texas and Kyle Best of Arizona to receive 2026 RHA Working Cowboy Award during National Golden Spur Award Honors.  

LUBBOCK, Texas — The Ranching Heritage Association will honor two working cowboys with this year’s annual RHA Working Cowboy Award. The eastern division recipient is Arlon Baize of Sagerton, Texas. The western division recipient is Kyle Best of Amado, Arizona.

The award will be presented during the annual National Golden Spur Award Honors on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Lubbock, Texas.

“The RHA Working Cowboy Award is designed to recognize outstanding individuals who make their living primarily on horseback, caring for livestock and the land on a daily basis,” said Frank McLelland, rancher and president of the Ranching Heritage Association. “Arlon Baize and Kyle Best represent the very best of the cowboy profession. Both men have dedicated their lives to livestock, horsemanship and stewardship. They’ve earned the respect of ranchers, cowboys and their communities through decades of hard work and service.”

Arlon Baize – Eastern Division Honoree 

For more than 50 years, Arlon Baize has made his living horseback, working cattle across the ranches of the Texas Big Country. Even in his early 80s, he continues to day work on ranches throughout the Abilene, Albany, Baird and Haskell areas. 

After graduating from Wylie High School near Abilene, Baize worked briefly in the lumber business before beginning a lifelong career as a cowboy. He spent years working for the historic Guitar Ranch while operating cattle with his brother near Baird, Texas. Throughout his career, he has worked for ranches, including Snyder, Hemphill, Montgomery, Elliott, Beckham, Windham, Pruet, Scott, Stasney and Akers, among many others. 

Baize is known for his quiet demeanor and exceptional stockmanship. He is widely respected for his ability to handle cattle patiently and humanely. His fellow ranchers describe him as dependable, humble and highly skilled in every aspect of ranch work. 

“Arlon Baize. There’s not a cowboy in the Abilene, Texas, area who doesn’t recognize that name. He is a legend and everybody loves him,” Craig Pruet, one of Baize’s nominators, said. “Arlon spent his life as a day working cowboy. He never worked full time for any one ranch. He helped them all on their hardest days.”

In 2020, Baize was recognized by the Texas Cowboy Reunion with its Working Ranch Cowboy Award. 

Kyle Best – Western Division Honoree 

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.”

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. 

The RHA Working Cowboy Award was established in 2018 to recognize outstanding men and women who make their living in the saddle, taking care of livestock and the land on a daily basis. 

This year’s awards are made possible because of our generous partners, Livestock Nutrition Center and Frank and Jenni McLelland.

For event information, including table and individual tickets, click here.

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The Ranching Heritage Association is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history, culture and values of ranching in North America. Through a growing membership base across the country, the association advances preservation efforts, educational programs, exhibits and public engagement through the National Ranching Heritage Center, Ranch Life Learning Curriculum and the future Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts. The association also publishes the Ranch Record, an award-winning member magazine that shares stories and news tied to ranching heritage and the work of the National Ranching Heritage Center.