Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award to go to Texas Cowboy Tom Moorhouse and New Mexico Cowboy Jeff Bilberry

The Ranching Heritage Association will honor two working cowboys with this year’s annual RHA Working Cowboy Award. The eastern division recipient is Tom Moorhouse of Benjamin, Texas. The western division recipient is Jeff Bilberry of Kenna, New Mexico.

The RHA Working Cowboy Awards will be presented during the annual National Golden Spur Award Honors on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center in Lubbock, Texas. 

“The RHA Working Cowboy Award is designed to recognize outstanding individuals who makes their living primarily on horseback, caring for livestock on a daily basis,” said Jim Bret Campbell, executive director of the Ranching Heritage Association and the National Ranching Heritage Center. “Our Board of Directors believes it’s important to recognize those folks who brave all kinds of weather and conditions to ensure that work on a ranch gets done. Tom Moorhouse and Jeff Bilberry are well respected as top cowboys and embody all the requirements of the working cowboy award.” 

The Ranching Heritage Association, a nationwide non-profit membership organization supporting historical preservation and educational efforts through the National Ranching Heritage Center, presents the prestigious recognition on an annual basis. The award honors working cowboys skilled in all aspects of ranch work and respected by the ranch crew and ranching community. 

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Photo by Ross Hecox

Tom Moorhouse – Eastern Division Honoree

A fifth-generation rancher and cowboy, Tom Moorhouse has dedicated his life to the land and livestock of West Texas. His long-standing commitment to stewardship, horsemanship, and traditional cowboy values makes him a fitting recipient of this prestigious award. Moorhouse’s career spans decades of work on historic ranches, including the famed Moorhouse Ranch, where he has played an instrumental role in preserving ranching practices that have shaped the region’s cultural and economic legacy.

“Because of Tom’s dedication and skill in his trade, he has unintentionally done more than almost anyone to preserve the ‘working cowboy’ way of life,” said John Welch, vice president of the Ranching Heritage Association and retired CEO of Spade Ranches. “He was pure cowboy when ‘cowboy’ wasn’t cool. Who has done more to preserve the working cowboy way of life than Tom Moorhouse just by living it?”

From a young age, Moorhouse was immersed in the cowboy lifestyle, developing exceptional skills in horsemanship and cattle management. His dedication to the craft led him to work on several prominent Texas ranches, including the Tongue River Ranch and the 6666 Ranch. Moorhouse's expertise in training and handling horses has earned him numerous accolades, notably being named All-Around Cowboy twice at the Texas Ranch Roundup in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2005, Moorhouse was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, a testament to his significant contributions to the ranching industry.

Beyond his personal achievements, Moorhouse has played a pivotal role in preserving and advancing ranching practices. Alongside his family, he continues to operate the Moorhouse Ranch Company, maintaining cow/calf, farming, and stocker operations across West and Central Texas. His dedication to the land and livestock, coupled with his willingness to embrace progressive techniques, underscores his status as a respected leader in the ranching community.

Photo by Ross Hecox

Jeff Bilberry – Western Division Honoree

Jeff Bilberry, a lifelong cowboy and respected leader in the ranching industry, will receive the prestigious Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award, representing the western division. A fourth-generation rancher whose legacy runs as deep as the roots of the land he stewards, Bilberry exemplifies the time-honored values of integrity, service, and a life spent horseback.

For more than 30 years, Bilberry has served as the general manager of the Bojax, Augua Verde and Lobo divisions of Singleton Ranches, one of the largest ranching operations in the nation, encompassing more than one million acres across New Mexico and California. Additionally, for the past eight years he has overseen three of the ranches in California. As Vice President of Singleton Ranches, he continues to work cattle from the saddle, sharing his experience with young cowboys and leading by example in every corner of the outfit.

“Although Jeff’s current responsibilities include ranch management, he still saddles up more often than not and continues to doctor cows, brand calves and do anything necessary to ride for the brand,” said Pat Boone, a New Mexico rancher.  

His commitment to the ranching lifestyle is matched only by his dedication to community and faith. Bilberry has served as a Chaves County Commissioner, Elida School Board President, and held leadership roles with the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and the New Mexico Agriculture Board.

“Jeff is a true servant to his ranch, community, his family, and most importantly, the Lord

Almighty,” said Blaze Cogdell, a fellow rancher from the Tule Ranch.

Born into a family whose cowboy roots stretch back to an 1881 cattle drive to the legendary LFD Ranch, Bilberry carries that legacy with pride, perseverance, and humility. With his wife, Cheree, at his side, the Bilberries and their children continue the family tradition. Jeff Bilberry is living proof that the cowboy way of life is alive and well.