When Shawn Hays learned he’d earned the title of the World’s Greatest Horseman, the annual event that celebrates best-in-class cow horse showmanship by pitting the greatest from across disciplines against one another in a single spectacular event, he had a somewhat surprising response. “It was just a relief!” he says. “Like, ‘Oh, finally!’ I’ve been second twice, I’ve been third, I’ve been fifth, I’ve been seventh, eighth, ninth, all the way down through there like sixteenth last year. So I was like, ‘Surely if I just keep chipping away, hopefully I’ll knock the number one spot out eventually.”
As it turns out, 2024 would be his lucky year. He and his horse MoonshineandTwoAdvil can now claim the title of World’s Greatest Horseman, going down in history as two of the greats. Each year, the event brings together the most seasoned horsemen and the most prized horses to compete in rein work, fence work, steer stopping, and cow work to determine the true all-around masters.
The National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) puts on the World’s Greatest Horseman competition, which is held annually as part of the Kalpowar Quarter Horses Celebration of Champions. This year’s Celebration of Champions took place from February 11 to 24, culminating in the World’s Greatest Horseman finale on the final day of the celebration at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
The competition to designate the World’s Greatest Horseman kicked off in 1999 to showcase talent across disciplines, and this year’s event marked 25 years in World’s Greatest Horseman action. Although entry is open to anyone who feels ready to participate, this is no space for amateurs, as 80 of the most talented horsemen around signed up to compete in this year’s event. Each entry is limited to one horse and one rider. The participant and horse must reach the highest overall score across the four disciplines to earn the title.
Shawn Hays after winning the title of World’s Greatest Horsemen. Photos Courtesy of Anna Krause
“The thing that I think is the coolest is that you see horsemen and horsewomen from all different levels kind of coming in and trying this. We have competitors that are really successful, maybe in the cutting industry or the roping industry, that come over and try their luck at the World’s Greatest Horseman. So, you get a very diverse group of athletes coming to compete in Fort Worth for this title,” says Callie McCarthy-Boevers, Director of Media and Communications for the NRCHA.
This year’s event was especially enticing, as it featured the biggest payouts to date. With $20,000 per event on the line, it was no surprise the crew of cowboys was willing to fight tooth and nail to claim the coveted title. The payouts are nearly double what they were in 2023, thanks to the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), the American Rope Horse Futurity Association (ARHFA), and One Time Pepto, sponsors of the rein work, steer stopping, and cow work, respectively.
“I think the biggest thing is how electric and exciting the crowd is. We had a sell-out show. So we completely packed the Will Rogers Coliseum, which houses just under 5000 people. And so it’s loud and exciting. It’s kind of our own version of a rock concert, if you will,” says McCarthy-Boevers.
As the winner of the main event, Hays took home a check for $150,000. But money aside, it was an achievement many years in the making, as Hays had been eying the title since he first learned about the event years before. “The first time I saw the World’s Greatest Horseman, those four events, the reining, the cutting, the steer stopping, and the down the fence, I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve got to do this. This looks pretty cool. This is right up my alley because it’s an all-around deal,” he says.
However, it wasn’t a straight path to victory. After coming up short in 2023, Hays knew that he and MoonshineandTwoAdvil, which he calls “Keebler,” would have to train hard.
“We always do the reining and fence work day in and day out, going to all these shows. So the main thing I really went back and concentrated on is the roping and the cutting,” Hays says of his preparation process. “The last couple of years I showed at this deal, the roping kind of took me out of it. You would think roping is like riding a bicycle, but I guess it’s not,” he says with a laugh.
Leading up to this year’s event, whenever he wasn’t competing, Hays sent the horse over to fellow horseman Dustin Rogers, who would rope on him. This allowed the cow horse to become more acclimated to the roping that had set Hays back in previous years.
Hays, and his horse, MoonshineandTwoAdvil, can now claim the title of World’s Greatest Horseman, going down in history as two of the greats. Photos Courtesy of Anna Krause
The combined effort and discipline just go to show that if there’s one cowboy who has worked hard to earn the title of World’s Greatest Horseman, it’s Hays. “Shawn has been an incredible competitor for many years. He just won a million dollars in NRCHA earnings this past year, and now he’s won the World’s Greatest Horseman. He is just on this huge uphill trajectory. It’s so exciting for him and his family,” says Emily Konkel, Executive Director of the NRCHA. The NRCHA oversees and enforces the rules that regulate the sport of reined cow horse, in addition to hosting the World’s Greatest Horseman event each year.
The festivities also feature a youth division, which went to Nicole Donahoo and Very Smart Pearl this year. “It’s a really cool opportunity for those kids. They’re the future of NRCHA, and they’re hungry for this.” Konkel says of the youth event.
Ultimately, the event brings the best and most talented horsemen together among the masses, who get to experience the thrill of watching the other most highly technical and seasoned athletes doing what they do best, year after year.
“It’s an honor to be in with that group of riders. And there’s a lot of guys that still have not won this event that are truly great horsemen, too. And it’s just amazing that I can be considered one of the ones that won it.” Hays says.
-Story by Whitney Meers
