Abilene set the stage for a strong finish to the 2025 season as the Gold Buckle Futurities World Finals brought $1,313,406 in payouts to the Taylor Telecom Arena from November 12 through 16. The event drew 663 entries, with the Limited Heading claiming the title as the largest class. Contestants rode for serious money and serious prizes, including Tres Rios buckles, STS Ranch Wear jackets, Classic Equine equipment, Santa Cruz Animal Health products provided by San Juan Ranch, Chama Chairs and custom medals built for the event. The atmosphere stayed competitive from the first run through the last short round.
Futurity Breakaway presented by Signature Equine Hospital
Brandi McDowell opened the Finals with a statement aboard Quanahs Style, a mare by enrolled Elite Stallion Quahadi. Brandi stayed sharp through every run, putting together a 910.89 on four to win both the Open and Stephenville Trailers Intermediate plus taking the third round win with a 232.27. The mare’s eligibility through Quahadi added $14,237.50 to Brandi’s pocket and $28,475 to Quanahs Style’s lifetime earnings, with the other half going back to Quahadi’s owners. The team cleared more than $43,000, with Brandi taking home over $30,000.
Loni Yates and SJR Diamonds To Go, bred by San Juan Ranch, kept pressure on the field with a 906.05 on four to win the Breeders Incentive for $7,500 split with the ranch. They added money across the average, stallion incentive, Intermediate and Intermediate Stallion Incentive to total $28,328 added to the mare’s record.
Maturity Tie Down presented by Western Bloodstock
Cody McCartney and CR Tuff King locked down the Maturity Tie Down average with a 902.88 on four, finishing more than ten points ahead of second. They also swept the stallion and breeder incentives. CR Tuff King is a Center Ranch bred son of Woody Be Tuff, and the pair earned $35,400 overall, with Cody taking home just over $22,000. The other half of each incentive check went to the stallion and breeder slot owners.
Clay Cerny returned to the rope-horse scene in 2024 and didn’t waste any time reminding everyone what he can do. This time he took the 100X Equine Intermediate Maturity Tie Down on Gini Cat, a High Brow Cat bred gelding he’s brought along since he was three. They set the tone early with a 227.88 to win Round 1 and held their lead to finish with an 884.08 on four. They also picked up the Intermediate Stallion Incentive. Total earnings came to $17,540, with Clay taking home a little over $11,000 in the class.
Maturity Breakaway, presented by Signature Equine Hospital
The McCartney-owned gelding pulled off another one, this time with Cheyanne McCartney in the saddle. She spent the summer rodeoing on this horse and cleared more than $30,000 on him before ever stepping into this event. They opened with a 234.12 to take Round 1 and stayed sharp to finish the average with a 942.62 on four, earning $10,000 just from the average. The Woody Be Tuff gelding also claimed the Stallion Incentive for a total of $19,300, with half going to Cheyanne. He added the Breeder’s Incentive on top of that, earning $7,500 with half going to Center Ranch.
The Stephenville Trailers Intermediate Maturity Breakaway went to Canadian roper Taylor Flewelling on Snap Crackle Dual, a 4-year-old Dually Cat mare. They posted a 916.75 to win the class and added $5,610 for the Intermediate alone, plus a ninth-place finish in the Open Average. All told, the pair earned $7,411.
The Intermediate Stallion Incentive belonged to Marissa Boisjoli on Queen Of Sparkles, a 5-year-old CD Diamond mare. Marissa also finished second in the Intermediate and second in the Breeder’s Incentive with her San Juan Ranch bred mare. The stallion incentive paid $12,375, bringing Marissa’s total to $13,175 from her halves of the stallion and breeder checks and her Intermediate placing.
Futurity Tie Down, presented by Western Bloodstock
Haven Meged dominated the Futurity Tie Down aboard his home-owned Badboonarising mare, Bad Boon Baby RB. They won two of the three rounds with a 227.20 and 228.06, then sealed the deal in the average with a 909.39, finishing more than nine points ahead of second for a $9,000 payday. They also topped the Stallion Incentive, earning Haven an additional $7,900 and adding $15,800 to the mare’s lifetime earnings.
The Breeder’s Incentive win went to Beau Cooper on Pretty Wild Card, bred by L.A. Waters Quarter Horses. That accolade paid $7,500, split between Beau and the Waters family.
Cade Swor took the 100X Equine Intermediate Futurity Tie Down aboard Chexy Lil Tomcat, earning a little over $5,085 for the class. The pair added a fifth-place finish in the average, bringing their total to $7,617.
The Intermediate Stallion Incentive was all Clay Cerny on Metallic Sage, a Metallic Cat bred colt who also carried him to second in the Intermediate. Those combined wins totaled $16,237, with Clay pocketing more than $10,000. He kept the momentum rolling by also taking second in the Breeder’s Incentive aboard the Beechfork Ranch bred colt We Fly High.
Limited Tie Down, presented by McCartney Rope Horses
Gage Jourdan secured the Limited Tie Down win on Light Merada Talks, a 9-year-old mare who’s proven she can stay sharp under pressure. Their run earned a $4,536 check and set the pace for the division.
The Stallion Incentive went to Metallic Hot Rose, a Metallics MVP mare shown by Tripp Brown. She added third in the average on top of the incentive win, stacking nearly $12,000 onto her career earnings.
Limited Breakaway, presented by Davis Fence Co
Micah Arnold and IC Metallic Heaven, her Metallic Malice bred horse, swept the Limited Breakaway by taking both the average and the Stallion Incentive. They won it with a 702.33 on three, edging the field by just .21 points. The total payday reached $14,530, with Micah taking home $9,680 from her halves of the incentives plus the average win.
Futurity Heeling, presented by The Notorious B I G
Jeremy Buhler made the Futurity Heeling his own aboard DT Hickorys Stinger, a Hickory Holly Time gelding that fits him to a T. Hickory Holly Time has been a cornerstone to Buhler’s success this week, and you’ll continue to see the two names paired together down below. They set the tone with a 229.61 to win Round 1, then finished the average with a 907.11 on four for a $10,000 payday. They didn’t stop there. The pair also topped the Stallion Incentive for $19,300 and claimed the Breeder’s Incentive, earning another $7,500 for DT Horses LLC. When the dust settled, Buhler earned $24,400 from this class, and DT Horses added $13,400 of their own.
The Ag Texas Intermediate division followed the same pattern. Clyde Bolejack swept both the Intermediate and the Intermediate Stallion Incentive aboard Dun Jonezing, his Travelin Jonez gelding. They posted a 905.86 to secure the Intermediate win, then added third in the Open Average and third in the Stallion Incentive to pile on even more. Their combined efforts pushed total earnings past $32,000, marking a standout run for the pair.
Maturity Heading, presented by Cinch Jeans
Trevor Brazile and RR Buckles Clubhouse shut the door on the Maturity Heading with the kind of dominance only that pair can deliver. The 6-year-old yellow gelding is in his final year of futurity eligibility and showed up ready to finish the season on a high note. They won the first, second, and third rounds, putting together one of the most commanding performances of the entire event. Their 918.77 on four made the average a runaway. Brazile also topped the Stallion Incentive on the Show Me The Buckles gelding, adding $28,800 to the horse’s bankroll at the last rope-horse futurity of the year. A strong close for a horse that has been steady and sharp all season.
Right behind him was Billie Jack Saebens, who handled business on One Time Pick, his Flag Ranch bred gelding by One Time Honor. Saebens took the Breeder’s Incentive with that horse, setting the tone early before sweeping the Ag Texas Intermediate division with a 917.14. He walked away with more than $27,340 from the Intermediate alone. Both Flag Ranch and the sire, One Time Honor, picked up their halves of the incentive payouts, marking a big day for everyone tied to the program. The horse, the breeder, the stallion, and the rider all stacked solid earnings, closing their season on a high note.
Maturity Heeling, presented by The Notorious B I G
Remember what we said about Buhler on a Hickory Holly Time? Jeremy Buhler kept that momentum going in the Maturity Heeling, winning it on SLR Swinging Hickory with a 908.00 to take the average. Their total earnings came to $27,700, with Jeremy’s half at $18,850. He also picked up the Breeder’s Incentive on DT Hickorys Angus, a Hickory Holly Time gelding bred by DT Horses LLC, splitting a $7,500 check. On top of that, Buhler swept the top three spots in the Stallion Incentive aboard Hickory Holly Time horses: SLR Swinging Hickory, DT Get Yer Mask On, and DT Hickorys Angus.
The Hard Way Land & Livestock Intermediate went to a familiar team. Blake Walker and Purrrlow added yet another title to their résumé as three-time Maturity Intermediate Champions at Gold Buckle Futurities, keeping their run alive with another solid win.
Justin Johnson aboard the 7 year old Spots Hot mare take the Intermediate Stallion Incentive for $11,125. The duo was also third in the Intermediate, giving Justin a $8,532.50 and boosting the mare’s earnings by over $14,000.00.
Limited Heading, presented by Classic Equine
The Limited Heading closed out Saturday with a fight to the finish. Fermin Gilbert came from the 8th high callback in the short go and ran the table to win the average on SJR Diamond Billy, a CD Diamond gelding he’d only swung a rope on five times the day before. The pair took the average, topped the Non Pro, and won the Stallion Incentive. Fermin walked away with more than $18,000 from this class, a clean reminder that it’s never over until the last steer is turned.
Futurity Heading, presented by Cinch Jeans
Rhen Richard left a serious mark on the Futurity Heading. His name showed up everywhere in the results, and for good reason. He won the average aboard Topaz Moonshiner, the Jesses Topaz gelding, after taking the third round and putting together a 909.75 on four. That same horse topped the Stallion Incentive, giving Rhen another $18,400 just on the yellow gelding. In total, he collected $44,553 from this class alone. His other mounts also hit the board across the rounds and the average: Watch The Lane, by enrolled stallion The Goodbye Lane, Captain Leggett the powerful paint gelding, and Little Foose Sug, an A&C bred horse that landed second in the Breeder’s Incentive.
Still able to get his lick in was Trevor Brazile, who won the second round and claimed the Breeder’s Incentive on A Relentless Buzz, his Flag Ranch bred gelding. That pair turned out more than $20,000, with Trevor taking home just over $12,700 of it.
Taylor Thompson took the Ag Texas Intermediate Futurity Heading aboard TS Wranglers Rifle, posting an 887.98 on four for a $5,820 payday.
The Intermediate Stallion Incentive went to Reliance Ranches’ head man, Bobby Mote, riding RR Double Down Dash, a Dash Ta Fame gelding. Bobby walked away with $8,578, while the horse added $14,828 to his earnings from that incentive win.
Limited Heeling, presented by X Performance Horses
The Limited Heeling closed out Sunday with Justin Ochs taking the average on Smoke N Duals. They put together a 900.16 on four to rise to the top when it counted, and that finish earned them a $9,073 check.
The Non Pro win went to Cort Jones on HQ Gunna Light It Up. He won the second round with a 228.27, added the last payout spot in the average, and finished the class with $5,483 in total earnings.
Treston Brazile topped the Stallion Incentive on Pride And Joyy, his Stevie Rey Von stallion, earning $9,440 from the incentive alone. With a second-place finish in the average added in, he walked away with $11,821.
What’s Next?
The dust settled in Abilene with champions crowned across every division, ending the World Finals on the kind of high that defines the close of a season. The work isn’t done yet, though. With the year’s biggest payouts now in the books, attention turns to the year-end honors that highlight the riders, horses, stallions, and breeders who shaped 2025. Those awards will be unveiled next as we shift into a new season that’s already lining up to be bigger, stronger, and even more competitive.
But for now, the full results for the 2025 Gold Buckle Futurities World Finals can found by clicking here.
