AMARILLO, Texas The high desert of the Northern Great Basin is home to the Van Norman Rancheswinner of the 2001 Best Remuda Award, given by the American Quarter Horse Association and AQHA Corporate Partner Bayer Animal Health.

The Van Norman Ranches of Tuscarora, Nevada are a cow, calf and stocker operation, along with a farming enterprise in Independence Valley, some fifty miles north of Elko. The Van Norman family is a steward of the land and prides itself in continuing the traditions set forth by their parents and grandparents, the late Charlie and Della Van Norman.

Charlie Van Norman grew up in northern California and first came to Elko County in 1938. It was during this time that Charlie met Della Pattani, a true horsewoman in her own right. The couple married in 1942 and soon after, Charlie was called to serve in World War II. Upon his return in 1945, the Van Normans purchased their first ranch, which would expand over the next 50 years into Van Norman Ranches Incorporated. Charlie and Della had two sons, Robin and Bill, who along with their families, now manage the Van Norman Ranches. Bill primarily handles the horse and cattle operation. Robin runs the farming operation.

The Van Norman family has always had a keen eye for good horses. Although they had saddle horses, it wasn’t until 1969 that the Van Normans first purchased broodmares, at the urging of son, Bill who studied under legendary horsemen Melvin Jones and Ray Hunt. The ranches’ first registered American Quarter Horse stallion was Bonnet Roan Bar whose blood still runs in the Van Norman mares.

Van Norman Ranches take great pride in producing horses with cow sense, bone, good dispositions and stamina which is required in the rugged terrain of the Northern Great Basin. The Van Norman American Quarter Horses are primarily used for work on the ranch and have become renown throughout the west and Canada. In 1997, the Van Normans held their first production sale. The Van Norman and Friends Sale has since become a popular event, drawing buyers from several states.

Horses such as Binion Gal 253, foundation broodmare; Red Roan Gal, reined cow horse event winner; Young Paul Bert, a brown stallion by Young Bert; and Colonel Zippo Pine, the senior sire of Van Norman program and many others have contributed to the Van Norman’s reputation of outstanding ranch horses.

The horse operation presently consists of five stallions, 50 mares and a remuda of 50 geldings. The Van Norman horses carry the JP Bar brand which belonged to Della’s father and have earned many top honors in reined cow horse competitions in Montana, Oregon, California, Idaho and Nevada for the past 40 years. They have also claimed several all-around titles. Van Norman-bred horses also have competed in high school rodeo and ranch rodeos. In 2000, the Nevada Quarter Horse Association honored the Van Norman Ranch as Outstanding Remuda.

The Van Norman family is involved with many horse, cattle and agricultural associations including the Nevada Stallion Stakes Committee, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; the Grazing Advisory Boards for the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service; and local 4-H and FFA groups.

The AQHA Best Remuda Award recognizes outstanding ranch remudas consisting of registered American Quarter Horses. The owners of the Van Norman Ranches were awarded a commemorative American Quarter Horse bronze at the 2001 Working Ranch Cowboys Association World Championship in Amarillo in November.

The Best Remuda Award began in 1992 as a way to recognize ranches that take pride in raising American Quarter Horses, an important tool of their trade. To date, the following ranches have received the award:
1992Haythorn Land & Cattle Co., Arthur, NE
19936666 Ranch of Guthrie, TX
1994Waggoner Ranch of Vernon, TX
1995Stuart Ranch of Caddo, OK
1996Bar B Ranch of Beaver, OK
1997R.A. Brown Ranch of Throckmorton, TX
1998Pitchfork Land & Cattle Co. of Guthrie, TX
1999Bogle Limited, Dexter, New Mexico
2000CS Cattle Company, Cimarron, New Mexico

For more information or to receive an application for the Best Remuda Award, contact AQHA at (806) 376-4811 or visit AQHA’s Web site at www.aqha.com.