The rodeo and reined cow horse arenas host many familiar sights and sounds for Parker Ralston. The 18-year-old, originally from Collbran, Colo., is currently an agriculture business student at West Texas A&M University and was recently crowned the 2025 World’s Greatest Youth Horseman.

Ralston and his mare, Seven S Tuff Boots, challenged nearly 50 other contestants while competing at the Kalpower Quarter Horse Celebration of Champions Show. The event, held at the Will Rodgers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas, took place on the March. 1.

While this was Ralston’s first time competing at this specific show, he and his family are no strangers to the reined cow horse scene. Both of his parents, Aaron and Meg Ralston, are world renowned in the industry and have allowed their boys to be involved in their way of life.

“I think the reason that they have stayed involved in the horse world is because we didn’t force it,” Meg said. “If they wanted to go show, they could, and as they got older, they started craving it.”

THE NRCHA

The event, hosted by the National Reined Cow Horse Association, consists of four events: reining, cutting, cow work, and steer stopping. The combined scores from each event accumulate to see which 12 will make it to the final round. There, they compete only in cow work — one of Parker’s personal favorites at this specific event.

Ralston achieved a composite score of 800 and put up a 213.5 in cow work during the final round, which ultimately landed him on top and earned him a $5,900 check from the NRCHA.

“This year was just more for the experience” Ralston said. “I was just hoping to make the finals.”

But because of Parker’s win, he will go on to compete in Las Vegas in August at the Youth Cow Horse Challenge.
“I’m excited to go and compete, because it’s an opportunity that not many people have,” Parker said.

Parker is extremely humble in his accomplishments in both high school sports and horse related endeavors and Meg has seen him put in the work.

As a proud mom, she has watched him take initiative to improve upon his already impressive skillsets, like spending part of his Christmas break in Arizona to improve on roping. While many arrive at national events with trainers who are tasked with preparing both the horse and kid for the show — Parker does it all himself.

“He did it on his own,” Meg said. “He’s had the horse at school by himself and has been putting in the work.”

Parker is grateful for guidance that has allowed him to succeed on a national scale. His father, Aaron, and mentor, Jay McLaughlin, are the two people that come to mind as playing pivotal roles in his success.

So whether he’s back at home on the Western Slope, or traveling the nation showing horses — Parker Ralston’s determination to never settle is taking him places and he has only just begun.