2024 Nutrena Pickup Horse of the Year, Presented by AQHA

By Lane Karney and Kendra Santos for The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is only the second year for the Nutrena Pickup Horse of the Year award, presented by AQHA, and it’s already starting to look like Canadian cowboy Tyler Kraft has this market cornered. In 2023, the ranch and stock operations manager for the Calgary Stampede Ranch won the inaugural award with his Baby Hes Hot. This time around, his 9-year-old dark bay Guys High On Fame, aka “Tuffy,” is taking top pickup-horse honors.

Tyler, who co-owns both horses with wife Vanessa is working his second-straight Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this year. Coincidence that he’s riding rodeo-horse royals? Nope. 

“There are a lot of very talented pickup men, but a great set of horses really separates who stands out,” Tyler says. “To put a nice set of horses together doesn’t happen overnight, by any means. Winning this award two years in a row is very special. I would have nominated ‘Baby’ (the 11-year-old dark buckskin) again, but he got hurt and was off for five months this year. I didn’t get a full season on him, so I nominated Tuffy, because he was out there start to finish. 

“This is a proud moment for our family, for sure. My wife’s got the spot on the mantle picked out for both (Horse of the Year) bronzes.”

Now that Baby’s back, Tyler plans to pick up on both horses at this year’s NFR. The Krafts bought Tuffy as a coming 4-year-old in 2019 from Doug Wilkinson, who raised Baby. 

“Doug bought Tuffy as a stud prospect, then gelded him,” Tyler says. “They were barrel racing and roping on him a bit. We ranched on him awhile before we started picking up on him in 2021.”

COVID shutting most of the rodeo world down in 2020 was not all bad for this horse. Tyler won about $20,000 on him team roping at Ariat World Series of Team Roping events in Canada in 2020. Vanessa won another $10,000 running barrels on him, and Tuffy has since become their 9-year-old daughter Riata’s favorite barrel horse. 

“Tuffy’s just a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” Tyler says. “If somebody was to want to buy him, I’d say he’s irreplaceable for me and my family (the Kraft family also includes Lathom, 10, and Dalum, 7). He’s safe, and he’s all-in in every event. Tuffy’s a very nice family horse, and I’m proud of him being able to win this honor.”

Tuffy’s 15.2 hands tall and tips the scales at a stout 1,250 pounds. The 2015 gelding is by Lions Share Of Fame and out of Frenchman Spiffy Gal by American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Frenchmans Guy. Tuffy was bred by Jesse Jensen of Sturgis, South Dakota.

“I’m not into the stereotypical 16-hand pickup horse,” Tyler says. “15.1 to 15.2 is where I like them. I like a horse that can run and is bold–that’ll run into the flames when the house is on fire. It’s pretty unnatural for a horse to see another horse bucking and want to run in there. Horses that aren’t afraid to roll up beside a bucking horse, that stay true and don’t start anticipating are my kind of horse. And I like a quicker-footed horse.

“I’d rather take the time to start ’em right than try to break bad habits later. Tuffy was kind of a chicken when I started picking up on him, but he took to it very well, because he’s super laid back. He can go fast, but will just walk around if you want to. I like horses that can be used in all aspects of ranching, and in all events by my kids–barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, the whole 9 yards.”

Tyler’s 2023- and 2024-model pickup horses of the year are physically talented enough to earn the vote of the best bucking horse riders in the world for both this award and to work the NFR. 

“Baby and Tuffy are similar in that they both stand good and run hard in all sizes of arenas,” Tyler says. “But their personalities are like Jekyll and Hyde. Tuffy’s the first one at the gate, trying to get in. He’s so friendly that he’s in your face. He also has two girls barrel racing on him, so he gets quite a few treats. Baby’s a little hard to catch and stays at the back of the herd.

“But Tuffy and Baby both love it. They crave it. You could about drop the reins and go blindfolded, and they’re going to put you where you need to be. Some horses need coaching. These two don’t.”

All that ranch work that comes with the wide-open spaces of life on the Calgary Stampede Ranch makes good horses. And good hands who make good pickup men–and horses.

“You don’t go to school to become a great pickup man,” Tyler says. “It’s kind of like great veterinarians and farriers. There’s no six-week course for this job. You’ve either acquired the skills to know and read animals, or you haven’t. Being a good cowboy and the ability to read livestock is part of it. You can tell who works day-to-day with animals. Strong ranch skills show up in the rodeo arena, too.

“Winning this award with my horses means so much. The closest I’ve ever been to a 90-point bronc ride is getting to pick up a guy after he makes one. Everybody’s a fan of a good horse. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about steer wrestling horses, barrel horses or pickup horses. We’re all fans of good horseflesh.”

The reserve Pickup Horse of the Year is Jack On Moon, ridden by Matt Twitchell and bred and owned by Clegg Livestock Co. Inc. Third place is Aspeka Oakie Bar, or "Shorty," ridden and owned by Randy Britton.

Jack On Moon is a 2010 bay roan son of Edge On Jack out of Cobra Gray Moon by Whichygraymoon. Aspeka Oakie Bar is a 2017 buckskin gelding by Wisper Of The Wind and out of Arapahoe Flea by Krogs Oakie. He was bred by Paul and Amanda Howard of Arapahoe, Colorado.