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If there’s one thing you can say about Wayland Newberry, it’s that he’s loyal; Newberry has ridden for the same brand for over forty years! That outfit is the 620 section, Bogle Limited owned, Turkey Track Ranch near Artesia, NM.

Back in 1960, a restless 18-year-old Wayland signed on to the ranch as a rookie. “You gotta be a rookie sometime” he announced, as we sat in the contestants room at the 11th annual World Championship Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo, TX. “I left a year later ‘cause I thought I wanted excitement”. “Getting drafted and serving two years in the army cured me of that!”

By the mid 1960’s he was back at Turkey Track working as a cowboy, a profession he claims is “…just in your blood”. Not that Newberry had any choice, his father Bert was a great horseman and role model. Newberry says his dad could ride any horse and made his living trading and selling them. “He never worked for anybody, which is saying a lot because back in those days horses didn’t bring the money they do today”. In addition, Newberry’s grandfather was an expert cattleman and rancher, who packed up the wagon and moved the family to New Mexico from Texas in 1928 in search of a better life. “I idolized my father and my grandpa”, Newberry boasts. “They were my heroes.”

By 1972, Wayland had married and moved to his own camp on the ranch. That location, known as the “King Camp”, remained his home for many years.

As with most legends, the story could easily end with Newberry quietly retiring from his job as Foreman at the ranch, but that’s not how legends live. In 1990, under Wayland Newberry’s leadership, the Turkey Track Ranch cowboys won their first NM Ranch Rodeo title in Roswell. Several wins have followed, though Newberry couldn’t recall the exact number (it is 7), each resulting in a trip to the WRCA finals. In 1999, the ranch was awarded The AQHA-Bayer Best Remuda title honor.

Years before that award, the Turkey Track was breeding good horses and Newberry says he’s always ridden great geldings. “I guess I’ve had three that really stand out as being the best”. He currently rides a dun American Quarter horse named “Cowboy Driftwood” which is one of his favorites. “We generally break the horses at two and don’t use them hard until they’re four or so”. “We use ‘em to brand in the spring and gather for shipping in the fall, and everything in between”. “Its hard work so a hand will need two or three fresh horses a day”.

According to Wayland’s wife, Cynda, Wayland the legend is “…not as tough as people think he is…despite the talk”. As a little girl in El Paso, TX she told her father she was going to “marry a cowboy”. Years later, when she met Wayland at a dance it was love at first sight. “He has a soft heart,” she whispered. “He considers all these cowboys his boys Photos courtesy of America’s Horse magazine and he treats them like they were his sons”. Stepdaughter Ina Morgan agreed, “He didn’t know how to treat me as he’s always been around boys”. “I would nag him about taking me to the store to shop so one day he finally gave in… after we had been handling calves all day”. “I was so full of manure and smelled so bad that the clerk wouldn’t let me try anything on”. When asked to describe Wayland, the two listed the same traits: honest, hardworking, loyal, stubborn and protective. “He has a way of making anyone around him feel safe. He teaches these boys how to do things right and keep themselves out of trouble,” says Cynda. “He is a true cowboy. It’s in his blood and that’s all he does from the moment he gets up, ‘til the time he goes to bed. It’s just something you’re born to do”.

Wayland Newberry continues to cowboy for the Turkey Track Ranch with no plans for retirement in sight. Recently, Newberry and the Turkey Track were featured in the AQHA Jim Jennings book entitled “Best Remudas”, a collection of photographs and stories about ranch life and the American Quarter horses used in daily work. “This is just in my blood…”, Newberry reiterated as we discussed the cowboy life. “…and I can’t imagine doing anything else”. Thankfully so for the dozens of cowboys who have been fortunate enough to learn and work under the guidance of Wayland Newberry, a true living legend.

Christina Fleming is a writer, clinician and horse trainer living in Tucumcari, NM. She can be reached at NMVaquera@plateautel.net.