THE 6666 RANCH

By: Tom Ferry

When I stepped foot onto the 6666 Ranch, I gazed up at a big, blue, beautiful Texas sky and couldn’t imagine it any other way. Legendary Quarter Horses…a family legacy…superior Black Angus Cattle…and oil. These are the hallmarks of this iconic landmark. Also known as the Four Sixes, the ranch may very well be the most important place in the history of American Quarter Horse racing.

The ranch’s main headquarters is in Guthrie, Texas. This isolated town of 160 residents has one store, one gas pump, and is 30 miles to the next closest gas station and an hour and a half to the next town. More than 48 windmills dot the Four Sixes’ 275,000-acre landscape which includes another location near Panhandle, Texas. This enterprise collectively known as the Burnett Ranches once included more than a third of a million acres.

The origin of how the Sixes got its name has led to some colorful stories across the years. The most popular tale is that 6666 founder Samuel “Burk” Burnett won the original ranch in a poker game with a winning hand of four sixes. A fun and engaging story … but it never happened. The truth is Burnett purchased 100 head of cattle wearing the “6666” brand in 1868 and with the title to the cattle came ownership of the brand. Today, the Four Sixes remains one of the most prominent commercial cattle ranches in Texas and maintains a breeding herd of some 7,000 mother cows who continue to display the 6666 brand.

As the American West developed with increased population during the late 1800s, open ranges began to disappear as cattle owners were required to fence off their individual lands. Burk Burnett set about acquiring his own land holdings and purchased the ranch in Guthrie that is the nucleus of what is the 6666 Ranch there today. It was the discovery of oil on Burnett land that allowed the business to grow. The first discovery occurred in 1921 at the location north of Panhandle, and the resulting well produced constantly for more than 50 years. And another large field was struck in 1969 at the 6666 Ranch in Guthrie and that field is still being developed.

Outside of oil, the most important change was the addition of a formal equine breeding program at the Sixes in the 1960s. The ranch established a legacy for breeding world-class American Quarter Horses back in the 1940s with influential stallions Hollywood Gold and Grey Badger II, and Cee Bars added to that tradition throughout the 1950s.

Fans of horse racing will always debate over who is the greatest horse the sport has ever seen. When it comes to American Quarter Horse racing, however, conversations often begin with one name…Dash For Cash. During his 23 years on earth he illuminated the skies of the industry both on the racetrack and in the breeding shed. On the track, he was a two-time world champion, winning 21 of his 25 career starts and amassing $507,687 in earnings. He retired from racing at the close of the 1977 season and spent the remainder of his life at stud at the Four Sixes. As a stallion, he sired 751 winners, with 135 stakes winners and 16 world champions. In May of 1996, Dash For Cash was euthanized due to complications of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM).

The succession of champions associated with the Sixes who followed include some of the greatest names the sport has known. Mr Jess Perry became a living legend as one of only three Quarter Horses to sire racing earners of more than $52 million. His son One Famous Eagle won more than $1 million on the track and is the all-time leading first crop sire in history. Other greats have included Special Effort, Streakin Six and Eyesa Special. Today, the ranch stands 15 to 20 of the top racing, performance and ranch Quarter Horse stallions found anywhere in the world. Each year, between 1,000-1,250 mares are bred at a state-of-the-art facility and the Sixes maintains their own elite broodmare band of nearly 160.

Throughout its long and colorful history, the Burnett Ranches has been a story of family. When Burk Burnett died in 1922, the legacy continued with son Tom who continued the growth and reputation of the enterprise. The third generation assumed the mantle in 1938 with Anne Valliant Burnett. “Miss Anne” took special interest in the ranch’s Quarter Horse breeding operation and assisted in the creation of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the sport’s Hall of Fame. Prior to his death in 1922, Burk Burnett willed the majority of his estate to Miss Anne in a trusteeship for her yet unborn child. When Anne died in 1980, her only child and daughter, Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion took over control of the Sixes and inherited her great grandfather’s ranch holdings by direction of his will. “Little Anne” grew up on the ranch and learned to ride horses and earned the respect of the ranch’s cowboys. As with prior generations, she has a deep commitment to the continuing success of the ranch.

Wide open spaces. If you look around the 6666 Ranch and have a sense of déjà vu, it may be because the land was seen in advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes in the 1960s and 1970s. The cowboys here are straight out of central casting and many ranch employees are among the second or third generation from their family to work at the Sixes.

Visitors to the ranch can stop by the famous 6666 Supply House on the way into town. Guthrie’s only store was built in 1900 by Burk Burnett and is still a place today where both employees and locals can purchase items such as groceries, clothing, hardware and tires. At the ranch, one of the highlights is the 11-bedroom ranch home built by Burnett for $100,000 in 1917, an incredible sum of money at that time. It was here where Burnett hosted Theodore Roosevelt, Will Rogers and other friends.

Perhaps what is most magical about the 6666 Ranch is a red 16’x16’ stall on the grounds. For so many years, it was home to Dash For Cash and today, champion One Famous Eagle will peer out at you from the same stall. It is sacred ground in the world of American Quarter Horse Racing and symbolic of the tradition of excellence the Four Sixes has consistently showcased for 100 years. When you close your eyes and imagine a classic Texas ranch, the Four Sixes is what you see.