Wesley Galyean and Lone Woolf add Brazos Bash Saddle to Trophy Case

Wesley Galyean and Lone Woolf had to take a break this year but returned to the show pen with a vengeance.

The 2023 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity champion “got just a tick dinged up” after winning the 2024 Arbuckle Mountain Futurity and was withheld from competition for a while to get healed up.

“It was something we kind of had to nurse there for three or four months. And so we obviously faced, tremendous adversity with that, just not getting to work him very much and nursing that, and just the confidence with him too, of knowing it was kind of bothering him,” Galyean explained. “But then once we got it over with, I thought we kind of started getting back on track, and everything started to pick up and and go our way.”

Through the go-rounds at the Brazos Bash, Galyean could feel the young stallion by Metallic Rebel and out of A Little Reylena (by Dual Rey) gaining confidence in himself again and really going after the cows the way he had before.

“We had a good draw. And I thought he was just spot on today with that first cow. He was just amazing on that first cow,” Galyean revelled in the run.

Then, a slight bauble on their second cow took a bite out of their score.

“So then I knew, once we had that bobble on that cut, I had to try to cut my third cow. I thought she was going to be okay, and I tried to cut her with, I think she 36 seconds or something like that when I drove around and set my hand down, but I knew I had to be extremely aggressive and really go after it to make up for our little bauble,” Galyean said. “And then he just answers the bell for that 30 something seconds of working that cow. And it started getting tough there at the end, and he just kept getting better and better and better and better and better. And I was just extremely proud of him.”

Galyean and Lone Woolf finished their run with a 222.5 score and added $30,000 to the bank account. They were a mere half-point ahead of James Payne on Jazlyn (Hashtags x MK Cats Kitty x Spots Hot).

Galyean felt especially blessed to be trusted to train, show and care for the roan stallion owned by Billy Wolf. He wanted to thank Billy and Sammy Gillis and note that it takes a huge team effort to accomplish what he has with Lone Woolf.

Lone Woolf will head to the breeding shed next spring for his first season standing to the public, then, hopefully will attend more shows.

Lone Woolf and his team receiving the trophy saddle. * Photo by Amy Olson