Western Horseman Presents 2020 Women of the West Award

Western Horseman magazine began its popular Women of the West series in the March 2007 issue, to honor women who embody ranching values, are committed to caring for their land and livestock, garner respect in the agricultural community, and make their living horseback every day. New Mexico rancher Linda Davis was the first woman featured in the series and set the stage for other women to be spotlighted monthly ever since. Western Horseman celebrated Linda’s continuous contributions to the stock horse and ranching industries by presenting her with the second Women of the West Award last January during the Art of the Cowgirl event in Phoenix, Arizona. Judy Wagner, vice president of marketing and communications for Montana Silversmiths, received the first award in 2019. A fourth-generation rancher, Linda was raised by her father, Albert Mitchell, who managed his Tequesquite Ranch and the Bell Ranch in New Mexico and also served four terms as president of the American Quarter Horse Association. In 1953, she married Les Davis, and the couple managed the family’s CS Cattle Company, founded in 1873. They raised six children on the ranch and continued its reputable cattle and horse operation, which won the 2000 AQHA Best Remuda award. At 89, Linda remains active on the ranch with her children and grandchildren, and is an avid Western art collector and supporter of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, serving on their board of directors since 1988. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the National Ranching Heritage Center’s Golden Spur Award in 1992...MORE