The cutting champion and the fourth-generation rancher have become one heck of a power couple.
When World Finals Champion Winston Hansma crossed paths with legacy rancher Danny Motes in California, it sparked a relationship that would alter the course of the horse industry. Winston Hansma and Danny Motes are going strong, and so is their operation.
The Western couple stopped by to chat with C&I about how they first met and where they’re headed from here.
Cowboys & Indians: So, how did you two meet?
Danny Motes: We both had some connections in California to the Doc Bar Ranch. The owners were good friends of both of ours. Winston had worked there, and I’d spent a lot of time with them growing up. They owned a horse that they gave to me. Winston rode up to me at a cutting many years later and said, “Do you own a horse named Carry Me, Doc?” And I said, “Yes, I do.” And he said, “That’s the very first cutting horse I ever showed when I worked for Doc.” So that was our first exchange. And then it turned out we had lots of other similar background. Things went from there.
C&I: Winston, you made your way to the U.S. from Canada, right?
Winston Hansma: Yep. I moved to Texas in 1987. The reason I moved was to get to a more competitive area to further my career as a cutting horse trainer. I lived in Fredericksburg from ’87 to ’91 and then moved to Weatherford in the spring of ’91. It was a good move for me professionally. In that period of time, I met Danny, and we’ve had a great life together.
My dad moved to southern Alberta after World War II. When he was a kid, they farmed with horses. So, my dad always had a love for horses. He read a lot and got really interested in the American Quarter Horse, and we got into the horse business. Our dad was really interested in seeing us improve in the horse area as far as taking lessons and clinics from people that could advance our careers. And it all worked out well. [My dad] was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame a few years ago. And three of us Hansma boys have been inducted into the NCHA Hall of Fame. We’re fortunate to grow up in the environment we did.
C&I: Danny, where are you from?
Motes: Colorado, initially. My dad was Lex Connelly, who was the head of the now PRCA — the RCA at the time. Then, we relocated to California where we had a rodeo company for many years. I moved my children and myself to Texas in 1991 to get back to a more agriculture-based life. It was the best plan ever. All of my children have thrived in Texas.
C&I: What does your operation look like now?
Motes: Well, I would say during our most productive years, Winston was training cutting horses all day long, mentoring lots of young trainers. And I was operating the brood mare and breeding division of it. We had a stallion that Winston won the NCHA Derby on. We named him CD Lights. He went on to have a huge career and was the NCHA World Champion Stallion. So, we ended up having a wonderful breeding career with him.
We really were running two full operations on one property. We had training and breeding going on. I’m semi-retired, but two of my children still live on the ranch. My daughter’s husband is a cutting horse trainer, and they run the training operation part of it now. They still are doing some breeding, but not the amount that we were doing when we were in full blown business.
C&I: Have you picked up any new hobbies since your semi-retirement?
Hansma: I picked up the hobby of team roping. My stepson lives right there next to us, and he has a rope and arena and horses and cattle, so it’s all very manageable.
Motes: My son Ryan ropes. He’s five-time NFR qualified and also a really good teacher and has become a good horseman with a lot of help from Winston. He’s always wanted Winston to rope. Winston was like, “The last thing I want to do on my day off is get on another horse.” Now, in retirement, he’s able to find the time to do it, and I think he’s really enjoyed it. Ryan has made a huge effort to make sure it was fun for him. And the camaraderie amongst cowboys is the camaraderie amongst cowboys. Doesn’t matter if they’re cutting horse guys or ropers. They all have that same drive and love for being out there riding horses.
Hansma: Friends of mine from Canada say, “You guys could go anywhere.” And I’m like, “I just like living in Texas, in Weatherford, in the United States.” There’s a lot left to see here in the United States. When we take them to the airport, I say, “Well, do you see why I don’t really need to go?” I’m pretty content.
C&I: The horse world has become much more popular in the mainstream lately.
Motes: Well, there has definitely been a big resurgence. For somebody like me who has a lifelong background in the Western way of life, it seems just like the normal way of life. It’s what I knew. But in those days, it was much more combined. Western way of life was a Western way of life. People knew one another. It’s much more secular now. We have all these different modes of competition, so there’s no way that it can slow down with the very wide public interest in it now either. But I think it’s going to be very divisional. There’s English riding and Western riding. There’s something for everybody that wants to participate in the horse lifestyle.
Check out Winston Hansma and Danny Motes in C&I’s 2024 fall fashion look book.
ON WINSTON: Beaver felt hat in denim, westernlegacyco.com; Gray plaid cowboy sports coat, espueladesignco.com; Blue button-down shirt and jeans, cinchjeans.com; Irona Howe (Lakota) belt, Instagram: @ironalee; Rod Patrick boots (Winston’s own).
ON DANNY: American Hat Company 10X-500X felt hat in bone, shop.besthatstore.com; 3 stone Sonoran Gold earrings, Kingman memory pearl wire choker, and The Boot turquoise ring, hippiecowgirlcouture.com; 18k yellow gold and diamond tennis necklace, jacksonholejewelry.com; Custom 7X Ranch diamond necklace, sevenxcustomjewelry.com; Fashion Express black concho print top, cavenders.com; Southwest sheepskin fringe shawl, westerlyusa.com; Super Dale ostrich boots, lucchese.com; Jeans (Danny’s own).
Interview conducted by Chad Isham
PHOTOGRAPHY: Sara Forrest
