A brief history

Four Sixes^TM Ranch is among the most storied businesses in Texas history.

Four Sixes Ranch is part of the famous Burnett Ranches LLC, which is among the most storied businesses in Texas history. Founded by Captain Samuel “Burk” Burnett in 1870—when he purchased 100 head of cattle wearing the “6666” brand from Frank Crowley of Denton, Texas—Burnett Ranches today encompasses 260,000 acres, including the Four Sixes Ranch headquarters, near Guthrie, and the Dixon Creek Ranch, between Panhandle and Borger—both located in the western half of the state.

Legendary Quarter Horses and Superior Angus Cattle are hallmarks of the “Four Sixes.” The ranch not only offers state-of-the-art reproductive services and a full range of equine veterinary services but also stands to the public some of the most well-respected Quarter Horse stallions in the industry. In addition, the ranch’s elite broodmare band produces some of the best ranch, and sale horses available anywhere.

The ranch is dedicated to superior water and range management practices, working as much as possible to reclaim land for native grasses and restore or improve natural water resources. The ranch is wildlife-friendly, carefully maintaining a moderate stocking rate of about 30 acres per cow/calf pair. This ensures survival in drought conditions and keeps horses and cattle at their healthy best.

The ranch’s management units include 119 pastures that vary from a few hundred acres to nearly 16,000 acres of grassland and cultivation and include 18 solar wells, 29 windmills, and ten submersibles with 66 tubs. A full-time person is devoted to equipment that maintains the land and manages the cultivation. Employees, in general, range from 50 to 100 as seasonal needs fluctuate. Of those, nearly 20 are full-time cowboys in the traditional sense of the term. Often, employees are the second or third generation in their family to work at The Sixes, where they are considered more than team members; they are family.

Burnett family members and their ranching endeavors weave a tale laced with hard work, determination, imagination, rugged fair play, and dedication to a uniquely Western way of life. The story of one cannot be told without the other.