Brooke Wilson of Canyon, Texas, won first and second in the Pro-Am Non-Pro Heading at the 2026 Old West World Championships in Amarillo, Texas, Oct. 17, riding Poco Bamacat to a 674.03 on three head for $14,720 and Beer Can to a 673.03 for another $11,776.

The two horses brought Wilson a combined $26,496, with just one point separating her championship and reserve championship finishes. But while Wilson had spent the summer getting Poco Bamacat ready for the Old West, her time with Beer Can began just days before the show.

Poco Bamacat, by Bamacat out of Watch This Poco Chic, is owned by the Wilsons and was bred by Tim and Pat Dewey. The Wilsons bought “Lincoln” back in the winter.

“We bought him out of the Hershberger sale this year, February,” Wilson said. “Bodie Sauvage had him, and he was raised up there actually by where Logan Vander Hamm lives—Logan knew this horse as a yearling.”

According to Wilson, Salvador Torres rode Lincoln early in his career before Sauvage started roping on him. When Wilson got the opportunity to try him, she knew he had the potential to be one of the good ones.

“When we seen him, I tried him before the sale and loved him,” Wilson said. “I told Rodey then—and we hadn’t been to any shows—I was like, ‘I think I could show this horse.’ Now here we are.”

The win symbolized a payoff for the hours Wilson spent in the summer working on building Lincoln’s confidence and getting him comfortable working in different environments.

“I’ve been riding this horse all summer and put a lot of time into him,” she said. “It’s cool to see what we’re doing is—it works, because there’s times where you could doubt in it and you don’t know.”

“He’s a team player. There’s a lot there, but it’s very, very dialed down,” Wilson continued. “He’s getting better—first, when I’d take him to a few places, he’d get in the box and you could tell he was unsure, but his confidence is coming around.”

For her, that steady progress is what makes him particularly exciting.

“[Horses] either go up the hill, or they go downhill pretty fast,” Wilson said. “I’m just glad he’s headed the right way.”

While Lincoln’s win came after months of putting in the work, Wilson’s reserve championship on Beer Can was a different story.

The 5-year-old gelding, by Call Me Joe out of Just Wright Lilly, was bred and is owned by Scott Vander Hamm. Wilson knew the horse through Logan Vander Hamm, who had spent considerable time with him, but she had never personally ridden him before the Old West.

According to Wilson, Beer Can became available when Bobby Simmons couldn’t make it to Amarillo. Wilson was asked to step in and show him, giving her the opportunity to show a horse she’d watched go all winter.

“I watched that horse all winter in Arizona,” Wilson said. “I mean, he’s for real—I love him.”

Despite already knowing what Beer Can could do, swinging a leg over him in a competitive setting was another story.

“That makes me nervous, riding somebody else’s horse,” Wilson said. “I’ve never rode him. I’ve watched him go, but I never had ridden him. I got to practice on him two nights and then showed him up here.”

Beer Can answered with the highest-scoring finals run of the top three finishers, a 227.87, putting him and Wilson first until she ran her steer on Lincoln.

“That’s just a testament,” Wilson said. “He’s 5 years old, so easy. Logan’s done a great job raising great horses.”

The one-two finish also came after a frightening accident for Wilson at the COJO roping in Belton the weekend before, where her horse fell during a run and she was knocked unconscious.

Wilson said she was transported to the hospital, where she underwent a CT scan and X-rays. She credited the people who gathered around her, including Justin Davis, for their prayers and support following the accident.

“When I came to, Justin Davis was the first person I remember,” Wilson said.

Following the experience, Wilson’s Old West success was significant beyond the two big paychecks. She credited her faith and the support she received from the roping community for helping her through the ordeal.

As for Lincoln, Wilson hopes to keep him in her program for years to come. With eligibility for the Riata and other major incentives, she sees plenty of opportunities ahead for the horse she knew was special before ever stepping on him.

“There’s a lot of good horses, but finding one you can win on? That’s hard to do,” Wilson said. “They’re so hard to find.”