Jud Little

Born with a love of horses, Chickasaw citizen Jud Little cultivated that passion his entire life.

Raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma, he credited his mother with helping him find his calling in life. As a student at Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, Jud learned to play polo and became incredibly skilled at the sport. While earning a Bachelor of Science degree in economics at the University of Pennsylvania, he was able to travel and play polo around the world.

Jud eventually retired from playing polo, but he found another equine-centric interest to pursue: the rodeo sport of heeling, also known as team roping.

Horses from the Jud Little Ranch, founded in 1976, have won countless rodeo, racing and roping competitions. Home to champion broodmares and stallions with proven pedigrees, the Jud Little Ranch has a bright future of raising and running future champions.

The 2,000-acre ranch just north of Ardmore is where he continued to raise his top-performance horses and where he was CEO and owner of Quintin Little Company, Inc., an independent oil and gas production and exploration company.

Jud's goal was to continue to push the barrel racing industry to new levels – his daughter Mattie carries on the family legacy as a barrel racing competitor.

He passed away peacefully at his home on the Jud Little Ranch on March 25, 2020.