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Terry Stuart Forst Runs Oklahoma's Oldest Family Ranch at Waurika

She manages the 7S Stuart Ranch, homesteaded in 1868, and became the first woman to lead the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association.

Who Is Terry Stuart Forst?

Terry Stuart Forst is the owner and manager of the 7S Stuart Ranch, a cattle and horse operation based in Waurika in southern Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture describes her as a fifth-generation Oklahoman who leads the state's oldest and most continuous family-operated ranch. The ranch operates as RT Stuart Ranch LLC.

This profile covers her public professional record only: the ranch, her education, her industry roles and her honors.

A Ranch Homesteaded in 1868

According to a Texas Christian University alumni magazine profile, the ranch was homesteaded in 1868 by her great-great-grandfather and sits partly on the Chisholm Trail. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame biography says it is the state's oldest ranch under continuous family ownership and marked its 150th anniversary in 2018.

Reported acreage varies by source. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame cites more than 40,000 acres in one place and 45,000 in another, and the state agriculture department describes the ranch as 45,000 acres. The ranch covers parts of southeastern and southwestern Oklahoma.

Education and Coming Back to the Ranch

She earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from Oklahoma State University. After college she worked for her father, Bob Stuart, running a horse program and overseeing day-to-day operations. The TCU magazine profile reports that her father gave her management responsibility in 1993.

She completed Texas Christian University's Ranch Management Program, graduating at the top of her class according to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. She later created a management plan aimed at sustainability and profitability that she continues to revise.

Hereford Cattle, Black Baldies and Quarter Horses

The TCU article describes the ranch as a producer of Herefords, Black Baldies, cowhorses and champion Quarter Horses, and as one of the most profitable ranches in the Southwest. It names two Superhorses bred there, Genuine Redbud (1995) and Real Gun (2004). The article also reports that she shows in amateur cowhorse and roping events and was named Reserve World Champion in the Non-Pro Bridle class at the National Reined Cow Horse Association World Championship Show.

According to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame biography, the ranch recently launched Stuart Ranch Meat Company and has plans for a hunting lodge and event venue.

The Key to Her Success

Forst's record points to training, planning and public leadership more than any single deal. The sources are hall of fame and agency biographies, so these lessons are drawn from what they report.

A fair note on limits: the available biographies do not give financial figures, herd sizes or detailed costs, so claims about profitability come from the articles' own descriptions.

  • She trained formally: an animal science degree from Oklahoma State and the TCU Ranch Management Program.
  • She wrote a management plan to improve sustainability and profitability and keeps revising it.
  • She works on research that the state says has improved pasture and rangeland health, livestock efficiency and longevity, and business profitability.
  • She opens the ranch for workshops and demonstrations and consults on beef production methods.
  • She adds new income lines: a meat company and planned lodge and event venue.

Leading the Cattlemen

Forst served as president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association from 2009 to 2011, the first woman to hold that office. She was also the first woman to receive the association's Cattlemen of the Year Award, in 2007, and received the OSU Master Breeder Award in 2008.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry named her a Significant Woman in Agriculture in 2017.

Honors and Where to Learn More

She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in the class of 2020, and in 2024 she became the 27th inductee and first woman in the Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame, announced March 29, 2024. In 2024 she also received Governor Stitt's Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture Award. The state agriculture department announcement and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame biography give the details.

Trade coverage in June 2026 reported that an Oklahoma rancher earned the National Golden Spur Award, and Forst is listed as that year's honoree, the award's 48th. The Ranching Heritage Association page says the award recognizes the ranching industry and the American rancher and has historically been given jointly by six organizations. See also the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about Oklahoma ranch horses and cattle.

Timeline

  1. 1868The ranch is homesteaded by her great-great-grandfather
  2. 1993Her father gives her management responsibility for the ranch
  3. 2007Inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame
  4. 2009-2011Serves as the first woman president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association
  5. 2017Named a Significant Woman in Agriculture by the state
  6. 2018The ranch marks its 150th anniversary
  7. 2020Inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame
  8. 2024Becomes the first woman in the Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame
  9. 2026Reported as a National Golden Spur Award honoree

Frequently asked questions

Who is Terry Stuart Forst?

Terry Stuart Forst owns and manages the 7S Stuart Ranch in Waurika, Oklahoma, the state's oldest ranch under continuous family ownership, and is a former president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association.

How big is the 7S Stuart Ranch?

Sources vary. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame cites more than 40,000 acres in one place and 45,000 in another, and the state agriculture department says 45,000 acres.

What is the 7S Stuart Ranch known for?

It is known for being Oklahoma's oldest family-owned ranch, homesteaded in 1868, and for producing Herefords, Black Baldies, cowhorses and champion Quarter Horses.

What honors has Terry Forst received?

They include the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame (2007), the Oklahoma Hall of Fame (2020) and the Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame (2024), where she is the first woman inducted.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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