Handy as Pockets on a Poncho

By Paige Brandon, Photos Provided by Poncho

One of the highest compliments a cowboy can receive is “handy as pockets on a shirt.” This means two things. One, the person receiving the compliment is skilled at their job, and two, it matters to cowboys what they wear.

A good button-up shirt is part of a cowboy’s uniform. The long sleeves protect against hours underneath a blazing sun, and the additional pockets free up hands to do what the job requires.

Enter Poncho, an apparel brand that prides itself on functional outdoor clothing.

Some partnerships were written among the stars, or in this case, among the stitches. When the Poncho team first sat around a table designing a shirt with “everything you need, nothing you don’t,” they were laying the groundwork for a great partnership. Just a few years later, Poncho became the Official Shirt of the Working Ranch Cowboys Association.

“It comes down to shared core values: working hard, operating with integrity, doing things the right way, and not being afraid to get your hands dirty,” Poncho Brand Manager Jacob Cervantes shared. “That ethos aligns with our products and who we are internally as a company. We love aligning with people who know how to work hard, have a lot of fun and deeply appreciate being outside.”

Shared Values Made the Partnership Easy

For the Poncho team, the choice to support WRCA went beyond cowboys and ranchers making up part of their target audience. Poncho wanted to support an organization that was pouring back into its people. They believe in WRCA’s championing of the next generation through youth events and scholarships, and in its benevolent arm, the WRCA Foundation, which provides financial relief to cowboys and their families in times of need.

“It started through our existing relationships with several of the rodeo teams competing in the ranch rodeo,” explained Cervantes. Before partnering with WRCA, Poncho had already built relationships with respected operations such as the historic 6666 Ranch in Guthrie, Texas; the historic Sarco Ranch in Goliad, Texas; and Oklahoma’s oldest continuous family-owned ranch, the Stuart Ranch, in Jefferson County.

“We’ve had relationships with those cowboys and ranches for a handful of years now, and it was through those personal connections that this partnership naturally came to life,” he said. “As we dug deeper and learned more about WRCA, especially the Cowboy Relief Fund and their youth events—where we love seeing pictures of the kids wearing our shirts—it just made complete sense.”

Designed by Outdoorsmen for Outdoorsmen

The company first started from the frustrations of an avid fisher. A fishing guide, disappointed by ill-fitting outdoor apparel, set out to create clothing designed to support life outdoors. He aspired to design a shirt for outdoorsmen, by an outdoorsman. Poncho immediately grew beyond fishing and became a favorite among hunters, cowboys, ranchers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Today, Poncho operates out of Austin under a small team of lifelong outdoorsmen.

The popularity among cowboys and ranchers makes the partnership between Poncho and WRCA as natural a fit as their shirts. Poncho advocates for WRCA’s mission to promote and preserve the working ranch cowboy, one shirt at a time by offering quality apparel designed with their daily jobs in mind.

Built for the Way Cowboys Work

Poncho shirts feature a built-in sunglass pocket, a way to secure sleeves when rolled up, sun protection in the fabric they’re made with, a built-in lens cloth for those same glasses that have a spot to land, magnets to keep pockets closed, and they’re made with a quick-drying, breathable and lightweight fabric. The laundry list of features makes Poncho worthy of a cowboy’s best compliment—providing more than pockets on their shirts.

“We take a lot of pride in being the go-to shirt for cowboys across the country,” Cervantes said. “To be officially associated with folks who are out there working hard and utilizing our products every single day—whether they are competing at a WRCA event or putting in hours on the ranch—means everything.”

To Poncho, this is a stamp of credibility, he explained, and one they hang their hats on with pride.

“Having the backing of people who genuinely live the brand is incredibly meaningful to us,” Cervantes remarked.

It’s brands like these that help continue the WRCA mission.

A shirt pocket earns its reputation by proving useful every day. Through its partnership with the WRCA and commitment to working cowboys, Poncho is doing the same. For an association whose members would give the shirt off their backs to help a fellow cowboy, Poncho is proud to be that shirt.

—WRCA—

This article appears in the July 2026 issue of the Hungry Loop. Would you like to read more stories about the WRCA and ranching life? When you become a member of the Working Ranch Cowboys Association, you’ll receive the Hungry Loop and much more while supporting the working cowboy. Become a member today.