Walt started steer wrestling at Cheyenne Frontier Days™ in 1961. By 1964 Walt and his horse Scottie became a team. Scottie, a chestnut gelding, was originally purchased as a hazing horse and moved to steer wrestling in 1965. Harley May won the Cheyenne Steer Wrestling title riding Scottie in 1965 and went on with him to win the World Championship that same year. Walt then rode Scottie in 1966 at Cheyenne Frontier Days™ and won the Steer Wrestling title, earning second in the world standings that year. The next year Walt and Scottie won Cheyenne Frontier Days™ All-Around title and went on to win the 1967 National Finals rodeo steer wrestling average.

In 1971, Scottie carried Jack Roddy to the Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Steer Wrestling. In the same year, Walt won second in the PRCA world standings in Steer Wrestling. It is estimated that between 7 and 10 steer wrestlers rode Scottie at Cheyenne each year from around 1965-1973. During this 10-year span, Walt and Scottie became acknowledged as the king makers in the world of steer wrestling. Three world championships were won by cowboys riding Scottie.