Four Australians, Cindy and Lonnie Henderson from Dubbo along with Rosie and Jason Dooley from Belford, travelled to Texas recently to compete at the RSNC (Ranch Sorting National Championships) World Finals in Fort Worth.
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Nearly 6,000 teams competed during the week of finals that saw over $500,000 in cash prizes, 600 Yeti cups, 15 saddles, 60 buckles and many more prizes given away.
The group are members of RSNCA here in Australia and are regular competitors at Ranch Sorting events as well as being producers of events in Dubbo and Hunter Valley.
Ranch Sorting, whilst still in its infancy here in Australia, is a huge sport in the US, boasting 26,000 members.
It is a team cow horse sport that caters for every rider; no matter their age or ability every rider has the opportunity to be competitive.
The Aussies competed in many of the 29 events run over the week and had varied success but were certainly competitive against the US competitors.
Cindy Henderson finished the finals with many accolades including 2019 Rookie H/P World Reserve Champion, 2019 Graduated Rookie World Top 4, 2019 #3 Western Heritage World Top 10, #4 Incentive Champion, #4 Class 2019 World Finals Top 4 and #3 Below Western Heritage Class Top 5.
"I went over there for the experience, so to be this successful was more than I could have dreamed I would achieve," Cindy Henderson explained.
"Our success at the World Finals is a prime example of the unique structure of RSNCA Ranch Sorting.
The fairness in the RSNCA Ranch Sorting rating system, handicaps and class structure allows everyone the opportunity to participate in a class matched to their level of riding ability and be competitive."
Jason Dooley also shared in the prizes with 2019 Reserve Champion #10HC Class and 2019 Western Heritage All Levels World Top 10.
"The atmosphere of the World Finals is mind blowing," Dooley explained.
"It is very like sorting here in Australia but on a larger scale.
"The friendship and camaraderie of sorters, both here and in the US is second to none and it felt like being with family whilst we were away from family.
"I was very fortunate to have some great partners over the week and am ecstatic with the results."
"Being a part of the World Finals was huge," Lonnie Henderson also revealed.
"The support we received from not only our families but our Ranch Sorting community in Australia was awesome.
"It really proves that Ranch Sorting is an event that brings people together.
"My vision for the RSNCA National Finals here in Australia is to become an event of the World Finals calibre.
"It is certainly achievable for RSNCA.
"Competing at the World Finals was an amazing experience," Rosie Dooley said.
"We were definitely made feel welcome by not only fellow competitors but also the organisers which just highlights what a family orientated sport Ranch Sorting is of all riding abilities have a place in the sport and it was fantastic to see this horsemanship on display."
The team would like to publicly thank Bailey's of Greta and Wazz-A-Cow who sponsored their competition shirts.
"These two businesses have been very supportive of our Ranch Sorting clubs and we are very appreciative of their contribution to our World Finals effort," she added.
"We must also thank Dave Schaffner from the US who has been very instrumental in helping Ranch Sorting move forward in Australia.
"He spent a lot of time assisting and mentoring us during our time over there."
RSNCA currently has four producers running regular events, Ranch Sorting Dubbo, Hunter Valley Ranch Sorting, Forbes Penning Sorting and Ranch Sorting Hillvue Tamworth.
For more information on Ranch Sorting visit their Facebook pages.