Each June, ranch sorting contestants compete for a true world title when they load up and haul in to the Will Rogers Memorial Complex, home of the Cinch RSNC World Finals.

where

Fort Worth, Texas

what

Cinch RSNC World Finals

when

June 7–14, 2025

2025 World Finals

In 2025, ranch sorters will arrive in Fort Worth from points across the country, the continent, and the globe to compete for a predicted $1 million purse at the 2025 Cinch RSNC World Finals.

Since its 2007 inception, the Cinch RSNC has introduced some 34,000 members to the sport of ranch sorting, with nearly 8,000 teams traveling to Fort Worth each June for the annual World Finals. This year’s contestants and fans can watch everyone from youth athletes to open competitors sort for glory on Ride TV, the official educational video and livestream platform of the Cinch RSNC.

Ranch Sorting rules

In ranch sorting, two-man teams (in most cases) compete in a timed event derived from the ranch work that still happens today across America’s working cattle ranches.

The classes are handicapped, meaning that ranch sorters compete against fellow riders with similar sorting caliber. At the drop of the judge’s flag, the clock begins, and the contestants work 11 head of cattle held in one pen, sorting the cows off one at a time according to the number they wear.

Typically, one rider sorts the cow while the second rider works the gate, preventing cows with the wrong number from crossing into the next pen. Winners are determined by which team sorted the most cattle, in order, in the least amount of time.

Don’t Miss This in Fort Worth

explore.

They say, “Everything is bigger in Texas,” and in Fort Worth, Texas-sized family fun is easy to find. If you love ranch sorting, you’ll love Fort Worth’s world-class museums like the 1. National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, the 2. National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, and 3. John Wayne: An American Experience.

eat.

Casually understood as the horseman’s hangout, the 4. Silver Fox Café is the post-event place to be to see the who’s who of the performance horse industry. For legendary margaritas, pack some cash (credit cards aren’t accepted) to 5. Joe T. Garcia’s for authentic Tex-Mex. And for Texas-worthy steaks, 6. H3 Ranch is as tried, true, and tasty as they come.

do.

The Cinch RSNC World Finals feature action-packed days, but have you really been to Fort Worth if you haven’t two-stepped over to 7. Billy Bob’s for a night of live music? And, if you can steal away during the daylight hours, shopping the 8. Fort Worth Stockyards is a prize of its own

Ranch Sorting’s Origins

The ability to sort cattle is an essential skill needed on ranches big and small. Reasons to sort can range from needing to separate the calves from the mama cows on branding day, separating the cows that will calve soon away from the cows that have a few more weeks, pulling the bulls from summer pasture at the end of their breeding season, and countless other scenarios. 

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