For most ranch sorting families, a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Cinch RSNC World Finals is the highlight of the year. It’s a time to celebrate a year’s worth of achievements with friends from across the world and, hopefully, to come home with new gold championship buckles. The Hegge family is no exception.
Hailing from Wyoming, the Hegges—mom, April; dad, Malik; and sisters Kylynn, 17; Adell, 15; and Viann, 13—came to the show with the goal of adding more world titles to their already impressive resumes. What they encountered, though, was a brush with tragedy.
Rising From the Wreck
On Sunday, June 8—day two of the eight-day event—the Hegges’ World Finals began in a way no one could have predicted with a wreck that would send even the most seasoned family into a panic.
In the second round of the #18 Rated Youth class, a loose cinch caused Adell to fall from her horse, Dual Or No Dual, aka “Dually” (Dual Madera x Hear Breaking Annie). In the livestream on Ride TV, viewers watched as Viann and Adell sorted off five cows before Adell’s saddle listed to the right shortly after the 7:30:45 timestamp on the player. She landed hard on her hip directly in front of the gelding, where he couldn’t avoid her. He hit her twice, striking her face and torso.
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“I remember feeling him spin and seeing it go down,” Adell said, recounting the incident. “I don’t remember when or where I bailed, but I remember everyone’s faces, seeing everyone [as they surrounded me in the arena].”
As onsite paramedics grabbed their gear to provide immediate medical care, friends, family and key helpers rushed the gate and over the panels to attend to Adell and the girls’ horses. the ranch sorting community gathered around, bowing their heads in prayer for her swift recovery and supporting her sisters, who still had rides ahead of them.
Through it all, Adell’s biggest fear was that she wouldn’t be able to return to the pen to finish the World Finals.
“The [nurse] told me I would have to wear a neck brace for two weeks, and she wouldn’t sign that I was okay,” Adell explained. “Everybody was telling me I couldn’t ride, and I was telling everyone that I could ride, and I needed them to trust me that I’m okay.”
Thankfully, she was given the go-ahead to get back in the saddle, miraculously walking away with a few stitches and a chipped tooth. Dually was unharmed, and Adell recounted the sweet moment of forgiveness she had with the gelding when she returned from the hospital to ride in the Youth Finals Night.
“I met him in the alleyway before the grand entry and walked over to him and said, ‘Hey bud, remember stepping on me?’ He leaned his head into me and gave me a hug… He’s a good guy; he didn’t mean to do it.”
Sorting Success
The Hegge family, who compete year-round in everything from regional sorting shows to the West Coast Bowl and World Finals, didn’t let the accident interfere with their goals.
Read about Viann’s Gold Shootout win at the 2024 Cinch RSNC All Star Sorting Bowl
Adell got right back on and finished the week in the top 10 in the Professional’s Choice #9 Gold Shootout and the #18 Rated Youth, returning to the finals with two runs in the same class the accident occurred in.
Her sisters rose to the challenge as well.
“I want to qualify for two classes in the top 10 and I hope to win a class,” Kylynn said prior to the event, explaining her hopes for the 2025 World Finals. “My sisters have both won world titles at the Finals, so I would really like to win one as well.”
Kylynn’s goal to qualify came true as she returned to the final rounds in the All Levels and #12 classes, placing fifth and ninth, respectively.
Viann also made it to the top 10 in the #18 Bareback/Bridleless and in the #18 Rated Youth to conquer the sorting pen with Adell.
The family added these new-found accolades to an already long list of achievements. In 2021, Adell walked away from the Cinch RSNC World Finals with a Youth #8 championship buckle aboard Blood Brother (One Time Pepto x Savannah Hickory) and, in 2024, Viann also sorted her way to a Youth #8 World Championship with Ice Man Merada (Cats Merada x Little Lacey).
“I’ve got two World Champs in my little herd,” April likes to say.
A Sport for the Whole Family
The family’s success didn’t come overnight — Adell, Viann, and Kylynn all grew up in the sorting pen.
“I started sorting when the girls were little because it was something we could do with the kids,” April explains. “Sorting is a phenomenal sport because it really teaches kids and new beginners how to ride and how to steer their horse well, so it was a great spot to get started.”
During the year, the Hegge family splits their time between Wyoming and Arizona. When the family isn’t in the saddle, the girls study and take classes through the JM Learning School, an online school designed to support student athletes. They spend their free time playing volleyball, participating in FFA competitions, and raising show lambs for their county fair.
Adell and Kylynn compete in Wyoming’s High School Rodeo with hopes to qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo in the Breakaway Roping. The girls are also heavily involved in the Priefert Junior Elite Team and joined the team in 2022, 2023, and 2025. Through this program they attend leadership seminars, learn how to build their personal brands, and have gained friends from across the country. Viann is a Priefert Team Member, while Kylynn and Adell serve as Ambassadors.
In fact, at a roping just 10 days before this year’s Cinch RSNC World Finals, Adell’s usual mount, Blood Brother, had an unfortunate incident of his own when he caught his muzzle in a roping chute. Adell joked that now she and the gelding had matching stitches, hers on her chin, and his on his nostril. April chimed in saying that both Adell and Blood Brother need to be wrapped in bubble wrap.
“There’s no other association that feels as homey or as friendly as RSNC,” says Kylynn, who began sorting when she was around 6 years old. “There’s no other association where everyone’s smiling, and everyone says your name and cheers everyone on. RSNC makes it all very family oriented.”
So, when Adell returned to the World Finals a few short days after her wreck, there wasn’t a crowd more happy or more relieved to see the cowgirl saddle up to sort with her sisters once again.
— H&R —
