Riding 3-year-old Cat D7 and 4-year-old Docs Highstylin Whiz, the #14 rated team of Logan Weldon and her dad, Mike Weldon, bested an elite field of ranch sorters and up-and-coming equine athletes in the Chrome Cash Pro Futurity, sorting 23 head in 147.25 seconds across three rounds on their single entry at June’s 2025 Cinch RSNC World Finals to take home $7,926.

Under saddle for the underdogs

Logan rode Mike’s 2022 red roan gelding Cat D7 (Cat Smart Boonsmal x Macs Little Rey), while Mike took the reins of Docs Highstylin Whiz, a 2021 chestnut gelding (Shizzle Whizzle x Wild Cat Desire) for owner Lauren Malmberg. Hailing from Veedersburg, Indiana, Logan and Mike both entered as #7 rated ranch sorters in a class stacked with #9s, making their success in such a high-pressure setting even more impressive.

“That little roan horse came in as a 2-year-old from a customer,” Mike said. “Had him a year ago—April 1—when he got dropped off… I liked him from the get-go and seen the potential in him.”

That roan became Cat D7, the gelding Logan piloted through all three rounds, where the colt held his own amid a field stacked with high-rated riders.

Strategy + Consistency = Futurity World Champions

“For a 3-year-old, he took it really, really well,” Logan said. “The third round, we decided to ranch hand. I stayed in the herd and tried to be really smooth and not bring anything to the hole. I felt like that helped us make sure everything was cleaned up.”

Catch all the up-and-coming horses in the full short round on-demand on RIDE TV

It was a strategy that changed the course of the final round, and to the benefit of the remaining teams, but the risk proved worth taking.

“You slow ‘em down, especially [knowing who] was behind us coming in, and we’re basically slowing the herd for them,” Mike explained.

In a championship round where the first four teams posted no times, the Weldons, who had sorted perfect 10s in the first two rounds, took a conservative approach to ensure a score. Their 23 head held up against a field where only one other team came close, finishing on 21 head.

“It’s been a long time since Dad and I won together,” Logan said. “We really brought it back pretty strong.”

Weldon Cow Horses: Indiana ranch sorting program

The Weldons run their program, Weldon Cow Horses, just west of Indianapolis, where they train, compete, and put on Cinch RSNC Northeast Circuit qualifying ranch sortings. Horses like Cat D7 and Docs Highstylin Whiz highlight the kind of patient, careful development their program is known for.

“We don’t advertise,” Mike said. “If somebody’s looking for something, it’s more word of mouth.”

“There’s a lot of potential there,” Mike added of Cat D7. “But it takes time to get ’em where you want to get ’em at… and just sit on ’em and be patient. Mostly.”

But no matter what the rest of the World Finals week held, Cat D7 and Docs Highstylin Whiz had already made their mark—young horses with bright futures, delivering a world championship title for this determined father-daughter team.

This article appears in the Summer 2025 issue of The Ranch Sorter, featuring World Champion stories, event recaps, regional results, and more.

— H&R —