Chris Mangold of Hesperia, California, and Sidney Rasmussen of Park City, Utah, captured the 2026 #14 Ranch Hand World Champion title at the Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, sorting 40 head of cattle in 217.27 seconds across four rounds to earn $11,740.
A Scary Little Bugger
The cattle set the tone from the start. They were fresh, wanted to run, and punished teams that got hurried.
Mangold thought the first round presented the toughest cattle of the class, but slowing down wasn’t an option. Teams still needed a perfect 10 to survive the first cut.
“You had to go fast, you had to have 10,” he said.
In Round 2, a cow threatened to run back on Rasmussen as she held the gate.
“I had to watch that one,” she said. “He came back on the team before.”
And a stubborn brindle kept both riders on high alert.
“He looked me in the eye and tried to come through a couple times,” Rasmussen said. “He was a scary little bugger.”
The Wait
Rasmussen and Mangold ran second in the short round, with only one team on the board ahead of them to read. Watching the first team gave Rasmussen and Mangold a small edge. They liked how the cattle worked on one side of the pen and decided to follow the same approach.
Through it all, Rasmussen credited her horse for holding steady on the gate when it counted most.
“He cowed really well,” she said. “He’s definitely feeling the cow’s energy and my energy, and he performed well for me.”
Having gone early, Rasmussen spent the rest of the round watching the field try to catch them. Mangold couldn’t quite bring himself to watch.
One team got close, but the run came apart when the 0 cow slipped by, ending their bid.
Trusted Partners: LBR Kat and ‘Rey’
The cattle put every horse in the pen to the test, and Rasmussen and Mangold’s mounts answered every challenge.
Rasmussen rode LBR Kat (Kit Kat Sugar x Ashado), the gelding she describes as her “No. 1 man.” She’s owned him for three years after purchasing him from Kevin Reese, and the pair has grown together in the sorting pen.
“He was so good,” Rasmussen said. “He was super smooth in the cows, great in the gate, and he’ll take a cow coming 90 miles an hour at him.”
Mangold’s partner is much newer to his program. Spookyscallmemaybe is a 5-year-old Dual Reyish mare out of a Metallic Cat daughter. “Rey” came from the cutting horse world and has been with Mangold for about seven months. Despite one bad habit, he holds her in high regard.
“She’s my favorite even though she kicks my trailer,” he said.
Making the Miles Matter
The day after winning the #14 Ranch Hand, Mangold would go on to compete in the Holiday Auto Group Challenge of the Champions Open. Though the title ultimately went to Tanner Keith, Mangold played a critical role in Keith’s success when the pair went to battle against a terribly determined red cow. They finally got her turned, and the moment was dubbed “The Save of the Season.”
Ahead of the night, Mangold joked about the mild commitment he made to making the Top 5 in the year-long earnings race.
“It only took 70,000 miles.” Later in the week, Mangold would finish third in the Priefert Open Gold Shootout for another $2,801, bringing his World Finals earnings to $8,671.
Meanwhile, Rasmussen entered Round 1 of the #14 Ranch Hand having already won money for her ninth-place finish in the Spalding Labs Western Heritage All Levels and her seventh-place finish in the EQN Sports #18 Rated Youth. Plus, she’d go on to claim a Fast Time check in the #18 Bareback/Bridleless class for a total World Finals haul of $6,944.
#14 Ranch Hand — 2026 World Finals Champions
| Champions | Chris Mangold (Hesperia, California) & Sidney Rasmussen (Park City, Utah) |
| Winning run | 217.27 on 40 head |
| First-place payout | $11,740 |
| Total class payout | $46,700 |
Top 10 Payouts
| Place | Team | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Mangold / Sidney Rasmussen | $11,740 |
| 2 | Nelson Mas / Tanner Keith | $8,242 |
| 3 | Kaitlyn Roberson / Shiann Buckner | $5,894 |
| 4 | Kylynn Hegge / April Hegge | $3,996 |
| 5 | Amador Gonzales / Mark Stockton | $3,396 |
| 6 | Travis Roberson / Caitlin Acree | $2,798 |
| 7 | Trent Knight / Sage Bach | $2,398 |
| 8 | Sage Bach / Trent Knight | $2,000 |
| 9 | Tanner Keith / Brea Vardas | $1,598 |
| 10 | Omar Diaz / Iosvany Castillo | $1,398 |
