Logan and Jessie Wolfe of Wellington, Colorado, claimed the Priefert Open Gold Shootout title at the Cinch RSNC South Central Regional Super Sort—one of the RSNC’s marquee events—in Waco, Texas, May 1–3, sorting 27 head in 140.53 seconds across three rounds to earn $4,720.
Sorting on two of their own seasoned horses against a tough set of cattle, the husband-and-wife team were the only pair to sort 20 head through the first two rounds, then came back as high call in the final round to make it count.
The win was a first for the couple since the birth of their first son, McCall, in January and marked Jessie’s recent return to the sorting pen and a warm welcome for the latest addition to the Cinch RSNC family.
Spicy Cattle, Sharp Minds
Consistently, the cattle at the South Central Regional Super Sort were reported as tough, making for a great few days of ranch sorting.
“We had a really good group of cattle and it’s getting harder and harder nowadays to find cattle that aren’t used up or too soft,” said Logan, who serves as the event director for Cinch RSNC when he’s not competing and is on the front lines of event production throughout the country. “Our cattle supplier did a great job bringing us some fresh cattle that were challenging. A lot of people really enjoy the challenging part of our sport instead of the horse race when possible. So it adds a whole other level of finesse to the game where you have to really slow down, use your mind and be precise.”
Jessie echoed the assessment.
“The cattle were tough,” she said. “They were a lot like our World Finals cattle: big and strong, and you can’t really make a lot of mistakes.”
With a good read on the herd, the Wolfes went to work.
The Plan, Round by Round
Heading into the competition, Jessie had a clear-eyed read on what it would take.
“‘The first round’s going to be a 10-head cut,’” Jessie predicted with another Open competitor. “That’s just how it is. It’s the best of the best. It’s an elite class.”
The Wolfes then sorted 10 head in the second round and were the only 20-head team heading into the final round, giving them the high call advantage.
“Logan and I do really good being first out,” Jessie said. “The cattle are fresh. We know we like those types of cattle.”
Though not always the case when married couples enter the competition arena, Jessie and Logan make a pretty formidable and admirable team at the top.
“I really enjoy sorting with my wife,” Logan said. “She’s an awesome rider and she does a great job. … We think alike. We ride the same, so it makes for a really good team. In the short round, we could tell it was going to continue to get harder. So we got there toward the end, and she made a couple of really good stops.”
With seven head sorted and time winding down, Logan made a calculated decision. He went for the eighth cow, found trouble and pulled back.
“It splashed all the bad cows to Jessie,” he said. “So I decided to drop in, come back around. I played it safe. I chickened out, but it ended up paying off and being the right call.”
Only four teams made it back, with prize money paying three deep. No team behind them could match the score.
“There was a team behind us that could tie us—probably beat us even on cows—but it didn’t happen,” Jessie said. “We got to win. That was really special.”
The Horses That Got It Done
When the stakes were highest, Logan made a move that his wife has fully earned the right to tease him about: He climbed aboard one of her horses for the final round.
“Jag,” an 8-year-old gelding registered as Spot Boon Baby, has been with Jessie since he was 4.
“He wasn’t meant to be much and turned out to be one of the best horses in our barn,” she said. “I’ve shown him all over the country and won a lot of money on him—probably close to $100,000 by now.”
Jag yet again proved his worth as Logan’s mount against spicy cows and close competition.
Jessie’s second horse, “Swag”—an 8-year-old son of Sigala Rey, acquired from Bruce and Jennifer Thompson last August—is the kind of athlete that turns heads.
“He’s one of those really special horses that cares a lot about the sport,” she said. “He really enjoys it and he’s pretty athletic. He can make some pretty impressive moves.”
Game-changers: Gold Shootouts, standings and the World Finals
As Cinch RSNC Event Director, Logan has a front-row seat to what the Gold Shootout format has done for ranch sorting as a whole.
“Gold shootouts have been a game changer for the sport and contestants,” Logan said. “They have brought a new level of excitement to the game because of the opportunity to win a lot of money, and people are understanding the value: Just the bang for your buck is way more than what it would be for the normal ranch sorting classes.”
For the cost of slightly higher entry fee, ranch sorters of all levels can compete for higher payouts in four Gold Shoutout classes: a #5, #9, #13 and the Open. For anyone placing in a paid position, that also means better season earnings, which means a better chance at qualifying to ride in the Holiday Auto Group Challenge of the Champions tourney at the World Finals. There, the Top 5 ranch sorters (determined by money earned in a season) in each level of competition—Rookie, Novice, Amateur and Open—compete to win the title of the Champion of the Champions.
With their recent win, both Logan and Jessie are on the board in the COTC Open Division. Logan is on solid ground at No. 2 with $63,760 earned on the year just three weeks before the annual event. Jessie is a few holes off from the Face-Off Zone at No. 9 with $19,379, but that’s a Top 10 spot she earned despite months away from competition during her pregnancy and McCall’s first months. Notably, Jessie is also the only female ranch sorter to make to COTC leaderboard in the Open.
11 Years and 1 New Member
Logan and Jessie have been together 11 years, married for eight. They think alike and ride alike, which makes for a natural partnership in the pen.
“I was joking with everybody that I carried her to win there,” Logan said, grinning. “But she definitely held the team together and made me look good.”
Logan was raised in the RSNC family, ranch sorting from the get-go, and it’s a life he’s excited to now share with his own son.
“I grew up like this,” Logan shared. “I grew up in the sport going to all these events and shows, and I couldn’t imagine growing up any other way. I think it was the best way to grow up. So, I’m really excited for him to have that opportunity and be able to be involved in that.”
Jessie, has been competing since her teens growing up in Central Oregon, After McCall was born, her first show back was Sioux Falls. Waco was next.
“My passion and love has always been for the horses,” she said, “Sorting is just a topper to that. I definitely was craving and was really wanting to get back in the sorting pen. It’s hard to sit on the sidelines for super long.”
She’s not on the sidelines anymore, and she’s got an army of helpers to make sure of it.
“I’m a pretty easygoing mom,” Jessie stated. “But I had to be like, ‘Okay, who has him now and where’s he at?’ I enjoy that though: that everybody wants to step in and help and be a part of his life.”
The win photo is a first for the family—McCall, Mom and Dad—and the new parents couldn’t be more proud.
“He’s already been to 10 states, I think” Jessie said. “He’s been on some five flights, and he’s been in the truck for several hours. He’s just the little trooper.”
The family will be on home turf competing at the North Central Regional Super Sort in Loveland, Colorado, May 16–17, and then it’s all eyes on the Cinch RSNC World Finals XIX, June 6–13 in Fort Worth. RSNC members are advised to prepare for long wait times if they are hoping for one-on-one time with Baby McCall.