It is strange to not have a rodeo on Memorial Day weekend but we still found some action close to home, a ranch sorting!
Over the winter our 2022 calves have been hired as the sorting stock for the Southwest Colorado Ranch Sorting Association clinics, practices and jackpots. We have really enjoyed getting to put our stock to work and see people grow and succeed with their cattle knowledge and skill on foot and horseback.
Since I have been traveling so much I haven’t been able to attend one of these events, until last weekend. Not only did I get to help haul in, I also got to photograph! I have never taken photos of an event quite like this. There action but in a different way. It takes a lot more skill in my opinion to find the perfect shot at a ranch sorting.
So, how does a ranch sorting work? There are 11 calves in the pen. When the sorter enters the pen they receive a number between 0-9. From there they will have to sort each calf in numerical order within 90 seconds. It may sound simple to some but it is crazy to see how many people will try to sort in reverse order or the seconds tick by faster than you think.
I have gotten to practice sorting horseback a few times but I love helping the event go smoothly more than I do competing. It may be because I am SO competitive I choose not to but I also just couldn’t go without my camera.
I suppose now you want to see what kind of photos I caught so I won’t make you wait any longer. Check out this gallery of ranch sorting photos.
Note: Rodeo season starts this week! Tune in each week to get updates, results and see the gallery of photos I capture from the True Western Roundup, Pagosa Nite Rodeo and so many more!
