A sorting jackpot mimics the real-life work of a ranch horse and a cowboy who sorts, or cuts, certain cattle from a herd for things like branding or veterinary care.

PERRY, Ga. — Folks in Perry on Saturday witnessed the Ranch Sorting National Championship, where riders from all over worked to separate cattle into pens - which took a lot of horsepower.

Cowboy Fellowship of Aggieland is hosting a Ranch Sorting School and Competition Oct. 13-14 at Still Creek Ranch. Separate adult and youth classes will be held concurrently beginning 9 a.m.

“Ranch sorting is what ranchers do to sort their calves out, brand them or doctor them,” John Fox said. “Ranchers do it because they have to. We do it for fun.

Ranch sorting, Ensminger said, "is not a rich game." Even when he wins, he said he's lucky to break even. "You have to get them out in different exposures.

Where rodeos can cost $300 per event, the ranch sorting event charges $30 for four tries. “It’s addicting, oh my God,” said Strassburg, 39, who had her daughter, Samantha, as her partner.

It started as an offshoot of the established rodeo sport of competitive team penning, but ranch sorting enthusiasts are on the rise, and some say it will soon surpass team penning in popularity. In ...

Ranch sorting is a team sport where competitors on horseback sort cattle marked with a number on their back from one pen to another in sequential order, one at a time.

Ranch sorting requires two pens, connected by a gate. A few cattle with numbers on their back are released into one of the pens, and a team of two riders have to move the cattle from one pen to ...

Social Scene: Sort 4 the Cause ranch sorting Sort 4 the Cause was held at Speck's Arena in Sunnyside, Wash. from June 18-19, 2016. The ranch sorting event raised money for Children’s Wish… ...