Long before she picked up a microphone, Amy Wheatley’s story started in the saddle.
“My dad bought me my first horse when I was 4 years old,” she said. “I’ve had one ever since.”
On trail rides with her friends, Amy fell in love with horses. “When I was about 12 years old, [my friends] wanted to take English lessons,” Amy said, recalling how her parents weren’t so sure they were necessary. “My dad told my riding lesson teacher, ‘She already knows how to brush down a horse; I’m not paying for that.’”
Wheatley went on to fox hunt and compete in three-day eventing before meeting her husband, Lenny, a team roper, who was in need of a heeler. Amy stepped right in.
“I learned to heel functionally,” she said. “I won’t say very well.”
Trading Roping for Sorting
The pair, based in Georgia, spent years traveling to team roping arenas until ranch sorting caught their attention.
“We said, ‘Hey, let’s go try this,’ and that was kind of all she wrote right there,” Amy explained.
The Wheatleys dove headfirst into ranch sorting and never looked back, traveling coast to coast and fully immersing themselves in the sorting culture.
“I’ve been everywhere,” Amy noted. “We’ve been to Vegas. We’ve been to Reno. We’ve been to the Finals. So we know a lot of people, East to West.”
In 2015, Lenny became an approved RSNC judge, judging his first show at the Congress in Ohio.
“Lenny judging was really what got me in the door right where I am,” Amy said, explaining how they found the balance between judging with showing. “For a long time, he judged and I rode, and we joked all the time about him covering my show bill: ‘Thank goodness this money’s working!’”
While Lenny judged, Amy was riding, making connections, and witnessing first-hand the positive impact her husband was having on the sport.
“When people tell him, ‘Good job out there,’ it makes me proud,” she said. “It makes me happy that people see what he’s trying to do.”
Ranch Sorting’s Storyteller
As Lenny carved out his space in the ranch sorting world, Amy was hard at work leaving her own impact on the sport, capturing the stories and personalities that make ranch sorting special.
With a mic (or sometimes a hoof pick) in hand, Amy began interviewing winners and posting videos and photos on her Facebook page, Sort It Out Productions, in 2018.
“Our first interview was Holly Saigo,” Amy recalled. “She had won something at the Congress, and it started out for fun.”
At the start, Amy teamed up with fellow ranch sorter Beth Lindler in her storytelling ventures.
“I would pick up a brush, a hoof pick, a bottle, anything, and interview people: ‘Tell us about your win and who you rode with; and was it fun, and what got you here?’ And that started Sort It Out Productions.”
In countless ways, these entrepreneurial endeavors paved the way for today’s ranch sorting media.
“I like to walk and talk to all the people,” Amy said, simply. “So, my favorite part is getting to know the people and hear where they’re from and hear their stories.”
At the Mic, On the Move
At the 2025 Cinch RSNC World Finals, Amy took her storytelling to the next level as a live host of the EQN Sports Desk, sharing interview duties with the Western industry’s on-air talent, Amy Wilson. On camera every day of the event, Amy Wheatley interviewed the newly crowned World Champions and offered live commentary of the rounds for the Ride TV livestream.
Amy’s connections also brought a new layer of excitement to the coverage when she invited top open riders Kody Ward and Joel Lesh to join her on the desk, adding invaluable, real-time insights for viewers watching from home. As a veteran Spanish and science teacher of 20 years, she credits her teaching background for her ability to connect with people on the fly.
“I teach, and I think that has definitely helped me prepare for the shows and my function at the show, which is basically do whatever’s needed. I think that has really helped prepare me.”
The Team’s Go-To Gal
When she’s not behind the mic or in front of a camera, Amy is still finding ways to help. Whether holding gates, lending a hand to the announcer or supporting other staff, she’s always ready to jump in, and it’s her enthusiasm, humor and ability to make everyone feel seen that has made her a fixture of the RSNC family.
This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of The Ranch Sorter.
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