Through horsemanship, strategy, and grit, Texas’ home team of Annabelle Terrell and Dave Schaffner captured the world championship title in the Western Heritage All Levels ranch sorting class at the 2025 Cinch RSNC World Finals. The well- matched Open riders sorted an impressive 32 head of cattle in just 210.00 seconds across four rounds to take home $5,980 in prize money—edging out the reserve champions by four head and less than four seconds.
Hailing from Austin, Terrell rode her 2013 APHA gelding TWR Bar Time Elvis (TWR Bar Time Blues x Red Diablo Kisses) in the class. He was sharp and composed throughout the high-stakes competition.
“That’s what Elvis likes to do: just sort,” Terrell said, recalling when, as a 4-year-old, the young bay horse busted his teeth on the pipe fence when trying to work the gate—an event that helped solidify his position out in the herd. “He’s really just been a ranch hand horse. That’s what he is good at. That’s what I’m going to keep him doing. He loves it.”
That initial mishap, turns out, was really a breakthrough, and it laid the groundwork for this championship-winning partnership.
Schaffner, a well-known trainer and clinician in the sport who has coached in the some of the farther reaches of the world, competed aboard Sir Winston (Ima Dirty White Boy x Lenas Little Smarty), a paternal grandson of Peptoboonsmal. “Winston” is a striking black-and-white 2018 tobiano owned by Angela and George Jensen, who sponsored the trophy buckles for this year’s Chrome Cash Futurity World Championships.
“Angela loves that horse,” said Schaffner. “He didn’t know nothing about sorting. He needed to learn a lot of things, but he was fast. I took to him, and I liked him. He’s so good minded. And then I just got him off my leg.”
In addition to bringing decades of experience to the pen and guiding the young horse to a World Championship, the seasoned trainer also had plenty of admiration for his teammate.
“I would like to say thank you to Annabelle because that Elvis is meant for that sport, and she sorts so good,” Schaffner stated. “Sometimes you leave people alone. I ain’t going to change nothing. You don’t find horses that can trot like that.”
Both riders praised the Western Heritage class not just for its unique format, but for what it teaches.
“It’s so technical that it really makes you stop and think on what you’re doing,” Terrell said.
And for that reason, Schaffner loves what it teaches beginner sorters.
“The heritage class should have been here many, many years before. It teaches beginners how to use angle instead of that crazy speed … It’s made beginners better.”
That technical mindset paid off in the championship round, where precision and timing were the difference makers.
According to Schaffner, success starts “right when you leave that gate. Those cows make a decision. Your first five feet off of that gate, they see which way you’re coming.”
While this victory was a high point, it was just the beginning for each riders World Finals. The pair has more classes on deck throughout the week, including the Open Shootout and the #18 Bareback/Bridleless class. Though the team didn’t qualify for the championship round of the Bareback class together, Terrell earned her second World Champion title with partner Hunter Brzymialkiewicz with Schaffner and his partner, Ellen Adams, right behind her to win the Reserve Championship.
This article appears in the Summer 2025 issue of The Ranch Sorter, featuring World Champion stories, event recaps, regional results, and more.
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