Wyatt Erb and Christy Hayes made an impressive debut as a team at the 2026 Northeast Regional Super Sort, clinching their first major Cinch RSNC Gold Shootout championship in the US Rider #5 Gold Shootout. The event took place on April 19 at the Keystone Horse Center in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, where they sorted 15 head in 154.19 seconds to secure the victory and a prize of $2,988.
For Erb, 16, from Beverly, Ohio, the win almost didn’t happen. Initially, he had no intention of entering the class. However, with some encouragement and a borrowed horse, he ended up in the pen, and the last-minute decision paid off handsomely.
“We ride together as friends, but we had never competed together until this past weekend, and we did great together,” Hayes said of her initially reluctant partner.
The US Rider #5 Gold Shootout proved to be a challenging event, with many teams struggling in the early rounds. As the last draw in the finals, Erb and Hayes entered with a simple game plan: stay smooth, ride their run, and get a time on the board.
“The cows were tough all weekend,” Hayes, who hails from Dawson, Pennsylvania, commented. “But I just told [Wyatt], ‘Let’s just ride like normal. Let’s just get five and quit.’ And it worked out.”
The duo’s calm and composed approach, combined with the horsepower they brought into the pen, proved to be the winning formula. Hayes made a crucial switch before the finals, opting to ride Rebella Bella (Metallic Rebel x Lizzabella) instead of her 2019 mare, Whisstlin Dixie. Erb also made a late adjustment by borrowing Belinda Mendenhall’s mare, Laguna Madrey (Dual Smart Rey x That Sly Chance), for the class.
“Well, I asked Belinda if I could ride her because my horse was tired,” Erb explained. “She’s a pretty good horse, pretty quick. I’m glad I rode her because we had a cow that I thought we weren’t going to get stopped.”
The Gold Shootout title capped off a successful weekend for Erb and Hayes, who also won the Spalding Labs Western Heritage #6 earlier in the event, earning $1,244. With two wins and strong chemistry in their first weekend of competition together, they are poised to make a mark in future ranch sorting events.