featuring Team Penning Horses!

Arena bound and honest, the number-one kind of finished gelding drew the interest at Billings Livestock Commission Company’s "Summer Special Catalog Sale" and regular monthly horse sale June 22.

Featuring "team penning" horses, the weekend’s events kicked off Friday afternoon with a jackpot team penning on sale horses in the BLS Arena.

The one-day Saturday sale blitz saw 606 head of horses offered- with horses seeing final destinations to 20 states and Canada.

Tuned in and tuned up, the geldings with the goods were the ready-to-go-to-the arena kind - finished, honest, and proven.

Proving that it pays to play - the team penning team of Sally Johnson, Cody Cochum, and Ken McDaniel - all aboard sale horses - won third place in the pre-sale team penning aboard Hips 118, 54, and 189.

Hip 118 "Fizz" was an all-around kind of fellow gentle enough for anyone and the 12 year-old appy gelding brought $3,200 and sold to Ed Brainard, Manhattan, MT.

Cody Cochum, Elko, NV rode Hip 54 "One Peep’ a 93 AQHA Buckskin Gelding that had been ranch ridden and seen lots of country and brought $3,900 from Witt Crowser, Belle Fourche, SD.

Rounding off the team was the real-deal kind of mare - Hip 189 "R Little Banker" a 95 APHA Solid Chestnut consigned by Ken McDaniel, Parma, ID. The cow-horse brought $5,400 and sold to Robert Sentman, Tiffin, IA.

He had it all - proven head horse, proven barrel horse, and proven show horse and Hip 116 "Smokin Francis" had smoked ‘em at the pay window and the 91 AQHA Brown gelding came consigned by Lisa Doyle, Payton, CO.

Sired by Fols Smoke, the 16.1 hand, gentle gelding brought $12,000 and sold to Stanley Germundson, Marshall, ND.

Proving that Paddy’s have more than regional appeal, the former John Scott Ranch sire - Paddy’s Irish Whiskey - now standing at the famous 6666’s - sired Hip 43 "Hawks Whisper" - a 2001 model AQHA sorrel stallion.

Brought to town by Ruth Anderson, Granstsville, UT, the show-stopping flaxen mane and tailed stud colt with charisma sold to Randle Tune, Whitesboro, TX for $15,000.

Back to the using horses, the good using horses saw a high of $5,600 and a low of $1,500.

Price variables included work experience, eye appeal, pedigree, and a "want to" attitude, with gentle being an important ingredient in the mix.

Value was again found in the younger, less experienced type horses. Prospects looking for work brought from $700 to $2,000.

Loose horse prices pushed the limit for the seventh straight month, with the top selling horse on the loose bringing $1,600 followed by $1,425, and $1,300. The top 50 loose horses averaged $788.

Overall sale averages came in at $8,510 for the top five; top ten at $6,305; Top twenty at $4,817; top 50 brought $3,259; and the top 100 head of horses sold averaged $2,406.

Next on the Billings Livestock Horse Sale schedule July 27-28 is the "Mid-Summer Catalog Sale" featuring cutting horses.

Cattle will be available to show the cutters, in addition to steers for the roping horses.

To consign or request a catalog, contact Bill or Jann Parker, Billings Livestock Horse Sale Managers at 406-245-4151 or see it all at www.billingslivestock.com