JUNE 28, 2003 Sale Report:

Cowhorse Crazy

Billings, Montana - Five-star geldings by the fistful - the kind that had earned their business degree in and out of the arena and looked good doing it - were in full-force and full-demand at Billings Livestock Commission Company’s June 28 “Summer Special Catalog Sale” and regular monthly horse sale.

With 701 horses brought to town for the one-day sale binge, the day’s offering met with a big crowd ready to do business - only 11% of the day’s offering were passed out or no saled by the consignor.

Horses hit the road to twenty states and two Canadian provinces, from New York to California, with 392 buyers registering to play ball.

"Team Penning" horses were featured as a good set of horses competed in a pre-sale team penning jackpot of Friday afternoon in the BLS Arena.  The championship team of David Pancost, Penrose, CO, JB Lockie, Minnesota, and Donny Stevens, Kalispell, MT took home the buckles awarded to the number one team.

The good geldings were golden as 16 of the top 20 selling horses were geldings - four of them grade.

All of the geldings gracing the Billings Livestock Top Seller’s list were five years old or older - with five of the geldings being 1994 models - making them nine-years old - and coming as a been-there, done-that package with an occupation.

In addition, the top five selling geldings wore the black, buckskin, or gray color - and hammered home a $5,950 head average.

Proof that quality ran deep, only $600 separated the top five gelding average from the top ten average - the top ten geldings averaged $5,350 a piece.

Testimony to the call for quality - that if you have it, sale order is secondary- he sold 11 hours into the sale and six horses from the end of the catalog - and Hip 353 took home the day’s top gelding honors.

Deserving of his title, the 94 AQHA Buckskin gelding “Silk Can Run” x Buckskin An Silks back to Go Man Go and out of a Sea Bar/Go Man Go mother, was consigned by Nichols and Kara Caspers, New Underwood, SD.

Hauled to some calf ropings, the finished breakaway and heel horse had earned his arena credentials while covering a lot of country day-working on ranches.

Purchased by Kirk Baty, Middleton, ID, the extra-nice gelding brought a final bid of $6,500.

Geldings number two and three on the top selling chart were both coal black and classy critters, bringing $6,250 and $6,000 respectively.

Number two “Yankee” a 96 Grade black gelding offered by Lee Pedersen, Milestone, Saskatchewan, stood 16.1 hands and tipped the scales at 1,350 pounds.

Balanced and fancy, the big guy sold to Lisa Clarke, Billings, MT.

Third on the gelding list was Hip 65 “Cowtown Drifter” a 96 AQHA Black gelding consigned by J.T. Collingwood, Greybull, WY.

With a ranching background, the quiet, gentle gelding had sorted pairs, branded, roped and drug calves, hunted on, packed elk - all in addition to his arena experience - where you could rope either end.

Bruce Millward, Jackson Hole, WY bought the easy to look at, multi-talented individual.

Sired by the NRHA Futurity Winner and World Champion reined cowhorse, Todaysmyluckyday - and out of the great mare “Patiences Reward” - Hip 155 “Rebas Lucky Day” a 99 AQHA Bay mare carried all the right genetics and topped the day’s sale event .

Offered by Mark Robinson, Billings, MT the class mare came eligible for the Reining Breeders Classic and sold to Clyde Krebs, Glen Ullin, ND - home of RW Peppy O’lena - for $8,750.

The BLS loose horse market rocked again where the top selling horse on the loose brought $2,350, followed by $1,525 and $1,500.

With 332 head offered as is, how is, where is - Montana makes the market - where the top five averaged $1,540, top ten at $1,325, top 20 at $1,150, top 50 averaged $906, and almost one-third of the day’s loose offering - 100 head deep - averaged $711.

Total sale averages for the one-day event include the top five at $6,600; top ten averaged $5,805; Top 20 came in at $4,847; Top 50 brought $3,675, and beating the 2002 figures on the top 100 head by a $300 bill, the top 100 averaged $2,734.

Billings Livestock’s next sale event is the “Mid-Summer Catalog Sale” featuring cutting horses - set for July 26 - 27.

All classes of horses will sell, including finished horses and prospects for ranch, roping, arena, cutting, or recreation.

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