Sale Report:  July 23 - 24

Cuttin Up

Top Five Average $10,220

Talented, fancy, and full of cow, cutting horses were king at Billings Livestock’s “Mid- Summer Special Catalog Sale” July 23 - 24.

With two opportunities for the cutters to strut their stuff - and all on fresh cattle - 45 head of horses displayed their talents each day in the well attended pre-sale cutting horse demonstrations held Friday evening and again on Saturday morning.

Horses gracing the top twenty sellers list included daughters of Gallo Del Cielo, Lenas Loaded Gun, SR Hallmarked, Smart Chic Olena, and Perry San, with geldings by Haidas Little Pep, Hollywood Vintage, and The Hot Express.

Three stallions - two of them 2004 models and both by young, industry impacting sires - Boonlight Dancer and Mecom Blue - made the top 20 sellers listing, while the third stallion, a 99 AQHA bay, was sired by Lucky Little Lena.

With a weekend total of 686 head of horses offered, ranch and using geldings made up the bulk of the weekend’s sale offerings, with demand strong on the finished, honest kind with a career. No sale or pass-out percentage remained low at 12%.

A horse for every trade, from common to spectacular, pricing on the cow horse geldings was dependent on pedigree, quality, and honesty, ranging from $1,200 to $7,000.

Billings Livestock was proud to welcome Don and Kathleen Strain, White River, SD and 20 head from their very proven program.

A lifetime of breeding, the Strain’s program includes earners of over one million dollars in National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) earnings, hauled and won on barrel and rope horses, and top-end ranch and using horses.

From start to finish, she’s a true product of their program - bred, trained, and shown by the Strains - Hip 114 “Gunners Little Fox” a 99 AQHA Red Roan Mare x Lenas Loaded Gun and out of Amafoxy Poppin x Poppin Peponita topped the weekend’s sale offering bringing $14,000.

Selling to Dan and Louise Mauch, Fordyce, NE, the pretty, roan mare previewed flawlessly and came with over $11,800 in NCHA earnings already won in her young career.

Refined and pretty, Hip 135 “Roosters Sally a 2001 AQHA Bay mare by Gallo Del Cielo and out of a Doc O’Lena daughter was consigned by Cowan Select Horses, LLC, Havre, MT.

Bringing $10,000, the big-futured mare sold to Dana Russell, Acton, Massachusetts.

In the rope horse department, Hip 94 “Fedexexpress” a 1999 AQHA sorrel gelding by The Hot Express and out of Zan Parr Duster wrote his own resume which included 25.5 AQHA heading/heeling points in the open and youth divisions and a 2003 AQHA World Show qualification.

Shown on cattle in the rope horse preview, the super nice gelding was consigned by Mike Row, Elk City, OK, and purchased for $9,100 by Sam Thronas, Kapa, Hawaii.

Rhodes River Ranch, Arlington, WA offered 17 head of quality individuals, including Hip 181 “Vintage Tom Tucker” a 2002 AQHA Brown gelding x Hollywood Vintage x Hollywood Dun It.

Started reining, the quality three-year-old brought $6,500 and sold to Tom Buckingham, Bruneau, ID.

Retail buyers fueled the hot summer market as individual customers from TX, PA, CA, GA, KS, CO, OR, ID, ND, UT, AZ, IN, MA, NE, WA, AL, HI, NV, OH, SD, NC, WY, NJ, MN, and MT purchased horses under the Big Sky in July.

Complete sale averages include the top five selling horses averaging $10,220; Top ten averaged $8,680; Top 20 brought $7,168; Top 50 came in at $5,091, while the top 100 head of horses sold averaged $3,804

The loose horse market sizzled and smoked, and again, saw Billings Livestock set the pace for the nation with the top selling loose horse bringing $2,000, followed by $1,950, and $1,525.

With 263 head offered on the loose, sale averages include the top five at $1,625; Top 10 at $1,360; Top 20 coming in at $1,080; Top 50 at $817; and the top 100 at $645.

Billings Livestock’s next sale event includes their annual ““August Catalog Sale”, and “Montana Miniature and Pony Sale” August 27-28.

An open, NBHA approved barrel race with $250 added will kick off the weekend’s activities on Friday evening, August 26 in the BLS Arena.

Cattle will be available to show the cutting horses and rope horses in the pre-sale previews Saturday and Sunday mornings. Saddle and ride horse previews will follow.

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