July 27 - 28, 2002


"Mid Summer Catalog Sale"

featuring Cutting Horses!

Cutting Class

Billings, MT - Cowhorses filled cowtown with finished, proven products pushing the market at Billings Livestock Commission Company’s "Mid Summer Special Catalog Sale" and regular monthly horse sale featuring cutting horses July 27 - 28.

Packing paychecks, hauled and won on, the horses with substantiated earnings graced the top of the Billings Livestock high seller chart, with every horse in the top five bearing a reputable record - all five came complete with National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) earnings.

Market strength in Montana is alive and well with testimony given by the low pass-out percentage - a slim 15% of the 718 head of horses offered during the two-day sale event - were "passed-out" by the seller.

Horses sold to 20 states and Canada, with a steady, solid demand for sharp, honest using geldings continuing - while - for the fourth consecutive month - the younger, plainer, less experienced horses were the buy of the weekend.

Billings Livestock was proud to present Gary and Sandra Fishko’s multi-talented stallion "The Smart Smoke" as part of the July sale event. A true athlete and true producer, the big-time stallion was backed by a spectacular show career.

The exceptional son of Smart Little Lena had won $20,000 NCHA money, $3,600 in the NRHA, and amassed 100 AQHA points.

Out of a $20,000 money earning daughter of Mr. Gunsmoke - "Miss Reed Smoke", the 86 AQHA Bay stallion passed his versatility on to his get - producing over $214,000 in money earners, 46 performers with 7 ROM’S - cutting, reining, and working cowhorse.

Purchased by Rimrock Livestock, John and Diane Spizziri, Shawmut, MT, the special stallion will compliment an already top mare program including daughters of Dual Pep, Badger Starlight, Doc Tari, and Boon Bar. Rimrock Livestock’s annual production sale is set for September 14 at the Carraige House Arena in Big Timber, MT.

North Star Ranch, Livingston, MT, offered "Little Blue Robin" a 98 AQHA Bay mare sired by their $40,000 NCHA money earning stallion "Little Blue Lynx" x Smart Little Lena.

Shown on cattle in the pre-sale previews, the extra-nice mare had already earned her NCHA COA and accumulated $3,000 in winnings.

Appreciative of quality, Channing, TX cowboy Andy Michaels purchased the mare-with- a-future for $14,500.

Ranch and using geldings made up the bulk of the weekend’s sale offerings, with demand strong on the finished, honest kind made in the west everyday.

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 $7,500.

A red-hot loose horse market played to a full sale arena, and again, saw Billings Livestock set the pace for the nation with the top selling loose horse bringing $1,675, followed by $1,400, and $1,250.

Loose horse sale avearges include the top five at $1,355, top ten $1,164; and the top 50 horses on the loose averaged $791.

Overall sale averages summarized the weekend’s quality offerings with the top five averaging $12,200; top ten $8,930; top 20 brought $6,557; top 50 averaged $4,295, while the top 100 came in at $3,011.

Billings Livestock’s next sale event includes their annual "Speed Horse" Sale, "August Catalog Sale", and "Montana Miniature and Pony Sale" in a three-day sale blitz set for August 23-24-25.

An open barrel race with $500 added will kick off the weekend’s activities on Friday morning, August 23 in the BLS Arena.

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