STALLION BRINGS $20,000

A western weekend full of working-class horses saw demand continue for finished performance, arena, and ranch horses at Billings Livestock Commission’s “Holiday Special Catalog Sale” November 26-27.

Well attended and well worth watching, Friday’s pre-sale performance preview gave the holiday horse shoppers an opportunity to watch the cutters, barrel horses, saddle horses, and ropers under good conditions.

With 404 buyers registered, the two-day, holiday weekend sale welcomed 871 head of horses brought to BLS by consignors from 13 states, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta. Horses sold to 17 states.

They’ve owned and ridden three generations on his pedigree, and Hip 60 “Rolling Jax Copper” a 98 AQHA Red Roan stallion x High Rolling Roany offered by Miles City, MT ranchers and reputation horse breeders, Bub and Nona Nunn was the weekend’s top sale horse bringing $20,000.

Born, bred, and ridden in the big open, the real Montana ranch horse sold to Triple L Cattle Co., Billings, MT.

High sellers two and three were both ready-to-haul barrel horses sired by Frenchman’s Guy and Proudest Effort - both industry leading barrel horse sires.

Hip 169 “Mollys French Melody” a 94 AQHA buckskin mare x Frenchman’s Guy came with extensive reining training in addition to running a tough barrel pattern.

Consigned by Shawn Claymore, Bismarck, ND the first-class mare sold to Brian Becker, Hastings, NE for $8,900.

Making a quick horse sale stop before heading to Las Vegas, NFR bull-dogger Birch Negaard and his wife, Louise, Sundance, WY offered Hip 164 “Amazing Fool” a 96 AQHA bay gelding x Proudest Effort.

The saddle and money winning gelding brought $8,500 and went home with Gail Thybo, Reva, SD.

Top five selling geldings averaged $5,880, with the top five mares at $5,840.

Rimrock Livestock offered 25 head from their program built on the genetics of their two stallions, “Playboys Phoenix” and “The Smart Smoke”.

“Playboys Phoenix” x Freckles Playboy, NCHA $9,000+, and “The Smart Smoke” x Smart Little Lena earner and producer of over $220,000 in NCHA, NRHA, NRCHA - crossed on daughters of Dual Pep, Playgun, Royal Silver King, Doc’s Sug, Doc Tari, Powder River Playboy, Badger Starlight, and Freckles Floyd.

High selling individual was “Rays Little Pistol” a 2001 AQHA Sorrel mare by Smart Little Pistol - the sire to Chiquita Pistol the NCHA Triple Crown winner. The finished cutting mare sold to Susie Lucchesi, Stevensville, MT for $6,700.

Affordability and value came in the weanling, yearling, and prospect departments where sellers were met with lessened demand.

Complete sale averages - stallions, mares, geldings - include the top five horses at $10,120, top ten at $7,700, top 20 averaged $5,795, top 50 at $4,053, and the top 100 horses averaging $3,006.

It’s noteworthy - BLS’s loose horse market has not softened in spite of pressure here in the United States. Top selling loose horse brought $2,150 with the top five averaging $1,480, top ten at $1,262, top 20 brought $1,044, top 50 at $807.

Solid comparison - the top 100 loose horses averaged $640 - that’s nearly $100 more than one-year ago where the top 100 brought $542 - and - nearly $200 better than in 2003 when the top 100 averaged $447.

A big, one-day sale event is set for Saturday, December 31 with the “New Year’s Special Catalog Sale” and regular monthly horse sale. Loose horses sell at 9 a.m. with catalog horses selling at 12 noon.