Even as winter weather pounded the west bringing upwards of a foot of needed snow to some areas and highways and interstates closed, the one-day sale event offered buyers from Utah to Minnesota the opportunity to bid on 149 head of horses where one-third of the entire sale - 50 head - including loose to the purple pedigreed - averaged $2,269.

They make them here in the west, and ranch ridden, honest geldings complete with work-place experience saw genuine demand throughout the day as 13 out of the top 20 selling horses were geldings.

He wore the red roan color and came a real cowhorse, and Hip 98 “Rands Cash” a 97 AQHA gelding x Cash Available was the using kind. The gentle, classy gelding had worked on the ranch, drug elk out of the Missouri Breaks and was consigned by Justin Hanley, Miles City, MT.

Page Livestock, Dillon, MT purchased the quality cow pony for $4,000.

Kind, quiet, broke to ride, and bred - the day’s top sale horse “Gun Shy Ann” was a pretty, buckskin package of pedigree, class, and sense.

Sharing the same mother as $180,000 in money earners, including Dos Palomino, the 96 AQHA Buckskin mare x Young Gun and out of Docs Flying Sug x Docs Sug sold bred to Shorty Lenas Promise.

Diamond J Ranch, Woodland, UT, bought the mare for $11,000.

Offered by the one of America’s top horse hands, Bobby Lewis, Clovis, NM, Hip 29 “Its Cash on Lena” a 2002 AQHA sorrel stallion x Miss N Cash and out of a Commander King and Doc O’Lena granddaughter.

The extra-keen stallion prospect brought a final bid of $4,000 and sold to Don Meyers, Lolo, MT.

Looking every bit the part of a rope horse, he came ranch ridden and pasture roped on, and Hip 4 “Raney Oak Bar” a 98 AQHA sorrel gelding x Apaches Tank was consigned by Bob Albrecht, Hershey, NE.

The top arena prospect brought $3,200 and went home with Monte Mallett, Broadus, MT.

Billings Livestock was proud to welcome six head from Bubel Quarter Horses, Center, ND. The intensely race bred offering included sons and daughters of Bubel’s stallions “Blurr the Bux” x Murrtheblurr and “Up to Victory” x Victory Dash.

A very low pass-out percentage - a slim 8% of the day’s offering - proved a strong market which is reflected in the overall sale averages - top five horses brought $7,250; top ten at $5,375; top 20 averaged $3,817; top 50 came in at $2,269 and the top 100 at $1,422.

Loose horses saw the day’s top selling horse sold on the loose bring $1,275, top five $975, and the top ten average $843.

January 24 will feature the “Winter Special Catalog Sale” and regular monthly horse sale in addition to the “Cabin Fever” Tack Sale offering collectible and used tack. To receive a catalog or consign to future BLS sale events, call Bill or Jann Parker, BLS Horse Sale Managers, for more information at 406-245-4151 or e-mail info@billingslivestock.com