Billings, MT - Mollys and johns, young and old, mules made to pack, picket, ride or drive headlined Billings Livestock Commission‘s “Spring Special Catalog Sale” featuring Outfitting, Guide, Guest, and Dude horses March 26 - 27.

She was kid safe and mother approved, and Hip 204 “Dolly” a 16 year-old black molly mule was the day’s chart topping mule bringing $3,900.

Offered by Black Mountain Outfitters, Emigrant, MT, the special mule had packed dozens of elk , skidded camp wood, was careful with kids, and sold to Randy Sopher, Colstrip, MT.

Hips 154 and 155 “Sargent and Dixie” offered by Hell’s A’Roarin Outfitters earned runner-up mule sale honors, bringing $3,200 each. Both mules sold to Strawn Valley Ranch, Strawn, TX.

The top five mules averaged $3,100 with the top 20 bringing $2,160.

Horses and mules sold to all four corners - California to Maryland, Georgia to Alaska, a weekend total of 878 head were offered including 56 cataloged mules.

For the second consecutive month, BLS saw 94% completed sales - only 56 of the 878 head offered were passed out or “no-saled” by the consignor.

In the horse division, the weekend’s top sale horse was Hip 254 “Sunolena Sun” a 2000 AQHA Red Dun stallion by Mr Sun O Lena and out of the Zan Parr Bar/Genuine Doc bred mare - Sunnys Lil Starlet.

A rope horse deluxe and looking every bit the part, he came paid up in the heeling to the National Rope Horse Futurity in Fort Worth, TX, and had 11 AQHA roping points to his credit.

Brought to Billings Livestock by John Morlan, Elk City, OK, the dynamite stud horse brought $15,000 and sold to Grizzly Creek Ranch, Emigrant, MT.

Complete sale averages - from top to bottom - show the top five averaging $10,140, top ten at $7,690, top 20 brought $6,025, top 50 at $4,324, and the top 100 head of horses sold averaging $3,385.

A special session of “Roans Only” highlighted the weekend’s offerings where Hip 184 “TC Little Boy Blue” a 92 AQHA Blue Roan Stallion x Larsons Drifter and out of a Laughing Miracle daughter captured the overall number two sellers spot.

Owned by Lee Elliott, Newcastle, WY, and as blue as they come, the keen headed ranch ridden stallion brought $12,000.

Hip 257 “Haidas Destiny” a 93 AQHA sorrel gelding x Haidas Little Pep and out of Lynxs Dancer x Doc’s Lynx was an all-around gelding deluxe.

Run barrels, poles, head or heel, the quiet, gentle fellow was offered by Jessica Duvel, Waukon, IA and sold to Will Martin, Jackson, WY for $9,000.

Used for every ranch job on the Draggin Y Cattle Company , Dillon, MT Hip 174 “Smokey Mint” a 95 AQHA gray gelding by Kansas Badger was the real deal.

The honest gelding brought $4,900 and sold to Bill Carson, Cisne, IL.

The top five geldings averaged $6,120 with the top ten coming in at $5,340 a head.

A top-end set of ranch-bred, good colored 2004 model AQHA babies were offered by Gary Meade, North Liberty, IA. Hip 591 EMS Cowboy Joe Glo a buckskin stud colt x EMS Heza Cowboy topped the offering bringing $1,800.

The BLS Loose horse trade continued it’s rampage with 293 head offered on the loose - no rider, no speech, no preview - where the top five averaged $1,550, followed by the top ten at $1,327, top 20 brought $1,127, top 50 averaged $924, with the top 100 - that’s one out of three - bringing $741.

Billings Livestock’s next sale event is set for April 23 - 24 and will feature the seventh annual “Rope Horse Special” catalog sale and regular monthly horse sale.

A jackpot team roping - open only to sale horses - will kick off the weekend’s activities on Friday, April 22, where buyers and sellers alike will have the opportunity to watch the rope horses under competition circumstances.

All classes of horses will sell including mares, stallions, finished horses, prospects, and young stock. Cattle will be available to show the cutting horses, calf horses, and rope horses. Catalog deadline is April 5, with a supplement printed for later entries.

See it all at www.billingslivestock.com or contact Bill and Jann Parker, BLS Horse Sale Managers at 406-245-4151.