1,378 Horses Sell - Top sale horse brings $13,000

Bigger, better, and blasting all previous records, Billings Livestock Commission Horse Sales welcomed 1,378 head of horses during their "Fall Special Catalog Sale" and regular monthly horse sale October 28-31.

Good geldings by the dozens and horses by the hundreds, the sale weekend boasted a 94% completed sales rate - only 92 head of horses - in four days of sales - were “no-saled“ or “passed out” by the consignor.

Hosting a record number of horses, all classes and kinds, the weekend's event was well attended with 682 buyers registered for the expanded four-day sale. Due to the large volume of loose horses, the loose horse sale continued through Monday noon.

A smoking rope horse jackpot saw 139 teams entered in the “sale-horse” only event.

Hosted by the indoor HorsePalace Arena, rope horses strutted their stuff with Hip 299 “Easters Doc” ridden by Scott Hulme and owned by Bob Petersen, Layton, UT heading - and Hip 331 “Smart Chic Gambler” owned and ridden by John Erickson, Lewisville, ID heeling - turning in a time of 22.37 on three - winning the average, $308 each, and HyHo Silver buckles.

The proven rope horses brought $5,200 and $7,200 respectively.

Proving it pays to play - nearly one-half of the top 20 horses sold were rope horses - and - entered in the sale horse jackpot.

Cutters, barrel horses, and saddle horses also previewed to a full grandstands on Friday afternoon.

Handsome and handy, with 65 AQHA points in heading, heeling, and halter - Hip 251 "Love to Zip" a 99 AQHA Dun Stallion x Zip It Up offered by Liz Para, Othello, WA and shown in the pre-sale roping jackpot by Cliff Kellmer, topped the weekend's offering with a $13,000 bid.

The multi-talented stallion sold to Bradley Poser, Ten Sleep, WY.

Raised and cosigned by Bob and Barbara Daniels, Douglas, WY “Kay Cross Cajun” a 2004 AQHA Gray stallion by Frenchman’s Guy and out of a Dash For Cash/Zevi bred dam took home runner-up sale honors selling for $12,500.

Top five geldings averaged $7,800, top ten brought $7,420.

Marvin DeWall, Alladdin, WY sold 28 head of ranch ridden geldings - roans, buckskins, blacks, and duns - with a $3,275 average.

Sale highlights included a “Share the Herd” offering from the program of Joe Bassett, Lovell, Wy, where 48 head sold including Hip 345 “Joes King Freckles” a 2000 AQHA Sorrel gelding x Chex Friti Freckles out of a Doc O’Glo bred dam.

The flashy, ranch broke gelding sold to Nebraska with a $3,800 bid.

A nice set of colored, fit, running-bred weanlings raised by Bob McIlhattan, Bozeman, MT were sired by Better Judgement x Dash For Cash. The top selling weanling , a stout gray stud colt out of a Chicks Beduino daughter, brought $2,800.

Catalog Sale averages include the top five at $10,760; top ten brought $9,180; top 20 at $7,763; top 50 came in at $5,831, with the top 100 at $4,564.

National pressure on the loose horses did not dampen the BLS market, where all market representatives were in attendance.

Loose horse market held steady - from July - with the top five on the loose averaging $1,615; top 10 $1,472; top 20 at $1,321; top 50 $1,023; top 100 averaging $823.

Billings Livestock's next sale event is set for November 26-27 and will include a pre-sale preview of cutters, ride horses, and rope horses on Friday, November 25 at the HorsePalace Arena.

“Holiday Special” Catalog Sale headlines Saturday and Sunday’s schedule with loose horses selling Sunday, November 27 at 9 a.m.