I have been horse shopping for months and have not found anything that has worked out. I am thinking of going to a ranch horse auction in a couple of months. Any suggestions on do’s and don’ts?
I was in the same boat back in 2013, so on a whim, decided to go to Nebraska, the Pitzar Ranch Spring Sale. Was 11 hours going, 12 hours coming home. This was something TOTALLY outside my box. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK you, COTH’s own LJStarkey for telling me about that sale. She gave me soooo much info, she was a HUGE help!!!
I decided I wanted something a little more cowy, different lines that what is the norm around here (Central Illinois), so leaned a little towards cutting lines.
We did spend a lot of time whittling down the sheer number, if I remember, that sale had 314 horses. We “narrowed” it down to 45 horses.
OMG, it will probably go down as one of my BEST experiences EVER. I had NO idea what to expect.
A friend and me, hauled there the day before, spent most of the preview day, deciding which ones to bid on, decided on THREE. There were SOOO many really nice horses. Was amazing to see 300+ horses all calm. Probably 75 horses were tied shoulder to shoulder in the arena.
Ranch horses are just great animals. Been there, done that, surprising no one I knew had gone to an ACTUAL ranch sale. I will go again and definitely recommend that route to find a horse. You have tons of selection, plus, can see how the horse handles distractions and craziness, lol.
There were people prob from every state, TONS of people.
We sat next to some real ranchers, we were their amusement, lol. Everyone was super, super nice. I got the first one of the three I liked. The actual auction was SCARY, but only lasted a few minutes. I freaked when the gavel hit, screamed then started to cry, lol!!! I think I must have been really stressed, not knowing if I would be outbid, going home w/an empty trailer. When I got him, I think I had a little mini break down, but again, the guys next to us, found us amusing 
I got an almost 4 yr old, Palomino, Nu King Chex, who is the sweetest guy. He has a great brain. I would call him like a lab, just a happy, easy going guy. It has almost been two years, still VERY thankful all worked out the way it did, cuz I got very lucky in getting him!! I got a great deal on him, only spent half the my money, SOOOOO…
I ended up getting a nice project horse, almost five yr old, Heides Joe Song, half is Pitzer, so was 1/2 roping and 1/2 reining, he was very sweet, but not as laid back at my guy, my friend ended up buying, she LOVES him.
So, I went, got two really nice horses. Did I mention, I had a BLAST!! Pitzer is a really nice place, had a huge selection and variety in horses.
Ranch sales are a great way to find a good horse!! Good luck!!
Again, LJStarkey helped me a lot, so you may want to PM her if you are going to a certain sale. She has a lot of knowledge
Another route to go, if you don’t feel comfortable in the auction situation, is to contact cutting horse trainers to see if the have any “using horses” or cutting horse rejects.
Using horses are the horses they use in the pen to help keep the cattle in play for the cutter. They are usually extremely well broke and have been hauled to every show and work session around. They are used to standing tied, sometimes for hours at time, and warming up with large numbers of horses.
The same is true for cutting rejects, but they usually have more cattle experience. Don’t let the word “reject” fool you either. These are horses that for one reason or another just won’t make it as a cutting horse, but they are usually athletic, well built and smart.
The National Cutting Horse Association lists cutting horse trainers on their website www.nchacutting.com.
Both of these types are highly sought out because they are just nice horses to be around. My “go to” trail horse is a reject and was my using horse for a few years. He is to get along with, loads without question and is a very pleasurable trail companion.
I was just about to suggest you ask Shermy, who got a great little guy at a ranch sale. Which auction are you considering? I have suggestions:)
Oh, heck, why wait?
The Market Place at Ardmore has a sale March 28 that I would LOVE to go to. It features 20 consignment ranch geldings from the historic Waggoner Ranch. That websites to check are themarketplaceatardmore.com and waggonerranch.com.
Those horses will have been ridden just about every day by cowboys since they were 3. If you talk to the cowboys who are with them, they’ll tell you those horses are dog-gentle – and they are – for someone who rides them just about every day.
Rumor has it that the Waggoner Ranch is going to be sold, and no one knows whether the new owners, if there are any, will continue the horse breeding program. This might be your only opportunity to get some a Waggoner-bred.
The Pitzer Ranch spring sale that @Shermy talked about is April 25, and that website is www.pitzerranch.net.
The Colorado State University Legends of Ranching Sale is also April 25. Many legendary ranches donate colts to the CSU equine sciences program. Those horses are student-started, and the students put on the entire sale, from sale booklets to promotions to ring crew. You can get a nice greenbroke horse there, if you’re feeling salty enough to continue the work. Or you can put it with a trainer of your choosing.
Because so many top-name ranches support the program, the colts are generally of excellent bloodlines and sell well – which is to say for good money.
Those are the ones I can think of right now. Most ranches/ranch horses sell in the fall, so if you’re willing to wait, I can give you more options. But Shermy got her nice horse in the spring:)
If you have more questions, don’t be afraid to ask, because I love to blather on about ranch horses.
Thanks for the information. I have put out the word that I am shopping with lots of trainers and friends but so far none of the horses that I have seen have worked out. I am sticking with auctions that are 6 hours or less from me and I am in Louisiana.
How does the demonstration day work? Can you lunge or ride the horse? Please send me details about how it works.
LJStarkey can help you w/closer places. That is one thing, you gotta go where the ranches ARE to get a ranch horse in most situations.
Can you fly, then have the horse shipped? There were tons of people shipping horses and finding same paths for different people, so save money. Several people were shipping horses together that followed the certain path, had sign up sheets, seemed to make it very easy to find what trailer would go your direction.
I DO remember seeing a BIG auction in Missouri, was thinking was Spring, but cant remember exactly where it was…LJStarkey?!? Do you know what I am thinking, seemed like was a special sale, not one held every month…?
Again, I went to Pitzer, a very old sale, it is a considered a privilege to be able to sale at Pitzer. Pitzer warranties that horses are sound, no vices and not drugged. There really seemed to be VERY nice horses.
It is hard to describe 315 horses in one place. Pitzer is a pretty big place, they had pens set up for the horses, all were numbered, so there was system in finding the horses. The preview was Friday, sale was Saturday. There were a TON of people there, looking at horses. There was a HUGE outdoor arena, sellers were riding the horses. This was actually a roping sale, so they had a chute and cattle in one corner, were running cattle constantly. Those guys did NOT miss a cow. They had bleachers set up, so you could sit and watch all the activity from above the ground, so could actually see what was going on farther down the arena.
This is in the Sandhills in Nebraska, was actually warm, just a very interesting place. We spent a lot of time watching, walking around and talking to the different owners/trainers. They seemed to have a decent idea what their horses would go for.
The trainers of my horse, told me there was no reserve, they had a lot of young horses coming up, again, were VERY nice and straight forward.
The one I ended up getting, I really thought I would be outbid for, we had found an expired FB page on him, they showed him walking on a mattress, he had worked in a feedlot, so was fairly well started. The other two horses were a year younger, coming 3, so much more green.
Since this is a big ranch, we stayed at a “nearby” town, was 20 ish mins away, but it had a Mcdonalds and most of the normal places, I had cell service too.
One lady from Minnesota that comes often, has bought several horses, told us on the preview day, told us to put something on two chairs as soon as we got there the day of sale, we did that, got really good seats, were really close to the most adorable old spotter, he helped to make the actual auction a little less scary.
We met a lot of people at the preview too, a lot of the people were returning customers. It was just a very, very, very fun experience.
I would suggest you may consider flying or going farther than 6 hours if you really want a ranch auction. Pitzer wasn’t that far from Omaha.
Maybe LJStarkey knows of some closer to you
I talked to the trainers of the three horses I decided I wanted to bid on, they were VERY honest. Everything they said was true. After I won mine, the main trainer high fived me, told me I got a really honest and nice horse, he was totally correct.
I didn’t ride, don’t think I could have, not sure about lunging, mayb that is allowed. I did move him around on the lead rope, lifted feet, stuff like that. The way I looked at it, was at long as the horse had a brain and was put together correctly, I could always get help from someone if he was too green for me.
Some people were vetting, there was a vet or two there, but since he was young, seemed perfectly sound (I watched them be ridden), I took my chances, didn’t vet him. Keep in mind, I NEVER thought I would be able to afford the horse I got, the only reason I got him, was he went VERY early, was the 13th horse, after about the 20th horse, bidding got a lot more intense. I really think a lot of people were laying back, watching how the bidding was going. Had my horse gone after the bidding picked up, I would have gotten outbid on him.
So, I had narrowed down THREE horses, the other two were a year younger, almost 3 yrs old. So, that is the main reason, I didn’t vet any of them. I felt legs, just had a really good feeling about the three horses.
I would feel comfortable at a sale as good as Pitzer, but not sure if was a less prestigious sale, then I may have be more leery.
Also, I literally was gonna bid all my money I had saved for a horse, for one of these three. Since my horse went 13th, I got him for HALF of my money. So, my friend and I went insane, we had planned on staying overnight, since the cheaper two were going much later in the day, but since I got my horse literally in FIRST 45 mins of the sale, I wanted to head home, so I could play w/MY horse ASAP.
There were MANY nice horses, then a bunch of broodmares, stallions and yearlings. So, I said, if we get a project horse w/what money I have left, before that group of horses, we would, if not, we were hitting the road by 3pm, was a 12 hour drive home.
We got outbid several times, really had not looked at these horses, this was to be a project horse, so while we had planned my horse, the 2nd one was really just a insane, spur of the moment purchase.
We got the last horse before the broodmares. Everyone that has ridden him really likes him. A friend that decided to get back into horses bought him, she has had horses most of her life, but the last three years, she LOVES him. He is her most favorite horse ever. She was into Dressage, so had warmbloods, this is her first QH. He is very sweet, athletic and she trusts him.
So, I got two really nice horses, very healthy, and I am very satisfied. I would go again in a heartbeat!!
OP you really need to reconsider the Pitzer Sale. It’s a genuine experience! After going with my grandfather for many years I bought my own horse there in 1984…she’s 31 this year and has carried many riders over the years. I make both of their sales each year and have bought several more over the years…sound, sane, easy to get along with.
If you don’t want to drive you can fly into Omaha and drive from there, well worth the effort. There is usually someone at the Sale who could transport a purchase.
At the very least go to their website. Jim and Tana are amazing. These are ranch horses at the source. Shermy has covered everything well so I don’t want to repeat.
[QUOTE=Sunlight Star;8048241]
OP you really need to reconsider the Pitzer Sale. It’s a genuine experience! After going with my grandfather for many years I bought my own horse there in 1984…she’s 31 this year and has carried many riders over the years. I make both of their sales each year and have bought several more over the years…sound, sane, easy to get along with.
If you don’t want to drive you can fly into Omaha and drive from there, well worth the effort. There is usually someone at the Sale who could transport a purchase.
At the very least go to their website. Jim and Tana are amazing. These are ranch horses at the source. Shermy has covered everything well so I don’t want to repeat.[/QUOTE]
Isnt it a FUN experience?!? If it was closer, I would go just to go, esp to watch the competition, but I think it could be dangerous too, lol.
I am full on horses, not in the market for one, but if it wasn’t a 11 hour drive, I prob would go to just watch. I could imagine NOT having the stress of having to bid on a horse, would make it even more fun to watch, lol.
I could NOT believe how many people and all the different license plates in the parking lot. Rigs from almost every state.
I totally agree, it may seem undoable, but it isn’t. Like I said, it was totally outside my box, but really, it was soo easy and fun.
Check flights, rent a car, we stayed in a decent little motel in Orb, Nebraska. Nothing fancy, but was clean. You will amazed at all the different horses. There was more color than brown.
Look online or order a catalog, you can search for different horses, a lot will have a video on youtube or their ranch. So, you narrow down your search somewhat before you get there, but try to go the preview day, so you can look them all over. Of course, some just look different in person than a pic, but again, you can get an idea of what is there.
Since this is actually a roping sale, the more roping experience one has, the higher it’s price. I don’t care about roping, I rope like a 2 yr old. So, I looked only at horses that had little or no roping experience.
I bet you would have a lot of fun and find a REALLY nice horse!
Not sure what ur budget is, but on the sale, they have a lot of well bred horses, the ones I got were around $3,000 each and were from very good lines, mine’s grandsire is NU Chex to Cash, and the project horse is half Pitzer bred, but while we were there were some cute young geldings sold for $1,500, all the way up to roping horses that sold for $41,000. We left @ 3pm, so prob while they were on the 80th horse, so didnt watch all of it. On their website, they have the averages of what sold in each sale for the last few years.
The horses went for fair prices, IMO.
I bought a ranch horse at a sale in Winnemucca, Nevada. It was a blast! I’d gone to bid on one specific horse, so checked him out in person then tried to play it very cool throughout the day until the auction started.
I honestly thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest when the bidding started, and when it was down to just two bidders (I never could bring myself to turn around and look up into the grandstand to see who I was up against) I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had my financial adviser on the phone and he was supposed to rein me in. Instead he kept saying “It’s all good. Keep going!”
I got the horse I wanted. I’d just advise anyone going that route to pick a reputable auction. This one was for registered ranch bred horses, and they’d been vetted beforehand, we got to see them work under saddle, talk to the sellers in advance, etc.
It was the most fun I’d had in years.
I will fess up!! Let me just say, my friend had gone to college in Montana, so had gone to the Billings sale before a few times.
She had said on the drive there, if I wanted, she would bid for me. I said, ok, I will let you know, but assumed, I could do it.
WELL… this is a BIG sale, we somehow got seats in the 5th row, right by the “stage”. This adorable old man (the spotter) was right by us, so he could see us perfectly.
The bidding starts, I am worried I am gonna MOVE somehow to make a bid, so I have my arms crossed and not making ANY eye contact.
Again, this is my FIRST auction on any level close to this, we are sitting right by the reserved seats, so prob next in the actual ranchers that have horses at this sale. They looked the rancher part, were very nice, but tons of big brushy mustaches, lol.
On the drive, my friend told me not to do much once the auction was finished, no screaming or yelling, so I am ready to be subdue.
Hmmm, I think around the 5th horse, I start to get sooo nervous, I literally am afraid I am gonna throw up, seriously!! So, I tell her, she is gonna have to bid. Well…she starts whining she has to pee, tough, you are NOT leaving me!
I am tasting bile, as number 13 gets closer, was terrifying, sheer terror!! I am staring at the floor, trying not to puke, I hear 13, my friend bidding several times, I hear her say $3,200, the guy is yammering on, keeps saying $3,300, we have $3,200. I realize that WE have the $3,200, yes, I have been staring at the ground the entire time, so I look up, look at the adorable spotter, he tells me,“get your number out”. I must have looked confused, he tells me, he thinks this is my horse…so, I grab my number, auctioneer is still yammering on, then I HEAR IT, the GAVEL, I look my the adorable spotter, he says, you got him, I scream, then burst into tears.
My friend looks at me bawling, asked WTH is wrong w/you?!? LOL, I am crying, then laughing, then crying, saying I have no idea what is happening to me, LOL!!
A little girl (prob 10-12 yrs old) comes over to have me sign the papers, I am literally DRIPPING tears on the papers, I keep telling the little girl I am sorry, but I cant control myself. She just stared at me like I was insane, LOL!!
The rancher next to me, was laughing, telling me to breathe, lol!!!
This probably lasted for @ 5 mins, then I was totally sane. We got up to walk around, she needed to go to bathroom, I needed to make some calls and get some air. We went back in @ 20th horse, the bidding was a lot more active and prices were higher. It was like the place had woken up.
I think part of me must have worried that I would get outbid on all the horses I wanted, would come home w/an empty trailer. That didn’t happen, and I got the one I really wanted for half what I was prepared to pay for him. We found an expired FB sale page for him w/a ton of pics, him walking on mattresses, working cattle, etc, had him listed for $9,000. So, was why I really didn’t expect to get him.
I got VERY lucky!!
So, yes, it was probably one of the most fun weekends I have ever had, but the actual auction was sheer terror, but it probably lasted less than 5 mins. It gave us lots to laugh about on the drive home. It was definitely a rush of emotion in a very short span of time.
Bidding on the project horse wasn’t near as scary, since it wasn’t life or death if we got him or not :), so mayb bidding in auctions is all relative in it’s level of scariness
Thank you for the replies. I do not like to travel so I will not be going to any sales that are too far away. Any more details or tips about auctions would still be great.
[QUOTE=Bopper;8048396]
Thank you for the replies. I do not like to travel so I will not be going to any sales that are too far away. Any more details or tips about auctions would still be great.[/QUOTE]
I many sales, you can look at horses in their catalog and videos, talk to the seller and bid over the phone when the sale is happening.
Some sales will also tell you about the horse and go look at it in person for you.
Steve Friskup manages/co-manages some of the larger sales and, if you tell him exactly what you are looking for, he can tell you what horses may fit and be even more apt to get it than you could, he really knows horses and sellers.
He has bought horses for us years ago and they were exactly what he said they were.
Then found someone coming our way to bring the horses to us.
You could see if you may make some such connections, if you see a horse advertised in a sale that you are interested on.
I didn’t realize you’re in LOUISIANA!!
You’ll want to look at Gray Ranch in Vinton. I LOOOOOVVVEEEE Gray Ranch.
Call Kent LeDoux and tell him what you want and then plan on going and have the BEST TIME picking out the right horse for you. They’re not planning a production sale right now, but they should have something that they’re looking to sell.
Tell Kent and his wife Becky I sent you:)
And you asked for info on demo day. Most ranches/ranch sales will have a demonstration day prior to the sale. Cowboys will take turns riding the performance horses in the ring and showing what they can do. They’ll usually lope them both ways, demonstrate the lead change if the horse has one. If the horse is a good cow horse or rope horse, the arena crew will let a cow in the arena, and the cowboy and horse will either work the cow or follow and rope it, sometimes both.
Usually, on demonstration day, you can follow the cowboy/horse you’re interested in out of the arena out to the warm-up area and ask questions.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If someone won’t answer your questions or seems shady, just don’t buy from that person.
Also, I will second the recommendation of Steve Friskup. He’s a straight-up class act.
I have already been in contact with Gray Ranch. The only geldings that they still have are the ones for upcoming competitions. I asked them to let me know if any do not work out because I would be interested.
Western Horseman magazine maintains a list of upcoming Ranch Horse Production Sales. You might check there and then run it by LJStarkey. Each issue updates the list.
These ranch horse sales that involve working ranches have a vested interest in the horses offered. It’s their breeding program on the line, their reputation, even with guest consignors. It’s year after year building on that foundation.
Harvard Horse Sale has been around for quite some time. Noticed that Steve Friskup (referenced in an above post) is listed as the auctioneer. I think that’s new.
If it’s close you should go and see what it’s all about. For me however this is much more of a buyer beware situation…many more consignors who may or may not be at a future Harvard Sale. Not to say you might not find exactly what you’re looking for.
Western Horseman magazine maintains a list of upcoming Ranch Horse Production Sales. You might check there and then run it by LJStarkey. Each issue updates the list.
These ranch horse sales that involve working ranches have a vested interest in the horses offered. It’s their breeding program on the line, their reputation, even with guest consignors. It’s year after year building on that foundation.
Harvard Horse Sale has been around for quite some time. Noticed that Steve Friskup (referenced in an above post) is listed as the auctioneer. I think that’s new.
If it’s close you should go and see what it’s all about. For me however this is much more of a buyer beware situation…many more consignors who may or may not be at a future Harvard Sale. Not to say you might not find exactly what you’re looking for.
OP, Have you considered www.angolaprisonhorsesale.com/catalog These horses are from 2011. The 2015 catalog won’t be out for a while. Prices are very reasonable.
Where in Louisiana are you? You might want to check out the Hagansport sale on May 3. They have a ranch horse sale at their spring sale and usually have some nice horses at reasonable prices. I have bought several their over the years. PM me for the address for a catalog. Hagansport is in Texas close to Mt Vernon.
Wireweiners that information would be great. I will PM you. I have actually talked to someone that works at the Angola horse unit and he was not sure if they have anything that I might like ready right now. I will see him again this weekend so I will check back with him.
Love this thread and can identify with Shermy.
I went to the end of the big Keeneland, Nov. sale and found a OTTB prospect I loved. When bidding started I did not have a spotter looking at me, so I had to wave my arms to bid.
The bidding went up and up and finally the auctioneeer was chanting IhaveXXXIhaveXXX. Do I hear XXX+2? Again I am jumping up and down to bid the higher amount – but I am ignored. Finally, the head auctioneer looks at me, and says: “Ma’am, you ARE the high bidder. Do you really want to bid against yourself?”
I slid down in embarrassment as the other people laughed…
But I got the horse.
I LOVE auctions <3
