March Horse Auction

This past Friday at 6pm my husband and I went to our first ever horse auction. We signed up to bid in case there was a really good deal. We walked the holding pens to see donkeys, drafts, mules, minis and horses. Many were thin and needed to see a farrier. But there were some very nice healthy horses with owners willing to tell/show you their horse before the sale.

One I wanted a 13 year old white Arabian mare. The owner had too many horses and she had to go for any price. The mare was shod but was reluctant to lift her feet in any way.

The auction then started with all kinds of new and used tack for bidding. We looked over all the saddles and found an Aussie style one in good shape and size. We then met some horse people willing to explain the workings of the auction to us. People are so friendly here in MO.

After all the tack was sold they started to ride out each equine for bid. It was now 10pm at night, cold and the place was packed with people. Most of the healthy horses did not sell for their reserve asking price. Then some green broke horses sold fast in the $200 range. Then a lot of donkeys were sold. Some of the donkeys had foals with them and were sold as a pair.

We were looking for draft horses but the two we saw were in poor shape and did not sell. Finally at 1am on Sunday we called it a night and headed home. We did end up winning that Aussie saddle, some feed buckets and a halter. Mostly, we learned what to look for in future horse sales.