USU equine program auctions horses
The USU equine science program’s production sale from Nov. 1-15 features 12 horses, all up for bid.
A preview day was held Nov. 10 at the USU Equine Education Center where more than 300 prospective buyers came to see the horses. Dr. David Price, equine extension specialist and director of the equine center, said there are about 10 bids so far.
“I think this week it will get more serious because people have had a chance to come look at them,” Price said. “Up until now it’s just been pictures online.”
Price said with the auction open until Friday, he thinks people are waiting until the last minute to place their bids.
“So like eBay, they’re just waiting to see who’s going to start,” Price said. “Just like everything, last day, they’ll probably start bidding against each other.”
Each of the the horses in the auction are between six and nine months old.
“We call them ‘weanlings’ which means they’re not a year old,” Price said. “We bred them here, raised them here, foaled them here, the whole thing. They’re part of the class and the equine science program.”
Lisa Rasmussen, an equine science major, said her goal is to someday own her own horse.
“I chose to go into equine science because I’ve always loved horses but my family isn’t as interested as I am,” Rasmussen said. “Because of that, I’ve had to work by myself to learn as much as I can about the horse industry.”
The horses live in the pasture but were brought to the stables for the preview day. Price said it costs about $5 a day to feed each horse and they eat about 20 percent of their body weight.
“Probably six pounds of grain and maybe 15 pounds of hay,” Price said.
Sog Earl went to the preview on Saturday, without a specific horse in mind. Earl owns a cattle ranch in Tremonton where he currently has about 30 horses. He said he was thinking of bidding on a horse from USU’s stables, mostly for his personal use, but his bid would depend on what each animal is worth.
“We’ll see what they go for,” Earl said.
Price said all the horses are different prices depending on their pedigrees and what they are. Lot number six, a black filly, is set at $1200.
“The reason she’s so expensive is that she’s for barrel racing,” Price said. “She’s by a stallion called Dash ta Fame. He’s barrel racing producer. He’s won $6 million dollars.”
Price said when naming a horse, both the father and mother’s names are incorporated so people can know the pedigree just by hearing it. The name is submitted to a registry to see if it’s already been taken. If a duplicate exists, the name is rejected and a new one must be given. The same rules applied when naming the black filly.
Price said the mother is a named Ms. Jessie Perry, so they named the filly She’s Perry Fast.
“See a little pun there?” Price said. “It’s kind of catchy. I’m proud of myself for giving her this name. The second choice was She’s Perry Perry Fast.”
Price said She’s Perry Fast is the best horse in the auction.
“She’s queen of the barn,” Price said.
– tmera.bradley@aggiemail.usu.edu