BOZEMAN – Equine students at Montana State University and the University of Montana Western will be selling more than 35 young horses on Saturday, April 9, as part of the Top of the West horse sale at the Copper Spring Ranch near Bozeman.
Sponsored by the Equine Boosters of MSU, the annual sale features a colt sale and collegiate riding competition. A traveling bronze trophy, created by sculptor Bob Burkhart and donated by Copper Spring Ranch, will go to the winning team. The top collegiate horseman and the donor of the top-selling horse will receive belt buckles.
The event will feature 37 mostly 2-year-old AQHA fillies and geldings that were donated to the two schools by more than a dozen quarter horse breeders. Bloodlines represented include some of the most popular in the quarter horse industry.
The horse sale was started by Bob Hanson, former chairman of the boosters, to raise funds for the Equine Science Program in the MSU College of Agriculture while fostering public understanding of MSU's equine program. UMW has similar goals for the equine program on their campus.
The sale is being held the same weekend as the 2016 MSU Spring Rodeo.
The schedule for the 10th annual Top of the West sale and competition is:
Friday, April 8
9 a.m. – Colt-starting competition.
Saturday, April 9
10 a.m. – Sale preview, indoor arena.
1 p.m. – Top of the West sale, indoor arena. Awards presented at start of sale.
The sale catalog and other details are available on the Equine Boosters of MSU website at: http://www.equineboostersofmsu.com.
For more information of the sale, contact Diana Bailey, Equine Boosters of MSU, (406) 570-4101 or dianab@mfbf.org.
Source: MSU News Service