Reporting-Out Activity
College: Feather River College
Name:
Russell Reid, Department Chair Agriculture Department
Chuck Mills, Faculty Instructor Equine Studies
Email: rreid@frc.edu; cmills@frc.edu
Conference: Red Bluff Bull & Gelding Sale
Location: Red Bluff, CA
Dates: January 29 – January 31
Link: http://www.redbluffbullsale.com
Overview: Three-day horse and bull sale combined with clinics, trade show, demonstrations in
horse training, and new technology in ranching. Attended by approximately 20,000 people.
Purpose of Training: To keep current in horse sale preparation, horse training, new agricultural
products and technology, and market trends.
Project: The Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale is one of the premier horse sales in the country. It is the
first sale of the year and generally demonstrates what the horse market will look like for the coming year.
The Equine Studies Program hosts a sale every spring. It is important for the Equine Studies instructors
to keep up on the horse market by attending the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale. It enables contact and
networking with current horse industry specialists as well as promotional opportunities for the Horse
Program.
The concern that we had this year was that this sale would reflect the down turn of the horse industry. It
did not. Chuck and I were very interested specifically in what marketing and horse training techniques
were being utilized to keep the sale price up this year. We observed that the horses were very well
groomed and fitted for the sale. The level of training seemed to have improved. The horse sale preview
demonstrated gentle horses. Their riding pattern also demonstrated an overall improvement in the basics:
straightness, lead changes, stopping and turning.
We also visited with several horse trainers who sold horses. Some were disappointed in their individual
performances in the preview. It was amazing that “mistakes” with the horse and rider reflected lower
price in the sale ring on some very good horses.
I talked with the sale office and they did not significantly alter their sale marketing “pre sale” promotions.
The sale committee did limit entries this year and sifted horses to try and decrease the total number of
horses sold. They anticipated lower prices so they limited the number of horses for sale. That seemed to
work. The average sale price was $5,848.50.