Ranches readying for Sept. 10 horse sale

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Damon Hodges spends some time with PC Cline Frost, his 1998 buckskin stallion that will be offered in the Northeast Texas Foundation Breeders Sale. “Cline” is a son of Sun Frost. -- Staff photo by Montgomery

Sept. 8, 2005 - Horse sales are a common occurrence, but the Northeast Texas Foundation Breeders sale, scheduled for Sept. 10 in Mount Pleasant, strives to maintain a level of quality, according to one of the five producers involved in the event.

�We try to raise a versatile horse,� Damon Hodges began. �This is the fourth annual production sale and we are selling 75 head of the best we have.�

Hodges, representing Hodges Farms, along with Marianne Brown and Julie Holmes of B & H Farms, Todd and Charla Freeman of Freeman Ranch, Aaron and Tommy Sanders of Santex Ranch and Dale Schnee of Schnee Quarter Horses, started talking 10 years ago about having a production sale featuring foundation bloodlines such as Driftwood, Joe Hancock, Sun Frost, Poco Bueno and Lucky Blanton. 

New for this year’s event is a barrel futurity. The futurity is open to horses purchased through the NETX Foundation Breeders sale in the previous three years. It will be held in conjunction with the event on Friday night. 

�This will be the first year for the barrel futurity. (The futurity) gives them the opportunity to showcase the horse that they bought. There is no entry fee and they will win back monies from previous sales. This year�s total prize will be $2,000 with several placings,� Hodges stated.

Nineteen horses are eligible for the futurity, but not all will enter because some of the horses purchased at the first sale where not put on the barrel-racing road.  

Don’t think hosting a production sale is a bed of hay. Yes, hay is involved, but there is a lot of work that goes into organizing a sale. 

All five ranches, four of which are located in the East Texas area, have their own chores to perform at the sale. The other ranch is located in Colorado. 

�I help with the setup which will take two or three nights before the event,� Hodges said.

The setup involves putting up a showring which includes green, green shavings “like grass,” according to the horse owner. 

Advertising, which began in May, was increased this year with “the Quarter Horse Journal being the biggest calling card.” Brochures were sent to previous buyers and others on the ranches mailing lists. 

Sales of this caliber takes every hand on the rail, reins, etc., including family members. 

�All the horses are led into the arena. Even this year�s colts will be halter broken prior to the sale. It is a family affair (which includes Hodges� wife Donna and three sons).�

The day of the sale, each ranch will wear color-coordinated shirts to indicate the ranch members.  

Another asset of the sale is electricity will be provided, not only for fans and coolers, but for televisions to show videos which give those interested in buying the chance to watch the horse in action, especially if it is being sold as a barrel or roping prospect.

�Videos are a big asset to the sale. If we tell someone we will have a video at the sale, that will cinch it. They will be at the sale,� Hodges said.

Some of the horses being sold at the sale will be billed as prospect horses, while others might be started under saddle or yearlings and weanlings from this year’s crop.  

The sale horses can be previewed at horseauction.com. The sale, which begins at 1 p.m., will take place at the Titus County Fairgrounds. 

(The Hodges can be contacted at 903-884-2905 or www.hodgesfarm.com.)