40th Annual Colt Sale set for Saturday, May 7

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls will host the 40th Annual Colt Sale on Saturday, May 7, where 50 high quality two-year-old horses will be offered for sale.

The horses for sale have been trained by UW-River Falls students enrolled in the Principles of Training Horses class taught by Nathan O’Connor. Horses in this group would satisfy buyers looking for serious performance prospects or a trail horse for the family.

Buyers can preview the horses starting at 11 a.m. in the Brainard-Kasten Colt Barn arena on the UW-River Falls Campus Farm, 1475 S. Wasson Lane, River Falls. Student trainers will be riding their horses for potential buyers. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. and the student trainers will be available at that time to answer questions about their horses. The sale will begin promptly at 2 p.m. Phone bids are welcome, but buyers must be pre-registered; check the website (www.uwrfcoltsale.com) for details.

Photos of sires and dams of the 2016 colts are on the UWRF Colt Sale website. Final photos, videos and the sale catalog (including full performance pedigrees and a description of riding qualities) will be posted on the website by Wednesday, April 20. To see the progress of the student trainers and their horses over the course of the semester, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/uwrfcoltsale.

The Colts in Training course was founded in 1972 by renowned horseman Jack Brainard, along with Jim Dollahon, an animal science faculty member. Larry Kasten, hired in 1973 as the second animal science faculty member for the equine program, further developed and refined the program, and beginning in 1976, opened the doors each spring for the annual Colt Sale. Kasten oversaw the UWRF Colt Sale for its first 30 years until he retired and was succeeded by O’Connor. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the UWRF Colt Sale, alumni will be invited to gather under the tent outside the Colt Barn from noon to 2 p.m.

For more information, email laura.walsh@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-3535.