UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 17th annual Penn State Equine Science Showcase and Quarter Horse Sale was the most successful in the equine program’s history, bringing in just over $100,000, according to organizers.
The horse sale, held this year April 27 at the University Park campus, is the equine program’s biggest public event.
Students
During the spring semester, more than 60 students are involved in all aspects of preparing for the sale — from getting outside sponsorships and creating advertisements to working to get the horses broke and ready to be ridden.
This year, approximately 400 spectators attended, and 82 bidding numbers were given out.
Twelve 2-year-old horses and one 3-year-old — all raised at the University Park farm — crossed the auction block. The sale also included a 4-year-old horse born at the State University of New York at Cobleskill that was sired by Penn State’s PSU Dynamic Krymsun.
The previous high-selling horse went for $10,000 in 2017, and the average for 2018 was $3,400. However, this year saw three horses sell for more than the $10,000 mark, with two selling for $12,000.
Sale
After a bidding war, the top-selling horse, PSU Summertime Rockn, went for $19,000. This year’s average sale price was $7,000.
With the death of PSU Dynamic Krymsun in 2017, this sale marks his second-to-last crop of foals. Brian Egan, horse farm coordinator, said this could be one factor in the success of the sale, although there are several others. He added that the sheer volume of high-quality animals in the sale brought a larger number of serious buyers to the sale.
The 18th annual sale will be held May 2, 2020, in the Snider Agricultural Arena at University Park.
