Clovis Livestock Auction puts up 289 horses

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Staff photo

A yearling

stallion waits his turn in a paddock at the Clovis Livestock Auction’s Winter Horse Sale on Saturday. The colt, nicknamed “Wreckin’ Ralph,” was one of 289 performance horses presented at the sale.

The day began with a prayer.

“… Lord, this morning I would just like to thank you for the horse. Ain’t nobody else been able to build one of them. They’re pretty cool, and we get to be a part of it...”

And then Steve Friskup, the horse sale manager and lead auctioneer of the Clovis Livestock Auction, kicked off the Winter Horse Sale on Saturday, presenting 289 performance horses to a room packed with buyers.

One of the highlights was a horse that recently demonstrated cow sense to back up its world-champion American Quarter Horse Association bloodlines.

Seller Derrel Hargis of Shawnee, Oklahoma, said last week a cattle truck tipped over on Interstate 40, letting more than 60 yearling cattle run loose on the busy highway. Apache R Geronimo, a 2006 gelding by Apache Blue Boy, was one of the horse responders used to round up the herd.

“We had him running up the median of the highway,” said Hargis. “We caught 30 head off of this horse.”

Friskup helped sell Apache R Geronimo with comedic flair.

“These sons of guns are not like new trucks,” he joked as the bids rolled in for the gelding. “If you want one like him you’ve got to get him here, now!”

As the auctioneer quickly rattled off the price of bids in his signature style, Hargis showed off the ranch horse’s handling as he stopped, spun and sped off in the small auction paddock.

“You’ve got to get him,” Friskup yelled across the auction hall at an older gentleman bidding on the gray horse. “His hair is the same color as yours!”

In between the crowd’s laughter at Friskup’s jokes, the bids for the gelding came in quickly, ultimately culminating at $7,800 from a buyer from Roswell.

In addition to Apache R Geronimo, Hargis brought eight other ranch horses to Clovis for the auction, which he said he attends every year. Hargis said Friskup’s humor and integrity attracts people from across the U.S.

“He’s a nice guy,” said Hargis. “He brings customers here and it really helps us. He’s also a trustworthy guy. If there isn’t a nice horse, he’ll let you know.”

The horses in the auction sold from a few hundred dollars to five figures. CLA staff said they have a lot of work to do even after the auction is over, and will not have the overall sales figures until later in the weekend.