By Teresa van Bryce/CWHBA
Photography: Nollind van Bryce
The 25th anniversary of the Canadian Warmblood Horse Association's Fall Classic Sale was a great success. The arena was standing room only as the sale got underway at 6:00 pm on Saturday, October 5. The arena decorations were outstanding, the food and wine offered were superior, and the horses set a new standard in quality and pedigree.
Of the 40 horses offered, 31 sold, with six going to out-of-province homes and one traveling to the US. The gross sales of Cdn$377,250, is an increase from 2018 of $90,000, and the highest gross since 2007. There was also a $1,500 increase from the 2018 average sale price to $12,169 ($9,360 US).
The sale hit the ground running when Lot 0, the cover and poster art Baby Steps, a beautiful chalk pastel created by Rebecca Shuttleworth of Airdrie, Alberta, was hotly contested and sold for the sale-record price of $3,000 to Rosemary Church.
The energy remained high as the horses were brought through the sale ring. The cooler for the high-selling young prospect, sponsored by Sparks Innovations, went to O’Star de Chacoon (Chacoon Blue x Zeno H2), bred and consigned by Klondike Victory Farm. This excellent weanling filly sold to Rocky Mountain Show Jumping of Calgary, Alberta for $19,000 ($14,615 US).
Receiving the high-selling Two-year-old Prospect cooler, sponsored by Key Warmbloods, was Diamond in the Sky (Diamond Stud x MJ Fusion), consigned and bred by Shirley England and purchased for $11,250 ($8,654 US) by Annespohie Canut of Foothills, Alberta.
The high-selling Prospect Under Saddle, sponsored by High Thorne Equestrian, was the three-year-old gelding Nobody’s Fool (Numero Uno x Contendro I), bred by Spruce Meadows and consigned by Tiffany Sullivan/Valleyfield Farm, selling for $19,500 ($15,000 US) to Jolinda Botha of Calgary, Alberta.
The high-selling Performance Horse and the high seller of the sale overall, taking home the cooler sponsored by Quadriga International Horse Transport, was the nine-year-old gelding Diasandro (Diarado x Santander H) consigned by Jennifer Winkler and purchased by Joco Trucking of Bentley, Alberta for $28,000 ($21,538 US).
A first for the Fall Classic Sale was the charity auction of a Rebecca Shuttleworth pencil sketch entitled Frontier Freedom. This lovely piece sold for $4,200 to Dave Jamieson with all proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society in the name of Tracey Ricard, a valued CWHBA member who passed away in the summer of 2019.
This year’s silver anniversary event was sponsored by many generous businesses and individuals with our sale title sponsor, Elite Three Inc., topping the long list of supporters. The hardworking volunteers of the CWHBA Alberta Chapter put in many hours to make this a sale to remember, and the consignors once again showed their expertise in breeding and raising truly superior horses for sport. We wish the buyers good luck with their new purchases and welcome your stories of successes in the coming months and years.
