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Annual Penn State Quarter Horse Sale

Student leads in PSU horse for sale

The annual Penn State Equine Science Showcase and Registered Quarter Horse Sale takes place in April at the Penn State Ag Arena at University Park. A complete online listing of horses offered for sale is posted on this Web site at that time.

  • Look for information about this sale in our Events listing February or March.
  • The Online Catalog is available in mid-March each year.
  • Want to receive sale updates by e-mail?  Subscribe to the Penn State Quarter Horse Announcement List.

The annual Penn State Equine Science Showcase and Registered Quarter Horse Sale is a Penn State tradition that takes place on the last Saturday in April.

It is run by Penn State students enrolled in the Equine Marketing class.  Student involvement in this class starts in the fall, with the Student Horse Sale manager and continues through spring with the training and handling class, which focuses on preparing the fillies and geldings for the sale. 

The Equine Marketing class focuses on everything that needs to be done to run a successful operation, including the following:

  • advertising and sponsorships
  • public relations
  • sale operations
  • food and facilities
  • event planning
  • working with outside breeders
  • preparing the horses for sale
  • barn and farm tours
  • technology

History of the Penn State Quarter Horse Sale

The Penn State tradition of breeding and selling horses has developed over many decades.   Our American Quarter Horses were originally sold through private treaty sales every year until 2002.

After the last private treaty sale in 2002, the Animal Science department decided to hold a student run horse sale.  A class was developed for the spring semester of 2003 to give Penn State students hands-on experience in equine marketing.  The class was modeled after the Polled Dorset Flock Livestock Sale that takes place every few years. 

PSU FoalsThe original sale was organized by 36 students.  In 2008’s sale there were 37 students registered in the Equine Marketing class with an additional 14 returning students to help with the sale, along with two assistant sale managers and the sale manager,  a total of 52 Penn state students involved from the marketing class. Add to that the involvement of the students in the Horse Handling and Training class and students from various departmental clubs such as CHAPS and Block and Bridle and the total number of students involved in the annual sale approaches 80.

In 2005, consignment horses were added to the program.  It gave friends of Penn State a chance to sell any of their Quarter Horses in the sale.  This tradition continued until 2007.  In 2008, it was decide to switch from consignments to a select breeders sale, thus giving an opportunity to other successful Quarter Horse breeding programs to showcase their program alongside Penn State’s.

Every year the sale continues to grow and be successful.  It has truly become a part of the Penn State tradition.

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