Ranch Country Horse Sale 20th Anniversary

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Ryan Dahlman

Terri Mason

The morning of the Ranch Country Horse Sale opened with perfect weather beneath a deep, blue sky. Seasoned horse sale veterans arrived early, sipping coffee as they walked through the Drill Hall, eyeing the foals who were separated into pens with their bloodlines and lineage on full display, with owners nearby in case any potential buyers had questions. There were plenty of repeat buyers in the crowd; some focused on the foals, while others were watching the saddle horses. By 10 am, the warm temperature (26) and only a hint of a breeze encouraged all to sit high on the hill and watch the preview of the trained horses as the sellers showed them to the best of their ability at the 20^th anniversary of the Ranch Country Horse Sale.

Handled by Jack Auction Group, this was another successful event, as members of the sales team extolled the virtues of the breeding of the saddle horses being sold. Their encyclopedic knowledge of bloodline performances was dazzling, as they dropped names like rodeo star Trevor Brazile or equine relatives who earned figures well over a million. 

The preview featured 32 saddle horses from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, including many local horses, showcasing their training, from toting billowing tarps to dragging a small log to roping performances. An impressive bunch trained to be helpful.

The Sale was slated to start at 1:30 pm, and it was a bittersweet moment when the buyers were asked to remove their hats for a moment of silence in honour of three of the legendary founders, first of the Cypress Hills Registered Horse Breeders Ass’n, and later the Ranch Country Horse Sale—Roger Parsonage, Marg Perrin, and Ken Perrin—who are gone forever. They were ranchers and horse breeders who faced great joy and great storms, and each knew that there was always an end to a season and to a life, but their bloodlines, in horses and people, would carry on. 

“Over the 50 years, Dad, Ken, and Marg brought thousands of horses to the sale,” said Ranch Country Horse Sale president Jess Parsonage. “There’s been a lot of horses out there that are carrying the HP [Perrin] or the P7 [Roger Parsonage] brand that have done a lot of work in the surrounding area of Maple Creek, and throughout North America.”

Many of the folks there chose to buy into the breeding programs of Roger, Ken and Marg, as brood mares from each band were also sold. The sale price on the open brood mares averaged $1,824. The high-selling foal was Lot 3, LBR MY TRENDY TAG, a red roan stud colt consigned by Little Big Ranch/Jess Parsonage. The baby with the Metallic Cat lineage fetched $7,000. The foals averaged $4,111 and were further broken down to Parsonage foals, which averaged $3,818, and the Perrin foals, which averaged $4,571. Overall, a healthy price for so many well-bred babies.

Next came the saddle horses, and this is when the patrons sat up straighter. They had each made notes in the program as they watched their favourite horses in the preview, and now it was “go time.”

With bloodlines boasting names synonymous with high-end performance rings and rodeo arenas, the anticipation was high. Surprisingly, to almost all, the high-selling saddle horse did not boast a million-dollar lineage. He was, in fact, a 10-year-old grade gelding, but his biggest selling point was that the buyer, Cypress Hills rancher Corbett Faulkner, neighboured the seller, Jason Pollock, and knew Lot # 40, the gelding they called George.

“I’ve watched him for four or five years,” said Corbett. “He’s just been a good, honest horse, and I wanted a horse not just for me, but one that would work for the whole family.”

Just a few days later, on the first day of the West Block Roundup, that good, honest horse proved himself as Corbett fell ill in the backcountry of the Cypress Hills.

“I actually got sick that day at the roundup, and darn near fell off him,” said Corbett, with his usual sense of humour. “I got feeling dizzy and pukey and feeling like I was gonna throw up. I said to Ron [Gordon], who was with me, ‘I’m gonna have to get off my horse.’ Ron didn’t like the look of me at all, but I climbed down off my new horse and went and lay on a hill for a while. Then, eventually, when I did get up, I was crawling around underneath him, banging my head off the stirrups, and he didn’t even quit grazing,” he laughs. “So, he stood the test of me.” George fetched $28,000.

Another horse that stayed local and proved her mettle was Lot # 54, Oakley, consigned by Ryan Friesen and shown by pick-up man, Slim Brown of Maple Creek. The 2019 grade mare, who had experience in the rodeo arena, was purchased by local ranching cowboy and pick-up man Shelton Udal, who used the horse the next Wednesday at the bronc riding practice in the High Chaparral Arena, where the dun mare performed courageously. “She’s the first ready-to-go horse I’ve ever bought,” said Shelton. She fetched $20,000.

The average prices were further broken down by sex: the average price for the mares was $13,000, and the geldings garnered $15,347. The average combined price was $14,509 per head. Some of the horses went as far as Ontario and Quebec.

For ranchers in and around Maple Creek, southwestern Saskatchewan, as well as those in neighbouring Alberta and beyond, this sale is a key annual event. Ranching depends heavily on good stock—whether young foals with promising bloodlines, or older saddle horses that are already trained, all-around capable, and ready to work. The reputation of this sale is stellar, attracting repeat buyers who have faith in the sellers—and that ain’t always the case at a horse sale.

“It seemed like a lot of horses stayed locally this year,” said Jess Parsonage. “There was a lot of local support. It was good to see.” 

The 2026 Ranch Country Horse Sale will be held Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Drill Hall on the Rodeo Grounds at Maple Creek.