FORT COLLINS - On April 25, 2009, Colorado State University’s B.W. Pickett Equine Center will be busy.  The energy will be high as an estimated 55 seasoned ranch horses and young prospects are previewed and sold at the 4^th Annual Legends of Ranching Performance Horse Sale, hosted by the CSU Equine Sciences program. In all of the excitement, don’t forget to take a moment to notice who is running the show: the students.

“Our goal in starting the sale was to build an event that gave our students the chance to practice skills we think are vital to their success in the equine industry,” said Jim Heird, Director of Teaching and Outreach for the Equine Sciences program. “After three years it is quite clear that student involvement with the faculty and advisory committee is what has made this event so successful.”

This year, 32 students in the Horse Training Laboratory are working with 34 young horses consigned by some of the most legendary ranches in the western United States. These students not only start these young horses under saddle, they also learn about marketing horses based on pedigrees and training. The sale will be the culmination of two semesters of hard work. Prior to the sale on April 18, 2009, students will have the chance to demonstrate what they have learned in the Wagonhound Land & Livestock Student Competition. Scholarships for the student competition are sponsored by Wagonhound Land & Livestock in Douglas, WY.

While the training class students are preparing the horses, the Equine Sales Management students will be hard at work building the framework for the sale. These students will create the sale catalog, manage sale marketing and advertising, communicate with consignors and sponsors, hire and manage employees, and oversee the events surrounding the sale. This year, these events will include a VIP Reception & Preview, an Educational Day, a Consignor Recognition Dinner, and the preview and sale.

Working with the sales class will be students from the Equine Event Management class. These students will help to organize the Wagonhound Student Competition, the Educational Day on April 24, and will provide much-needed support to the sales class on the day of the sale.

In total, approximately 25 percent of the 400 undergraduate Equine Sciences students at CSU will be directly involved in managing the events surrounding the sale.

“We are very fortunate to have the support of great industry leaders in our advisory committee, and our consignors are true legends in the industry,” says Heird. “But our real excitement comes when we see our students excel. They are legends in the making.”

For more information on the Legends of Ranching Performance Horse Sale, please visit www.csuequine.com or call (970) 491-8373.