UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Eight registered, 2-year-old quarter horses, led by high-seller PS Zips Catharsis -- a sorrel filly by Lucky Zip and out of Skips Emotion -- were auctioned by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences for an average of $2,100 each at the recent Equine Sciences Showcase and Quarter Horse Sale.

Ben Nolt of Grantville, Pa., donated his auctioneering services for the event at the Ag Arena at University Park, Pa., which showcased Penn State's equine science and breeding programs. The horses were bred, raised and trained at the university horse farm. The sale catalog is available on the web at http://www.das.psu.edu/wcm/IndexDB.cfm?pid=152. The auction was accompanied by a day full of demonstrations and exhibits.

This year's quarter horse auction was a watermark of sorts, notes Nancy Diehl, assistant professor of equine science. "For many years, the annual sale of Penn State's 2-year-old quarter horses was carried out by interested buyers submitting letters of offer," she says. "But this year, the sale was conducted as a live auction that was the culmination of a day meant to promote the entire equine science program."

Students taking the spring semester equine and livestock merchandising class, who learned about merchandising livestock through guest speakers and class discussions, got hands-on experience preparing for and participating in the sale.

"Students were involved in promotion, advertising, preparation of the horses, maintenance on the facilities and handling many of the sale-day responsibilities, including presenting the horses to potential buyers," says Diehl. "Students in the horse handling and training class line-drove, lunged and rode the auctioned horses during the morning, offering a unique opportunity for potential buyers to observe the temperament, athletic ability and training of the horses being offered."

Though the sale horses were highlighted, equine staff and students also provided tours of the Penn State Horse Farm and made available for inspection the sires, dams and siblings of those offered for sale. Visitors were able to see the exceptional quarter horse stallion, Image of Shadow, recently donated to Penn State's breeding program by Scott and Marybeth Gordon.

"The breeding program at Penn State has been carefully crafted around its herd of quality broodmares and selection for athletic horses that can succeed in the show ring and also do well as all-around pleasure and recreational mounts," says Diehl. "The breeding program has served principally as a tool for teaching Penn State's equine science students all aspects of horse production and management."

The department offers undergraduate and graduate students from eight to 10 equine science courses a year, as well as independent study research projects and other animal science courses in reproduction, genetics and nutrition that cover all livestock species.

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EDITORS: Contact Nancy Diehl by phone at 814-863-9727 or by email at ndiehl@psu.edu.

Contact:

Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-863-9877 fax #182