MU Online Horse Auction and Fundraiser

As part of the Division of Animal Sciences, the MU Equine Program is known for raising quality horses with remarkable athletic potential since 1959! Horses raised in this program have excelled in many different events including cutting, barrel racing, roping, mounted shooting, hunt seat, jumping, eventing and western pleasure. The MU Equine Teaching Facility raises four to six foals a year, with an emphasis on quality not quantity. Each November, a select group of horses is then offered for sale in our MU Online Horse Auction & Fundraiser. These horses are of various ages and have been trained by undergraduate students in coordination with courses taught in our curriculum. We sell primarily youngstock, but occasionally offer a riding aged horse. All young horses have been bred and raised by students in our program, while any aged riding horses are donated to our training class by generous program supporters.

All proceeds from this fundraiser benefit the MU Equine Program and support student activities at the MU Equine Teaching Facility! Funds are directly used to care for our teaching herd and purchase classroom supplies. Additionally, this auction provides our students with valuable real-world experiences training horses and professionally communicating with potential buyers. It is with your help that we can continue to educate the future faces of the equine industry.

Our sale provides tremendous hands-on opportunities for our students to learn about careers in the equine industry, while also gaining professionalism and the ability to think on their feet. One overreaching goal is to teach our students about responsible horsemanship by providing complete histories on each horse and doing our best to place horses in long-term homes by being honest and forthcoming with each horse’s history. To achieve this mission, all horses are sold with complete medical records and detailed daily journals of each horse’s training program since birth. This information is available upon request to prospective buyers. We jokingly say each horse is sold with their own personal “owner’s manual”!

The MU Equine Program provides our Equine Behavior & Training students with experience handling and training a wide variety of horses. This class focuses on natural equine behavior and strategies for modifying each horse’s response to stimuli through training. Students also gain patience and improvement in their own communication with peers by fine-tuning their non-verbal communication and timing of reinforcements with their assigned horses.

Students in our Equine Facility Management & Marketing class learn professional skills such as taking marketing photographs, writing catalog descriptions, designing visual advertisements and creating sale portfolios. Throughout the semester, this class also practices critical thinking and problem solving by actively managing and caring for the equine teaching herd. After the sale is over, this class switches gears and focuses on examining the economics of running an equine facility and will focus on ways to generate income through various aspects of the equine industry.

All bidding occurs online; buyers will know the current price and can bid accordingly. Bidding will open mid-October and close at 7:00 p.m. CST on November 9, 2023.

We will host a Sale Horse Preview & Silent Auction on Saturday, November 4, 2023 between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to allow potential buyers to visit at their convenience and personally inspect our sale horses being presented by their student trainers. We invite everyone to come to this event, even if you are not in the market for purchasing a horse, to learn about our program and support our student’s hard work. Our Silent Auction will feature both equine and non-equine items and gift cards.

What’s unique about purchasing from our sale?

  • By purchasing a horse, you are directly contributing to the education and training of our next generation of equine professionals!
  • It is our goal to place these horses in quality, life-long homes. To achieve this mission, all horses are sold with complete medical records and detailed daily journals of each horse’s training program.
  • Sale portfolios will be available for inspection at our Sale Horse Preview & Silent Auction or request via email starting November 5, 2023 (MUEquine@missouri.edu). These portfolios include a letter from the MU Equine Program Coordinator describing the horse, additional photographs, extended pedigree information, training journals, current housing and diet and complete health records. This sale portfolio is provided to the buyer for future reference.
  • All horses are up to date on all routine care. Individual health records are provided in each horse’s sale portfolio. This includes documentation of all vaccinations, deworming, Coggins testing, farrier care, dental care, mild cuts and abrasions, lameness, etc. A veterinary statement will be included for any horses with previous illnesses or injuries requiring veterinary treatment.
  • Horses raised at the MU Equine Teaching Facility have been worked with since birth by students with varying levels of experience. Due to their extensive handling, they are accustomed to having their hooves, nose, eyes, ears and mouth routinely handled. They also stand quietly for haltering, grooming, tying, deworming and vaccinations.
  • All our sale horses are desensitized to novel objects such as clippers and tack. They are trained to calmly maneuver various obstacles including ground poles, cross rails, raised wooden platform and a tarp. By sale time, we expect weanlings to trot in hand as well as carry a pony saddle. Our yearlings and two-year old will additionally begin lunging quietly at the walk and carry a bridle. As they are ready, we also begin to teach horses to flex to the bit and lunge at the trot.
  • Additional training photos and videos are posted on the MU Equine Teaching Facility Facebook page (facebook.com/MUEquine) and the MU Equine Teaching Facility YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/MUEquine).

Sale Horse Preview & Silent Auction:

  • We will be hosting a Sale Horse Preview & Silent Auction on Saturday, November 4, 2023, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.. This allows potential buyers an opportunity to personally inspect our sale horses, browse through their sale portfolio and view them being worked by our student trainers. This event is held at the University of Missouri Equine Teaching Facility, located at 4400 E. New Haven Road, Columbia, MO.
  • The student trainers will be working with the horses throughout the day, and our marketing students will be available to visit with prospective buyers. This event is a huge part of providing real-world business experience to our students. We invite everyone to come to this event, even if you are not in the market for purchasing a horse, to learn about our program and encourage our students on all their hard work!
  • In addition to seeing the horses, you can enjoy food from our sponsors and participate in our silent auction. Our Silent Auction will feature both equine and non-equine items and gift cards. All items have been graciously donated by program supporters to assist with our fundraising efforts. The silent auction ends at 2:00 p.m., but you do not have to be present at the closing to claim your purchase.

For information on bidding, release of horse to successful bidder, payment, and other auction conditions make sure to read our full sale Terms & Conditions.

Visit our Auction Site

Follow us at www.facebook.com/MUEquine for weekly updates and video clips. Video clips may also be accessed by visiting www.youtube.com/MUEquine. We will continue to add training photos and video links to our sale page so check back frequently!

Sale Horse Preview & Silent Auction: Saturday, November 4, 2023, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., MU Equine Teaching Facility, 4400 E. New Haven Road, Columbia, MO.

Online Auction: Bidding starts mid-October 2023. Bidding ends Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 7 p.m. CST. Horses must be picked up by noon on November 15, 2023.

Questions about sale horses can be directed to: