A 6-year-old Belgian gelding brought $19,000 and was the highest selling horse in last week's Topeka Draft Horse Sale in Topeka. That horse was consigned by Menno Schmucker of Edon, Ohio and purchased by James Schmucker of Angola.
Last week's semi-annual draft horse auction filled up the space inside the newly constructed auction facility. Auction co-owner Rick Welsh said he was pleased with the standing-room-only crowds and prices for the over 1,000 horses offered for sale.
The four-day event featured 1,040 horses, including 765 Belgians, 135 Percherons and 140 others. The average price for all Belgian animals was $4,008, with the top 10 bringing an impressive $15,350. Percherons sold for an average of $3,005.
The second highest selling lot was another Belgian gelding consigned by Marlin Mullet of Shipshewana. The 5-year-old draft horse sold for $17,000 and was purchased by George Crane of New Haven, Vt.
Floyd Troyer of LaGrange consigned two 2-year-old Belgian geldings that fetched $15,000 apiece. Michael Buhler of Ridgway, Pa. had the high bid on both horses.
Rounding out the top five Belgian geldings, Menno Schmucker of Edon, Ohio sold a 6-year-old for $15,000 to Buck Troup of New Bethlehem, Pa.
In the registered Belgian mare sale, a 3-year-old consigned by Norman Bontrager of Shipshewana brought $13,000. The buyer was Christine Morris of Jefferson, Ohio.
Matching that amount, Joseph Miller of Dundee, Ohio paid $13,000 for an 8-year-old mare consigned by William Gerdes of Burlington, Iowa. Orva Miller of Shipshewana consigned a 6-year-old mare that fetched $12,750. Mervin Miller of Topeka had the high bid.
Another Topeka man, Joe Wengerd, purchased a 5-year-old mare for $12,000. The horse came from John Detweiller of Windsor, Ontario. A 6-year-old mare consigned by Martin Wickey of Decatur, Ind. brought $11,800, courtesy of Louis Eicher of New Haven.
The top-selling Belgian stallion came from Marvin Lengacher of Montgomery, Ind. The weanling fetched $15,000 and was purchased by Paul Steury Jr. of Reading, Mich. Jacob Wittmer of Woodburn sold a weanling stallion for $10,500 to Amos Schwartz of Geneva, Ind. Floyd Troyer of LaGrange consigned a weanling that sold for $9,500 to Andy Coblentz of Punxsutawney, Pa.
Rounding out the top five Belgian stallion sales are Jonathan Miller of Millersburg, Ohio, who sold a 9-year-old for $8,000 to Leroy Yoder of Topeka, and Joe Bontrager of LaGrange, who consigned a 10-year-old that fetched $7,750 to Daniel Schwartz of South Whitley.
In the Percheron sale, a 2-year-old gelding from Emery Gingerich of Arcola, Ill. sold for $5,400 to Melvin Coblentz of Clare, Mich. Phillip Burton of Columbia, Ky. consigned two geldings that brought $5,000 apiece. The buyer was Noah Graber of Grabill.
A 3-year-old Percheron gelding from Dale Hostetler of Middlebury sold for $4,500 to Floyd Bontrager of Middlebury. Bontrager also paid $4,400 for a 3-year-old gelding from Mark Eicher of Quincy, Mich.
Royal Equine Acres of Topeka consigned a 12-year-old Percheron mare that sold for $5,600, courtesy of James Lauga of New Orleans, La. Daniel Hershberger of Millersburg, Ohio purchased two 4-year-old mares, paying $5,100 to Samuel Mast of Topeka.
Matthew Koch of Paris, Ky. sold a 10-year-old Percheron mare for $4,600 to Joseph Schmucker of New Haven. Robert Schmucker of Goshen consigned two mares, a 6- and a 5-year-old, that fetched $4,200 apiece. The buyer was Noah Schwartz of Pennville, Ind.
The top selling Percheron stallions were brought by Jerry Slabach and Dannie Bontrager, both of Shipshewana. Slabach's weanling sold for $3,400 to Paul Eicher of Harlan, and Bontrager's weanling that brought $3,350, courtesy of Keith Tongen of Browntown, Minn.