The crowd at the 2009 All American Quarter Horse Congress Super Sale on October 17. (Jeff Kirkbride Photography)

The show horse market just might be making a rebound, according to Mike Jennings of Professional Auction Services Inc.

That may bode well for upcoming sales such as the 2009 AQHA World Championship Show Sale November 14-15, the National Cutting Horse Futurity Sales December 5-13 and the National Reining Horse Association/Markel Insurance Futurity Prospect Sale December 5.

The Journal spoke with Jennings after the All American Quarter Horse Congress Super Sale (October 17) and the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Sale (October 1-3).

“We were excited by the crowd and the amount of bidder activity,” Jennings said of the Congress sale. “This, following the (NRCHA Snaffle Bit) Futurity Sale, was one thing we felt good about: people acting like they are trying to buy horses now.”

The 152 head sold (78 percent) at the Congress sale averaged $5,786, with the high seller bringing $28,000. The 43 no-sales averaged $6,119.

“The prices held up well,” Jennings said. “Sellers were pleased with what the horses brought.”

He added that the 78 percent sold rate was up from 70 percent at the 2008 Congress sale.

“If you can stay close to 80 percent (sold) on a consignment sale, you’re doing pretty well, even in good times,” Jennings said. “In the early part of the year, we had some sales that were in the 60-65 percent range. We’re feeling that our market is definitely stronger this fall than it was last fall and during the early part of the year.

“From the standpoint of the auctioneers and the men who worked the (Congress) sale, we had a couple of people who had worked some Thoroughbred sales, and they said this was certainly more active and energetic buying crowd than they’ve seen for a while.”

The individual sessions at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Sale saw these averages: classic yearling and broodmares – 78 sold, $4,082; select yearling and broodmares – 82 sold, $9,290; select 2-year-olds – 73 sold, $10,242; performance horses – 29 sold, $9,310.

Complete sale numbers are at the Professional Auction Services Inc. Web site.

Jennings pointed out that these two sales were the first of the major fall horse association sales, and both showed strong bidder activity along with percent completed sales rates approaching 80 percent.

“For two of the major sales, the mood and atmosphere was much more positive than what we saw earlier this year,” he said. “We were pleased with both of these in terms of feeling like the market is headed in the right direction at this point.

“We have a nice set of horses for the World Show sale out there, so we’re looking forward to getting to Oklahoma City with that group of horses.”

The 2009 AQHA World Championship Show Sale is November 14-15 at the Oklahoma State Fair Park, in conjunction with the World Show. Download the sale catalog and highlights here.

“We feel like, at the show horse level, we’re seeing things coming back,” Jennings said. “We feel like we may have seen the worst of it. When you get outside the show horse market, I think the recovery will take a little longer.

“But from the show horse standpoint, we’re pleased with the way this fall has started off here.”