TAIERI ANNUAL HORSE SALE,

Otago Witness, Issue 2669, 10 May 1905, Page 24

TAIERI ANNUAL HORSE SALE,

Messrs Donald Reid and Co. (Limited) report as follows : — We held our ninth annual sale of heavy draught horses, colts and fillies, at our Taieri .saleyards, Allanton, on Thursday, 4th May. The day .proved remarkably fine, and there was a large and representative attendance of farmers, breeders, dealers, and others irom. all- parts of Otago; Southland .and Canterbury districts being also well represented. There -was again a very large entry of horses, chiefly heavy draught Clydesdales, broken and unbroken, and the rings of three and four-year-rold colts and fillies of this class put forward deservedly sustained the high reputation of this part of the colony for producing high-class draught horses. The -entries by Messrs J. T. Tisdall of Stcath-Taieri), James Patrick, J. W. Blair, Robert Gawn, George Nicol, William Shand, J. O. Benton, and Jos. Cracae, all of Taieri, were all really first-class specimens of the Clydesdale, and would be hard to beat Anywheie, and as a consequence they secured very ieen competition. We might mention, as showing some, of the top prices, Mr TisdaH's pair of ;thrie-year-old geldings sired by Hatfield, grand specimens of the class, sold as a pair ior the handsome price of £122. Mr James Patrick showed a -grand lot of fillies, for which there wa<s keen competition, and for a superb three-year-old .filly, by Present Times, £75 was offered, but declined. Mr J. W. Blair, of Abbotsford, had also. a. fins ring of colts and fillies. In thisi

lot a four-year-old colfc by Agitator sold at £50, the iot making an average of £39. Mr Robert Gawn showed a good entry of 11 colts and fillies, which secured good competition, and unbroken colts sold up to £40. In Mr George Nicol's entry six-year-old geldings sold at £55 and £50. Mr William Shand had an entry oi nine colts and fillies, which were all sold, and realised satisfactory prices, one broken gelding making up to £50. Mr J. C. Renton's gelding, four years, raade £50, smd Mr Joseph Crane's three geldings and one mare an average of £42 10s. These prices are encouraging, and show that suitable horses are still in request ; but we must report that the demand, on the whole, was scarcely equal to that of last year's sale, and prices, except for the best horses, were somewhat easier. This was more apparent in the case of aged and slow horses and young colts. Many of the colts forward, although first-class specimens of the breed, were too young (mostly two years and rising three) to go to steady wcrk, and the demand being chiefly for young, active horses ready to go to hard work at once, these young horses, in common with aged and slow mares and geldings, met with poor competition, and prices for them showed a considerable reduction on last year's rates. For young, active horses, suitable for immediate work, and for well-grown, matured colts and fillies, good movers, there was a very good sale, and all such realised full market values, and sold at prices on a par with -those realised for similar stock last season. Our -entry comprised 213 horses of all sorts, and at auction and privately over 100 changed owners at fairly satisfactory values — in many cases extreme rates -being realised. Altogether the sale was a successful one, and it must be encouraging to breeders to know there is a good market and satisfactory prices for good sound stock when properly placed on the market.