A horse arena will go up in front of Cody’s historic Irma Hotel this week in preparation for what has been referred to as the “prom of the horse sales.”
The Cody Country Horse Sale, now in its 21st year, will be held Saturday on Cody’s Main Street, where an arena will be erected so those selling their horses can put them through their paces for a large crowd of potential buyers.
“It’s a fun time,” said Kay Clark of the Clark Management Co., the company that stages the sale. “It’s like the prom of the horse sales. The horses are spic and span, they’re looking good, you’re looking good, wearing all your western memorabilia.”
More than 100 horses are expected to be offered for sale on Saturday and those bringing horses for sale are urged to bring stock that is ready to ride, Clark said.
“We want people who are going to bring the right horse,” she said. “We don’t want any buckers at all. That’s how you treat your customers right. then they both get a benefit because the consignors get paid a good amount of money for the right kind of horses.”
Saturday’s sale is only part of the event and is preceded by a ranch horse competition at the Clarks’ ranch in Ralston, about 20 miles from Cody.
“We have an area there, so consignors can show off their horses’ abilities,” said Clark, who has run the show with her husband Jake for the last 19 years. “If they have a roping horse, they can show its roping ability, if the horse runs barrels, we can let them run barrels.”
On Saturday, the action moves to the front of the Irma Hotel, where a 400-foot arena will be erected across Cody’s Main Street.
“Saturday morning, the consignors can ride in the area to show (the horses) off for the buyers,” Clark said.
The sale in Cody will begin at 1 p.m. Video clips of some of the horses being offered for sale, along with more information about the event itself, can be seen by visiting the website CodyHorseSale.com or the sale’s Facebook page.
