Solo Select

The Solo Select Sale · Online

The Leader in Online Sales

Online western performance horse auctions

The Solo Select Sale is the leading online auction for Western performance horses: cutting, working cow horses, barrel horses and roping horse prospects, plus embryos and foals in utero. It is run by Solo Select Horses of Gainesville, Texas, founded by Melanie Smith, with more than $100 million in cumulative horse sales.

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Sales run all year · schedule at bid.soloselecthorses.com

A dark cutting horse with a white blaze deep in a sliding stop under a rider in a black hat, sand flying

Sale Schedule

Sales run all year

The Solo Select Sale runs throughout the year. Named sales include the Labor Day Sale, the October Sale, and the Thanksgiving Sale. The current schedule and catalogs are posted at bid.soloselecthorses.com.

See the Schedule

By the numbers

$100,000,000+

In horses sold since 2020

2023 online record

$540,000

Ms Baby Cakes

2023 online record for a Western performance horse.

All-time public-auction record

$1,700,000

Crosby Ray Von

Consigned by Solo Select at the Old West Sale, the all-time public-auction record for a Western performance horse.

For buyers

The whole sale in your pocket.

Register once, then bid from the barn aisle, the truck, or the couch. Watch every lot close in real time. Six steps, first look to ride home.

The Solo Select bidding app's past-items list with sold prices

Live on iOS and Android

  1. 01

    Register at bid.soloselecthorses.com

    Create your account with contact information and a card on file. Buyer numbers are approved at Solo Select's discretion. The auction runs on the web and on an iOS and Android app, so you can bid from anywhere.

  2. 02

    Study the catalog

    Every horse comes to the Solo Select property before it sells. The team shoots its own photos and video and pulls its own records, so the catalog shows the horse as it stands in the barn.

  3. 03

    Vet before you bid

    The radiograph repository opens before the sale, and personal or veterinary inspection is encouraged. Horses sell as is, where is. Radiographs are not available after a horse sells, so do the homework first.

  4. 04

    Bid, or set a max bid

    Extended bidding keeps it fair: a bid in the final 3 minutes adds time, and lots close 2 minutes apart. Sniping does not work here. Set a max bid and the system bids for you, up to your ceiling.

  5. 05

    Settle by Monday, 5 p.m. CST

    Payment goes only to the sale cashier, never to anyone else. Title and risk pass at the fall of the gavel, so insure your horse the moment you win it.

  6. 06

    Papers and the ride home

    Registration certificates are released once payment clears and go straight to the breed association. The buyer arranges transport. Interstate hauls need a health certificate and a current Coggins.

    7. Register to Bid

Why this sale is different

Every horse comes to the ranch before it sells.

01

Every photo and video, shot here

All photos, video, and performance footage are produced on site by the Solo Select team. Nothing in the catalog is secondhand.

02

Vetted on site, records to match

X-rays, veterinary letters, and palpation videos are done at the facility, by a team of professionals whose job is making sure every horse is represented exactly as it is.

03

Papers held until funds clear

Registration certificates are held until payment clears, then sent straight to the breed association. You get clean title, every time.

You bid on the horse, not the marketing.

For sellers

Inquire on Consignment

This sale is selective, and that selectivity is why it sells. The rules are plain.

Solo Select customers get first priority on every sale slot

Who can consign

  • Sale priority always goes to Solo Select breeding customers.
  • Embryo, foal in utero, and foal consignments come only from customers who breed exclusively with Solo Select. No exceptions.
  • Aged-horse spots occasionally open to qualified outside consignors.

What consignors get

Your horse comes to the ranch for professional sale fitting. The Solo Select team shoots the photos and the video. Then your horse sells in front of the buyer reach of a platform with more than $100 million in cumulative horse sales.

Submit your horse for an upcoming sale

The signature category

Embryos and Foals in Utero

This is how proven genetics change hands before a foal is ever on the ground. Here is exactly how it works, in plain English.

The genetics behind these lots stand right here: see the stallions standing at Solo Select and the proven producing mares.

  1. You buy the foal, not the mare

    An embryo or foal in utero lot is the unborn foal. The recipient mare carrying it is on loan: she must come back after weaning, in good health and open, or the buyer owes a $6,000 recipient purchase fee.

  2. No live-foal guarantee

    Vitrified embryos and foals in utero sell without a live-foal guarantee. The risk is real, and it is priced into these lots. Bid accordingly.

  3. AQHA paperwork, handled

    The frozen-embryo permit transfers to the buyer, and embryo transfer foals are DNA parentage-verified before registration. The paperwork follows the foal.

Good to know

Common Questions

What is the Solo Select Sale?

The Solo Select Sale is the leading online auction for Western performance horses: cutting, working cow horses, barrel horses and roping horse prospects, plus embryos and foals in utero. It is run by Solo Select Horses of Gainesville, Texas, founded by Melanie Smith, with more than $100 million in cumulative horse sales.

How do I register to bid?

Register at bid.soloselecthorses.com with your contact information and a card on file, agree to the conditions of sale, and wait for approval. Buyer numbers are approved at Solo Select's discretion, and bidders must be 18 or older. An iOS and Android app is available, so you can register once and bid from anywhere.

When is the next Solo Select Sale?

The Solo Select Sale runs throughout the year. Named sales include the Labor Day Sale, the October Sale, and the Thanksgiving Sale. The current schedule and catalogs are posted at bid.soloselecthorses.com, and each sale is announced on this page as it opens.

Can someone outbid me at the last second?

No. Extended bidding means a bid placed in the final 3 minutes adds time to the clock, so every bidder gets a fair chance to respond. Lots close 2 minutes apart, and max bids are supported: set your ceiling and the system bids for you. Sniping does not work here.

Can I vet a horse before bidding?

Yes, and it is encouraged. Personal or veterinary inspection is welcome before the sale closes, at the buyer's expense, and a radiograph repository is open before the sale. Radiographs are not available after a horse sells. Every horse sells as is, where is, so complete your due diligence before you bid.

How and when do I pay?

Payment is due by Monday at 5 p.m. CST after the sale, and it goes only to the sale cashier. Payment to any other source is prohibited: that rule is your protection against wire fraud. Title and risk pass at the fall of the gavel, so insure your horse the moment you win.

When do I get my horse's papers?

Registration certificates are held until your payment clears, then sent directly to the breed association. Papers are never released on sale day. This protects every buyer and seller in the sale from fraud, and it means your transfer paperwork is already moving while your horse ships home.

How does buying an embryo or foal in utero work?

You buy the embryo or the unborn foal, not the mare. A recipient mare carrying a foal in utero is on loan and must be returned after weaning, in good health and open, or the buyer owes a $6,000 recipient purchase fee. There is no live-foal guarantee on vitrified embryos or foals in utero.

How do I get my horse home?

The buyer arranges and pays for transport, and risk in transit is the buyer's, so insure your horse at the fall of the gavel. Interstate hauls require a current Coggins and a health certificate. Line up your hauler early: sale weekends fill transport schedules fast.

Who can consign to the Solo Select Sale?

Sale priority always goes to Solo Select breeding customers. Embryo, foal in utero, and foal consignments are accepted only from customers who breed exclusively with Solo Select, with no exceptions. Aged-horse spots occasionally open to qualified outside consignors. Submit your horse through the consignment form on this page.
Founder Melanie Smith in a white hat with three horses at golden hour

Sale day starts here.

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