July 2016

Colt Sale Celebrates Babbitt Ranches Community Amidstthecrowdofseveralhundred

spectatorswereJustin,Jessicaand

3-year-oldHudGreer.TheExeter,

CaliforniafamilykeptcowboyScott

Westlakebusykeepingtrackoftheirbids

intheAnnualColtSaleonSaturday,July

9.Attheendoftheday,theGreerswere

theevent’svolumebuyers,purchasing

eightcoltsforGreerLivestockandending

theauctioninalivelybiddingcompetition

forasorrelcoltat$15,500,aBabbitt

Ranchesrecord.Earlierintheday,they

purchasedthecolt’shalf-sister.

“Thesearegoodranchhorsesandthey

areraisedinprettyroughcountrysimilarto

whatwehave,"saidJustin.“Weusealot

ofhorsesandwe’veboughtalotofcattle

fromtheBabbitts.”

Overthewinter,theGreersshipped

600headofBabbittRanchesHereford

cattletotheirG&GRanchesoperationin

Californiaand600toColorado.

BrianKempofOntario,Canada

wasalsoanactiveparticipantinthe

crowd.“They’reallgood,”hesaidafter

successfullybiddingonfivehorses.Kemp

hasvisitedBabbittRanchessixtimes.He’s

attendedthreeColtSales,twoasabuyer.

“Itwasoutstanding,”saidauctioneer

RonBurnt.“Wehadareallyenthusiastic

crowd.Therewereanumberofrepeat

buyersandanumberofnewbuyers,just

alotofenergyfromeverybody.”

The2016AnnualColtSaleopenedwith

awarmwelcomefromBabbittRanches

PresidentandGeneralManagerBill

Cordasco.InmemoryofFonCordasco,

RanchMangerVictorHowellreada

passageaboutattitude,whichFon

sharedattheColtSaletwoyearsago.

“Iamconvincedthatlifeis10percent

whathappenstomeand90percenthow

Ireacttoit.Andsoitiswithyou.Weare

inchargeofourattitudes,”heread.

Inall,32coltsandfilliesweresoldat

SpiderWebCamp.BabbittRanchesbeef

barbecuesandwicheswereservedand

1-poundpackagesofCOBarpremium

groundbeefwereavailablethroughthe

BabbittBrothersFoundationLifeScapes

program,OpenHandsCountryBeef.

Donationstotaling$1,237wereraisedfor

VistaHospice(formerlyNorthernArizona

Hospice)inexchangeforthefrozenmeat.

Cowboy Essence TheAnnualColtSalebeganinthe

1990sasawaytobringtogetherthelarge

Babbittfamilyandcommunitythrough

atraditionalwesternranchexperience.

Hundredsofpeoplecometoseethe

coltsandfilliesascowboysonhorseback

bringtheminacrossthevastexpanseof

NorthernArizona.Serioushorsebuyers

travelfromallover,evenothercountries,

forBabbittRanchescolts.

“SomemaythinktheAnnualColtSale

isaboutbuyingandsellinghorses,but

theBabbittRanchesCommunityintention

ismuchbroaderthanthat.It’sabout

sharingandparticipating,andbeing

gratefulfortheday,thewideopenspaces,

theextendedcommunity,thegrass-fed

hormone-freepremiumbeefbarbecueand

theopportunitytogathertogether,”said

Cordasco.

Aboveall,theAnnualColtSaleisan

opportunitytodemonstrateandbemindful

ofCowboy Essence,headded,whichis

afoundingprincipleofTheConstitutionof

BabbittRanchesandisineveryone.

Hashknife Horses BabbittRancheshorsescarrythe

legendaryHashknifebrand.A“hash

knife”isakitchentoolusedformaking

beefhash.Ithasahalfcirclesteelblade,

attachedtoawoodenhandle,thatis

rockedbackandforthacrosscooked

beeftocreatehash.However,thebrand

signifiesmuchmore.Itoriginallybelonged

totheAztecLand&CattleCompany,

whichoperatedinNorthernArizonafrom

1884to1902.Itthenbecametheproperty

oftheBabbittfamily.

Withcarefulconsiderationofpedigree,

BabbittRancheshasdevelopeda

successfulAmericanQuarterHorse

breedingprogramlargelyfrom

descendantsoftheearlyHashknifehorses

andtheDriftwood(championrodeo

AmericanQuarterHorse)lineage.They

haveaworldwidereputationforbeing

solidall-aroundranchhorseswithcow

sensethatcanworkalldayandmaneuver

acrossrockyterrain.Withspeed,looks,

abilityandagooddisposition,thehorses

areoftenwinnersintherodeoarena–

fromlocalhighschoolcompetitionsto

worldchampionships.BabbittRanches

horsesaresaidtobetoughenoughfor

theworkingcowboy,yetgentleenoughfor

youngcowboysandcowgirls.

Cowboy Essence creates that peace of mind that comes from knowing our heritage and that we are at our best.

This buckskin colt went for $7,800 at the 2016 Annual Colt Sale. "When this colt looks at you, he's got intelligence written all over him," said Victor Howell, ranch manager.

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It was family fun and business for the Greers of California who purchased eight colts and fillies for their G & G Ranch.

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Four young cowboys practiced their roping. “I asked them if they could heel and they said, ‘Yeah, of course!’ So I asked them to heel me while I walked ahead of them. Two of them rose to the challenge, in sequence, and each heeled me first time, slick as a whistle! Very impressive!” said Dave Carlile of Flagstaff. “We wanted to say ‘Thanks!’ for a very enjoyable day and iconic experience,” added Jan Carlile. “It was our first time and we enjoyed it so much that we imagine we'll make it an annual event!”

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Horse Whisperer Trains Colts, Teaches 4-H MembersAmong the first human contact Babbitt

Ranches colts ever have is with trainer

JohnBalkenbushofMontana’sSunshine

Ranch. But this spring, the 1-year-olds

weregreetedby localBits 'nBridles4-H

Clubmembersaswell.

The girls, ages 9 to 16, watched as

Balkenbushused flagsanddesensitizing

techniquesonfourfoalstohelpthemget

comfortable with people so they can be

handled,shodandloadedintoatrailer.

“Heisarealhorsewhisperer,”saidKelly

Tulloss,whose threedaughtersattended

the training session at Spider Web

Camp. “Thesegirls areused to showing

and riding a completely trained horse. It

definitelygavethemasenseofhowwell-

trainedtheirhorseisandhowtheanimals

havetobuildtrust.”

The4-Hmembershavevaryinglevelsof

equestrian knowledge. Some were able

tohelpthetrainerandbrushthecolts.“It

wasveryniceofBabbittRanchestoallow

ustocomeoutandgainthisexperience.

Ihopewecandothisonayearlybasis,”

saidTulloss.

“I would definitely want to come back

nextyear!”said14-year-oldMaciTulloss.

“It was cool and weird to think that my

horsewasonceatthisstage!”

“It made me want to learn more about

colts and spend more time with them,”

addedher16-year-oldsister,Canon.

“Seeingthedifferentmethodsoftraining

made me wonder how my horse was

trainedandwhattechniquestheychoseto

usewithhim.”

4-H is an organization sponsored by

the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

established primarily to instruct young

people,originallyinruralareas,inmodern

farming methods and other useful skills,

suchascarpentryandhomeeconomics.

Cowboy Essence creates that peace of mind that comes from knowing our heritage and that we are at our best.

Flagstaff girls learn tips from Babbitt Ranches' horse trainer.

Through our efforts of learning and understanding, Babbitt Ranches, a family business and pioneering land company, raises livestock, manages natural resources, promotes science and participates in the broader community in order to join, share and do the very best we know how. babbittranches.com