By Barbara Turner
Whatever you do, do not miss this year’s Gallop Stallion Service Auction, presented by Rhodes River Ranch and held at Northern Quest Resort & Casino on Sunday, January 29th. Doors open at 11 am, and the event will begin at Noon PST. This gives our National and International bidders plenty of time to call in their bids! All stallions & auction items will be played on two thirty-foot screens inside the Pavilion at Northern Quest. The Auction will live stream on Gallop’s website, www.GallopAuction.com, where bidders can call in bids on a (toll-free) number reaching an operator or new for this year; you can fill out the online preregister form, which will enable you to bid live online or from your cell phone, and lastly, you can bid by attending.
Gallop would like to congratulate their top high-selling services from the 2022 Auction. The highest-selling service (for his third time) was leading sire, VS Code Red. His service topped the auction at $3,600, purchased by Cameron Breese of Whitesboro, Texas. New to the Gallop line-up helping RMHC families, the Second Highest Selling Service was a highly sought-after sire in the industry, Hay Goodlookn, purchased for $3,100 by Dustin Bergstrom of Olney, Illinois. Gallop’s third highest-selling service (again in the top four highest-selling services, in his second year of participation, Metallic Malice. Connie Ribbeck of Newman Lake, Wash-ington, purchased his service for $2,950. The Fourth Highest-Selling Service was No Doubt Im Lazy. Always a top seller of Gallop services, his service sold for $2,800, purchased by Barb Miller of Louden, Tennessee.
Gallop would also like to thank all the owners of the 2022 lineup. Their support and dedication to Gallop’s mission have helped the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest continue to help families in crisis who have traveled to be near their child in a hospital and need a place to stay. Gallop thanks all the breeders who have participated in bidding on their fine stallions!
This is your opportunity to help a family in need! Be sure to attend one of the Nation’s most successful fundraising events, whether on your cell phone, in person, or online! Gallop is rated one of the top Equine Auctions (and mission) to purchase Stallion Services in the country! The Stallion lineup gets better yearly, and new stallion owners join the ranks! This year Gallop has stallions from Washington, Texas, California, Oklahoma, Illinois, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, and Idaho.
Stallion breeding fees range from $500 to $5,000 per service. “We like to keep a pocketbook range, so everyone has a chance to be a part of the Gallop event and help our mission, as well as to raise the bar of their breeding program,” explained Gallop Event Coordinator Barbara Turner.
This year’s event offers (46) Services, of which (33) are World Champion stallions and many multiple World Champions! Numerous others are Reserve World, Congress, NCHA, NRCHA, NSBA, and NRHA Champions. Many will recognize the Stallion names, as they are leading sires of their breed and have produced multiple World and Reserve World Champion offspring.
You can purchase services from the world’s finest Halter, Western Pleasure, Hunt Seat, Working Cow, Cutting, and Reining stallions! The 2023 stallion lineup is complete, and the website is updated daily with additional non-service auction items. This is a great time to do your homework on transported semen costs, mare care facilities, and breeding procedures for stallions and ranches that interest you. It also allows you to research the stallions.
If you are considering transporting semen, research the process and contact the stallion owner to confirm costs and what their “Live Foal Guarantee” consists of. Those costs will be between the successful bidder and the stallion owners or breeding farms. Visit the Gallop website for more information, www.GallopAuction.com.
You need not be present to bid on the services. Pre-bidding is currently being taken, or you can bid on the day of the Auction in the Pavilion by calling Gallop’s toll-free number and speaking to an operator starting at 11 am (PST). For those who would like to bid online or from your cell phone, bids can be taken after you pre-register online at any time. Watch the event stream live at www.GallopAuction.com and have your credit card ready! If toll-free calling in, make sure to call one or two services before the one you are interested in.
Are you not going to be near a computer? Are you on the road, working, or hauling home from a horse show? Do not worry; contact Barb Turner, and arrangements for your bid before services hit the auction block can be taken!
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Gallop event! Coordinator Barbara Turner is often asked about this successful event’s history.
It was 1983 when “The Symphony Gallop” was born. It became one of the most successful Equine Events while raising money for the Symphony. Named after its creators, The Spokane Symphony Orchestra, the Gallop consisted of ten events over three weeks. The events included a Benefit Trail Ride; Endurance Ride; Western Dinner & Dance; Gala Party & Polo Match; Cabaret Pops Concert & Barbecue; Bluegrass Brass & Horse Parade downtown; Governor’s Luncheon; Equine Seminar; a night at the races; and a Stallion Services Auction. Playfair Racecourse and the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds became the logical site to weave music, horses, fun, and fundraising together. At the first annual Gallop event, Washington’s Governor; John Spellman; was Gallop’s first Honorary Chairman; Symphony President-Elect; Mr. B.M. (Kop) Kopczynski was the Gallop Chairman and creator; Doc Severinsen appeared in Gallop’s first Cabaret Pops Concert held at the Playfair Racetrack. Looking back, it was in the late 80’s that ‘Horse Previews Magazine’ welcomed the event openly and became Gallop’s inclusive publication. From that time to now, committee members of (30-39) years are still active on Gallop’s committee. By 1985, the Gallop had become one of the major events in the Spokane community. By 1987, Gallop had grown and expanded from an Inland Northwest to a West Coast event.
In 1988, tragedy fell upon Gallop Coordinator Barbara Turner and the event. Barbara lost a Gallop committee member, but more importantly, a close friend to cancer. Due to a special request from her friend, she turned a tragedy into a newfound gift. “During her battle with cancer, she asked, ‘If only we could find a way for the Gallop event to benefit the terminally ill, like herself,’ Barbara remembers. She felt a strong responsibility to honor her request. It gave her the resolve to fulfill her wish, and as a result, she began to look into programs for the terminally ill or life-threatening illness.”
During Barbara’s search, she met Karen Kurowski, the founder of the Wishing Star Foundation. Wishing Star was a non-profit organization serving the state of Idaho and Eastern Washington, created to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. Wishing Star offered the perfect opportunity for her to carry out her friend’s desire. What better way to ensure such dreams are fulfilled and involve the horse industry? With good wishes from the Symphony, Barbara began her new journey.
In 1989, what had been known previously as the “Symphony Gallop” took on a new beneficiary, home, and title as “Wishing Star Gallop.” The ten events were reevaluated, and it was decided to narrow it down to just one event, the Gallop Stallion Services Auction. The decision proved to be wise. Gallop remained Wishing Stars Number #1 fundraising event for the sixteen years it was with them.
In 2000, Rhodes River Ranch joined the forces of compassion in helping children in need. They became Gallop’s Titled Sponsor. Rhodes River Ranch is located at the foothills of the Cascades, just an hour and a half north of SeaTac in beautiful Arlington, Washington. The Ranch is dedicated to breeding, raising, and training future World Champion performance horses and providing top-quality service to their clients.
They also offer some of the finest performance prospects with bloodlines such as Peptoboonsmal, High Brow Cat, Smart Chic Olena, Dual Rey, Gunner, Smart Little Lena, Topsail Whiz, CD Olena, Soula Jule Star, Nic It In The Bud, Starlights Joy, Shine By The Bay, TR Dual Rey, CD Lights, Shine Like Hail, Magnum Chic Dream, and their top AQHA Two-Million dollar sire, World Champion Reining stallion, Whizkey N Diamonds. They welcome visitors to tour their site and contact them for more information regarding a service, one of their stallions, sales, or to visit! To learn more about the Ranch, go to www.RhodesRiverRanch.com. The Gallop Charity Auction is indebted to Jean Rhodes for presenting the Gallop Event all these years and all other sponsors for making the Gallop Auction possible.
In 2005, the Gallop grew from a West Coast Event to an International Event. Gallop was one of the first in the equine industry to add live-streaming Internet bidding, with successful bids being placed worldwide. Great stallion owners throughout the US continued to join the ranks, including celebrities like owner/actor Patrick Swayze whose stallion was the #3 Leading Arabian Sire in the world, or Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw’s, Leading Sires and multiple World Champions. The event accomplished a new success, with phone operators taking bids and live bids received from the floor.
The Gallop Stallion Services Auction took on yet another change for its 2006 event by changing its beneficiary to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest. The Ronald McDonald House, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, recognizes that when a child is ill or injured, there is nothing more comforting to that child than the presence of their family. Like the Gallop’s past beneficiaries, they are not supported by any “corporate” entity, with most of their funds coming in through private donations and fundraisers.
So, it came to be that the Gallop Stallion Services Auction joined the efforts of providing temporary housing and other services to families seeking medical care for their critically ill or injured children for what is now going on its (18th) year. Gallop and long-time presenter: Rhodes River Ranch looks forward to celebrating the event’s Fortieth Anniversary on Sunday, January 29, 2023.
Another signature to this event that’s as outstanding as the breeding services are the nonservice packages! These packages are auctioned in-between breeding services and are a chance for anyone to get involved, not just those in the equine industry! Gallop will post non-service auction items on the website up to the day of the event, so check the website frequently!
Some donated non-service items include a one-night, two-day all-inclusive Dude Ranch vacation at K-Diamond-K Guest Ranch in Republic, Washington. Professionally framed artwork donated by the Picture Peddler; a Hells Canyon Wild River Jet Boat tour for two presented from Killgore Adventures; a weekend getaway package at Northern Quest Resort & Casino including a one-night stay, dinner at their five-star restaurant, and a companion massage at their spa.
What are your plans for a vacation this year? How about a New Orleans Jazz & Dining Getaway? It Includes a Steamboat Jazz Dinner Cruise, dining experience at Dickie Brennan & Co. Restaurants, a Three-night stay in a standard guest room at the Renaissance New Orleans Arts or Pere Marquette Hotel, and round-trip coach class airfare for (2) from within the (48) contiguous U.S. to New Orleans, LA.
Maybe it’s a vibrant Vienna vacation for you. This package includes a three-night stay at the Imperial Riding School Renaissance Vienna Hotel with breakfast and two tickets to a performance of world-famous Lipizzaner horses, Europe’s oldest domesticated breed of horses, accompanied by classical Viennese music. Dinner and wine tasting for two, limousine transfers to and from the airport, and 24-hour assistance/emergency service during travel dates.
Back by popular demand, you will have the opportunity to bid on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Enjoy an Ocean View stateroom for two for a (4) or (5) night cruise to the Bahamas or the Caribbean, available year-round! The ocean-view stateroom includes two twin beds, converted to a queen vanity area, a private bathroom, and a picture window or porthole.
If you want a lifetime, unique vacation experience, we have it! The Resort at Paws Up is a crossroads of incomparable luxury and unspoiled wilderness. Paws Up is a luxury Montana mountain resort situated on a sprawling, 37,000-acre, authentic working cattle ranch in western Montana. Whether you choose an expansive private home or a sophisticated, safari-style luxury tent, Paws Up provides an unfiltered connection with Montana’s natural beauty amidst a landscape of impeccable rustic elegance and comfort. There, you’ll live day to day, adventure to adventure. Spend an hour or day on horseback, all in a wilderness sanctuary you’ll never forget. Cast a fly in sparkling waters to eager trout, explore the land Lewis & Clark swooned over or lose yourself in a world-class spa. You’ll sleep on a sumptuous bed, eat world-class cuisine and receive impassioned personalized service. It’s home to first-class adventure on a grand scale.
The Resort at Paws Up is truly The Last Best Place. You’ll be bidding on a 5-star rated Resort. A package that retails for $5,500 booked directly with the resort! The certificate will be for two adults and includes lodging taxes and resort fees. Two guests will have a three-day, two-night complimentary stay in an exquisitely appointed Meadow Home. All-inclusive, daily meal plans for two guests for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The certificate includes property transportation during your visit and one complimentary half-day activity for two guests. To learn more about The Paws Up Resort, rated one of the top-three best Resorts in the nation, go to: www.pawsup.com.
Are your plans to transport semen to your mare this breeding season? Is your veterinarian hospital accomplished in the reproduction knowledge of transported cooled and frozen semen? At McKinlay & Peters Equine Hospital, Dr. Jed McKinlay takes pride in leading their Reproduction Center. Their business was built around reproduction, and Dr. McKinlay’s specialty remains a mainstay of their practice. The Reproduction Centre is in Colbert, Washington, and is state of the art for breeding stallions, mare coverage, and foaling out offspring. Dr. McKinlay offers exceptional quality reproductive services. McKinlay & Peters Equine Hospital utilizes the most up-to-date techniques in caring for mares with fertility issues. Year after year, mare owners return to have their mares artificially inseminated with transported fresh cooled or frozen semen. Their reproduction center’s excellent results and professional care is second to none in the Northwest. They are a Select Breeders Services Affiliate Lab. This Affiliation holds them to the highest standards in semen preparation, handling, and storage in the industry. McKinlay & Peters has joined the ranks in their compassion for families who need to be with their children while receiving medical aid in a hospital.
They will offer a special breeding package in Gallop’s non-service auction items lineup. This breeding package will include (7) Days Mare Board; All Ultrasound Exam Fees; Insemination Fees; Uterine Culture Fees; Prostaglandins; Ovulation Induction Drugs; Caslicks if needed; and Pregnancy Diagnosis in (14) Days. Gallop is indebted to MPEH Reproduction Centre for their continued compassion and support!
Details on all these nonservice packages are on the Gallop website at www.GallopAuction.com. The excitement does not end here! There is always their Silent Auction too! Items on the tables will include Gift baskets, dining certificates, North 40 gift cards; horse blankets, tack, western clothes, western footwear, custom made Jewelry; multiple Valentine’s gifts, unique custom-made clocks, Pendleton bed sheets & blankets; South-Western Décor; Limited Edition Art and much, much more!
A highlight of this event is Gallop’s Opening Ceremony at Noon. Witness the stage come alive with entertainment that will astound you! You will not want to miss these talented recording artists at the kickoff event at Noon!
Gallop welcomes back actress, singer, and recording artist, Valerie Jeanne! Valerie is a powerhouse vocalist! She is a Nashville charting artist with her hit single, “Rainbow After The Storm,” written by Michelle McCammond, a successful songwriter who has written multiple songs over the years for Gallop. The song hit # 1 on The Christian Music Weekly Country Chart. Valerie Jeanne has single-handedly produced, directed, coordinated, and performed Gallop’s Opening Ceremony for the past twenty years! A crowd favorite, you will not want to miss her performance!
Back again for the Opening Ceremony comes well-noted singer, writer, drummer, and composer Jesse Quandt. Jesse has opened for award-winning artists and national touring acts. He always gives extraordinary, energy-packed live events; and never fails to deliver authentic entertainment. He recently released his new album, and a song from it will probably be heard!
New this year to the stage will be Bill Bozley, a popular member of The Rhythm Dawgs. Bill is a singer, and songwriter from the Inland Northwest, performing nearly 200 shows a year. Check out these performers on Gallop’s Facebook page, ‘Gallop Stallion Services Auction,’ or their website, www.GallopAuction.com.
Ronald McDonald House of the Inland Northwest provides temporary lodging, comfort, and support for families with children accessing medical services. They additionally support related efforts to improve children’s health. The Ronald McDonald House is much more than a room to stay in. When families are close to the hospital, this facilitates more time with their child and more frequent interaction with their clinical care team, which helps them better participate in the care decisions.
They are a shelter in the storm, providing over 9,500 nights of lodging each year. Over 60% of the families who stayed there had no idea they would need RMHC services until just (24) hours before arriving. Many arrive via helicopter or ambulance. Approximately 57% of families staying at the House are there with a premature infant or newborn with complications, those needing specialized oncology treatment for their children 13%, and 30% due to trauma or another illness. Families can stay at the Ronald McDonald House free of charge thanks to the generosity of events like Gallop supporters. The average length of stay is (26) days.
The 2023 Event will be dedicated in tribute to long-time Gallop friend, designer, and artist Tod Locke. “This past year, we said goodbye to a long-time supporter of the Gallop event, said Coordinator Barb Turner. He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early morning of January 28th from Covid-19. In the early 1990s, Tod agreed to be our Gallop Art Designer. A talented artist holding degrees in associated arts, professional design, and general studies in art. Over the years, from our Gallop Banners, Program Covers, and Big D Collector Blankets to our Gallop Logo, he raised the bar artistically for Gallop producing something new and exciting year after year. We will never forget his quick, humorous wit, making us laugh, his beautiful artwork, and his compassion for the children of Wishing Star, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the Gallop Event. We here at the Gallop will never forget his hard work, dedication, and passion for The Gallop Annual Charity Auction. He will live on in the hearts of all he crossed paths with.”
Since the start of the Gallop event, the Auction has raised $2,274,363.80, supporting three Charities. What began in 1983 as a Spokane regional equine event has grown today into a world-renowned and supported fundraiser! Barbara reflects upon the past and takes pride in the continued success of this forty-year-old event. “There aren’t many fundraisers that can survive so many years in successful fundraising, she shared. I believe its success and longevity are due to Gallop’s mission; sponsors; stallion services donors; and presenter. Yet Gallop’s backbone, to date, forty years later, is our Gallop committee. They are admired by thousands and envied by others for the successful record they have been able to achieve. They are extraordinary people devoted to the event’s mission and the success of Gallop. Putting all these supporters together as a team has been a winning combination. As I have said from the beginning – The Horse and the Child. They truly go together!”
You, too, can also be a part of the Ronald McDonald House Charities family and directly impact a child’s life. Remember that the money raised from the Gallop helps fight the separation, isolation, and loneliness RMHC families often feel as they travel for their child’s medical care.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest looks forward to seeing you all at the Gallop Stallion Service Auction on Sunday, January 29th, at Noon for a “Fun”-raising event. For more information about Gallop or the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest, please get in touch with Gallop Coordinator Barbara Turner at 509-990-4167.