In January of 1984 Steve Friskup stood on the auction block of his first professional horse sale in Shawnee, Oklahoma. In the 35 years since, he’s sold thousands of horses from numerous disciplines all across the United States. Throughout his life he’s been a cowboy, a calf roper and a team roper, but more importantly, an extreme horse enthusiast. He’s auctioned off everything from elite performances horses at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Sale on down, and for the last five years he’s dropped the hammer at The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio.
In addition to auctioneering, Friskup manages the horse sale in Clovis, New Mexico, where he produced one of the first team roping specific horse sales circa 1993 and still produces two jackpots and rope horse sales each year, in March and August. Most recently Friskup partnered with Mike Pedersen to acquire Premier Equine Auctions based in Lufkin, Texas. To say he’s experienced in the horse sale business is a gross understatement. But when asked what sets The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio apart, he had one word.
"Unique,” he said. “It’s pretty nuts really. That tent is so full of people. Everyone is crowded in there. You have Ferron Lucero announcing and doing music and the live screen going non-stop. It’s just different from anything else we do all year.”
Not only is the sale unique in atmosphere, Friskup says that these types of special events are what drives the industry forward. While six-figure sales have long been common among other equine disciplines, it is far from main stream in the rope horse world—yet.
“What’s been cool about Rancho Rio is a continued increase in the average median of the sale prices,” Friskup explained. “There’s not a Kelley Blue Book on these horses, but I think that’s what we’re doing at these sales.”
This year the top 10 horses at The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio averaged $47,300, a sharp increase over the top 10 average in 2018 of $29,250.
“Another thing about these special events is that those horses will naturally average quite a bit higher than what we see the rest of the year,” Friskup added. “Of course, there are different types and classes of events, but the higher we get the bar raised, the higher we set the bar for the specific industry.”
As host to thousands of team ropers throughout the winter months, Wickenburg, Arizona, is unique in its own right.
“One thing about Wickenburg and Rancho Rio is that it puts so many people from across the country in one place at one time,” he explained. “You have every social, economic and ability level congregated there for such a long period. I have always hoped that someday we would be able to get enough money for a rope horse to honor the athlete and the amount of time and effort it takes to make one. We’re finally seeing these rope horses achieve an honorable value and The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio has been a big part of that, and I’m just tickled to be a part of it. I’ve been blessed to have the best seat in the house.”
While the rope horse industry has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, it has plenty of ceiling room.
“Back in December I sold Tin Man, a 2-year-old by Metallic Cat, for half-amillion. Someone asked me about it, and if I thought he was worth that. I told him, ‘The son of a buck deserved to bring it. That kind comes around once in a lifetime. He deserved that kind of value.’ Here’s another way to look at it: you can buy the same truck at every dealership all day long for the same price, but this is a one-of-a-kind deal. If those people do right by him, you’ll hear his name for the rest of his life. At the end of the day, I’ve always figured a horse sale is about the horse.”
Friskup resides in Muleshoe, Texas with his wife Robin. They have two married daughters and three grandsons who are all learning to rope. In addition to his storied career as an auctioneer, Friskup leads the Muleshoe Fellowship (muleshoefellowship.org) that just launched its first livestream service in April.
