A. Lazy K Ranch, owned and operated by the Knapp family, has run cattle and horses in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains for 3 generations. Started as a cow outfit, Lazy K Ranch has become known for producing great horses. According to Mike Knapp, "Gathering cattle off of 45,000 thousand acres at elevations up to 6500 ft., takes a special kind of horse. He has to have a good mind, good legs and a big heart."

Q. How did Lazy K Ranch's Annual Pick A Colt Day Production Sale get started?

A. Unable to find a reliable source of quality horses for the stock operation, Sherry Knapp, the matriarch of Lazy K Ranch's horse program, purchased the ranch's first AQHA stallion and then searched the west coast for cow bred mares with good conformation to cross him on. Before long, word spread and friends and neighbors were asking if they could purchase horses right off the ranch. One thing lead to another and in 1982 Lazy K Ranch held its first annual Pick A Colt Day Production Sale.

Q. Is the Pick A Colt horse sale an auction?

A. No, it is not an auction. It is a first pick, first purchase situation, and everything is pre-priced.

Q. Why don't you just have an auction?

A. This unique sale is better than an auction because you don't have to sit around and wait for hours for a particular horse to come into the ring, and there will not be anyone outbidding you and raising the price. You know ahead of time exactly what the price will be.

Q. What is the procedure on Pick A Colt Day?

A. The ranch front gate is opened at 8:30 a.m. on Pick A Colt day. Upon arrival you sign in, receive a catalog and are given buyer's number. At 9:00 a.m. all riding horses will be previewed. At 10:00 a.m. Pick A Colt Sale will begin. Corral gates are opened and buyers are escorted to the corrals where the Pick A Colt sale will commence. All horses have a pre-set price which is listed in the catalog next to their description. Upon finding the horse you wish to purchase, show your buyer's number to the ranch person in a red shirt, who is standing near the catalog number of your horse. Let him or her know which horse you want. Sign a purchase agreement with your horse's catalog number on it. The Lazy K Ranch person will attach a sold sticker to the catalog number near your horse. When you are finished looking, return to the front desk with your purchase agreement, and pay for your horse.

Q. Can horses be purchased online?

A. At approximately 11:00 am, you will be able to purchase any horses that are still available. Please note that pre-registering is strongly recommended.

Q. When is Pick A Colt Day?

A. Pick A Colt Day takes place on the first Saturday in May.

Q. How many horses are generally offered at Lazy K Ranch's Pick A Colt Day ?

A. In the past few years we have averaged about 80 head.

Q. What are the ages of the horses offered?

A. A majority of the horses offered at Pick A Colt Day will be 6-7 months old and quite growthy. There may also be some younger foals in the sale that can stay on the mare until they are old enough to wean. In addition to the weanlings and yearlings, We occasionally have two year olds, started two year olds, started three year olds, brood mares, brood mares with foals and/or bred back, and older kids horses for sale.

Q. What is the price range for horses offered at your sale?

A. We guarantee to have 60 head priced between $575.00 to $975.00. Most of the remaining horses will average $200 to $300 more.

Q. How can the prices be so low?

A. When they are not raising a foal, every mare at the Lazy K has a job. Several mares are used for ranch work in the San Joaquin Valley and the High Sierras, herding and checking cattle. Some mares have a show career as reiners, cutters, and 4H horses while others are lesson and trail horses.
This not only allows us to sell our top quality yearlings at competitive prices but also gives the buyer confidence in knowing that Lazy K mares are sound, trainable and have a superior disposition; desirable traits that are naturally passed on to their foals.

Q. Are the horses registered?

A. All of the horses we raise are registered or are eligible to be named and registered by you.

Q. What are the breeds of horses offered?

A. AQHA-American Quarter Horses, APHA-American Paint Horses.

Q. What percentage are usually Paints?

A. Generally 40% of the weanlings in the sale are APHA with loud Paint markings.

Q. What types of Quarter Horses will be offered?

A. There will be some of the top working cow horse and halter horse lines available anywhere! Many have Doc O' Lena, Little Peppy, Shining Spark, Holywood Dunit or other well known horses on their papers.

Q. Are the horse registration papers available the day of the sale?

A. If you pay with cash, travelers checks or Visa/MC, the registration papers will be available the day of the sale. If you pay with personal check, we will hold registration papers two weeks until your check clears our bank.

Q. What are some of the colors available?

A. There is usually a little bit of everything. Browns, Blacks, Bays, Sorrels, Buckskins, Palominos, Blue Roans, Bay Roans, Red Roans and the occasional Grullo.

Q. What kind of mares are these colts and fillies out of?

A. Most of the mares are registered AQHA, with cow horse and pleasure horse lines. Because they work in the summer, you can be assured they are sound, with strong legs and good minds.

Q. How do you decide which mares and stallions should be bred together?

A. First, only our best mares make it into our breeding program. We start by looking at the traits of each mare and then cross her on the stallion that best compliments her. We consider qualities like disposition, breedablity, trainabilty and conformation (good legs & feet, good withers & back, small head, big eyes). Then we take a little luck, mix in some trial and error and season it with 30 years of experience.

Q. Can you send me a Sales Catalog?

A. An online catalog, including photos, will be available for your review by the end of April. Printed catalogs will be available after the gates open at 8:30 a.m. on sale day but if you wish to have a catalog that includes photos, we recommend you print out the online catalog and bring it with you.

Q. Can I see prices listed online?

A. The exact prices will be posted online on Friday, the day before Pick A Colt Day. Before then, horses can be sorted into two price categories ...horses priced less then $775, horses priced less then $975.

Q. After looking at the catalog how do I find the horse I want to pick?

A. After you've looked through the catalog, you will be escorted to the area where the horses are penned up. Each horse has a numbered sticker on its rump which corresponds to it's number in the Sales Catalog. Most of the horses are housed in small pens (two in each) and will be in numerical order.

Q. Can horses be previewed before Pick A Colt Day?

A. An online catalog, including photos, will be available for your review by the end of April. Please note that in order to keep it fair for the people who are traveling long distances to attend our sale, we do not allow any of the horses to be previewed in person or pre-picked. We do provide printed catalogs at the sale but if you wish to have a catalog with pictures we suggest that you print on off line.

Q. What forms of payments are accepted?

A. Cash, Personal Checks and Visa/MC. If you pay with a Personal Check, your foal's registration papers will be held until your Personal Check clears our bank.

Q. What kind of training do the yearlings receive before the sale?

A. In preparation for the sale, great care is taken to show each yearling how to greet their handler, lead, stand tied, pick up their feet and load into a trailer. Elements of a much larger training program Tom Dorrance helped us set up years ago. Even with this foundatin in place, like any young horses, one should always use good "horse sense" when working with them.

Q. Does a halter come with my horse?

A. No, most people bring halters with them, but you can purchase halters at the sale.

Q. Is there someone available to help me load my horse?

A. Yes, we will load your horse for you.

Q. What if I can not take my horse with me the day of the sale?

A. If at all possible, we suggest you take your horse home within a day of purchase so that it may get settled in. You may, however, leave your horse for 48 hours after purchase with no extra charge. If longer, board will be charged at the rate of $4.00 per day. This will include alfalfa hay and a grain supplement. After 30 days, form purchase, board charges will be renegotiated. Board charges do not apply to foals staying on mares.

Q. What should I feed my yearling?

A. First, your yearling needs constant access to cool, clean water. Second, in a feeder, keep high quality alfalfa at all times. Never feed on the dirt. Over the top of the hay, add a weanling ration with grain that has been rolled or pelletized that includes vitamins and minerals and is not too high in fat, preferably no more than 8%. We encourage you to feed these young horses well, but please do not misunderstand and feed too well. It is wise to feed a good balanced growth ration, but constant over feeding high protein supplements can cause growth problems. Getting your yearling hooked on grain as soon as possible will also be helpful if they get out of their pen and you need help catching them.

Q. What type of fencing should I use?

A. Until you can walk up and catch your yearling, keep them in a confined area with at least a 5ft high fence around the perimeter. Steel fencing works best but board fencing or non-climb wire fencing is also good. Make sure there are no sharp points sticking out or places for your yearlings legs, feet or head to get caught. Barbed wire is very dangerous and should never be used to confine a young horse. Your yearling will be more comfortable if they can see other horses nearby or better yet, touch noses through the fence. Until they are accustomed with one another, do not put your yearling directly in with an older horse.

Q. What vaccinations should I give my yearling?

A. You should give a combination, intramuscular (in the muscle) vaccination, which contains West Nile, Sleeping Sickness and Tetanus. We also recommend a Rhinopneumonitis (Rhino) immunization. Just like puppy shots, these vaccinations are given in a series. Using sterile techniques, and proper placement, the shots are easy to give and can be purchased from your vet or a feed store. For Streptococcus Equi, (strangles) there is an intranasal (in the nose, no needles required) immunization which is very easy to give however some vets still prefer the intramuscular strep vaccine. There is also a Flu vaccine which is also an intranasal immunization.
While pregnant, we vaccinate our mares for WN. Enceph. EWV, Tetanus & Strep, so there is a passive immunity transfer to each foal. There have been some studies saying that immunizations should be delayed until the foal is 8 mouths of age. Many vets, however, still say immunizations should be given earlier then 8 months of age, especially if they are exposed to new horses.

Q. When should I worm my yearling?

A. First, understand the young horses are very susceptible to damage caused by internal parasites, so be diligent. Once settled in, we recommend worming with a paste wormer indicated for weanlings and yearlings which can be purchased from a feed store or your vet. We worm all the fall foal in January with Ivermection and again in late March with Pyrantel Pamoate so you should consider worming again in late May.

Q. When should I start tying my yearling?

A. If not done correctly, tying a young horse can be a dangerous and traumatic experience for all involved. Your yearling has already been shown how to tie using a specially designed high line but may still protest the next time they are tied. Before tying your yearling at home, be sure they lead well, know how to give to pressure and are comfortable with their soundings. Tying a stable mate nearby helps keep them calm and a little grain in a rubber bucket will make your tie spot a happy place. Be aware that when tying your yearling hard and fast to solid object there is a possibility they may flip over, hitting their head and causing serious injury. On the other hand, tying your yearling to a flimsy object that can break away easily lays the ground work for a horse that sets back. Choose your tie spot very carefully!

Q. What about trimming my yearlings feet?

A. Your yearling has been trimmed but may protest when you pick their feet up at home. If you have the necessary skills to trim your yearlings feet, please be patient. Standing on three legs takes some getting used to. Proper hoof care is always important, but it is especially important in the case of a young horse, so be sure to enlist the help of a qualified farrier if you need assistance.

Q. When should colts be castrated?

A. Most vets prefer to castrate at about one year of age. We strongly recommend that you geld your colts sooner rather then later. It is so much easier on the horse and geldings are much more docile, safer, and easier to control.

Q. What about training my yearling?

A. Have you ever heard the saying, You only get one chance to make a first impression? Well, the same is true with your yearling. Do your very best to make each lesson with your yearling a success. If you run into trouble or are uneasy about teaching a particular skill, get someone knowledgeable with and a calm disposition to help you. When your yearling senses a lack of patience and confidence from you, they stop thinking and start reacting because they are nervous about what might happen to them. You must have a clear mind and time to wait if you wish to be successful in accomplishing your training with a willing equine partner.