Corsica Sale Barn gets a new direction

The Corsica Sale Barn has been a staple in the Midwestern equine industry for over a century, and now it’s getting revamped. This year, the historic South Dakota horse sale facility has changed management. Auctioneer Blake Thompson is taking the reins and ushering Corsica into a new era. A longtime friend of the owners, Thompson had received numerous offers to manage Corsica Horse Sale LLC before finally accepting this year and pivoting from his role with Fort Worth Horse Sales. He believes that his experience in the horse sale world will help return Corsica to its former status as one of the premier horse sale facilities in the Great Plains. “I work as an auctioneer for horse markets all over America, from Montana to Florida, and I have for 25 years,” he shared. A lot of his work has been concentrated in the upper Midwest, which he sees as an invaluable opportunity for Corsica and the equine industry in the region. “I think Corsica is a key piece to tie all of my customers in business together,” he said.

Since its establishment in 1907, the Corsica Sale Barn has been one of the few livestock sale facilities in the Midwest dedicated solely to equine sales. This unique status once made Corsica one of the premier horse sale facilities in the United States, but its popularity has faded over time. That’s where Thompson’s expertise comes in. “Corsica used to be a big, nationally-known market and came in really handy in the horse business 20, 30 years ago. It’s since lost some of its luster, but I really feel like we can bring it back to its original glory,” he shared. While the sale barn remains under the ownership of Pam and Kyle Petersen, Thompson’s takeover of the auction company has come with a rebrand. Their new motto (“Make Corsica Great Again”) shines through in Thompson’s ambitions for the organization. Going forward, he plans to host sales 10 months out of the year, February through November. The second weekend of every month, Corsica will hold a catalogue sale on Saturday and an “Open & Loose” sale on Sunday.

The catalogue auction will feature horses also advertised online and accessible to buyers worldwide. This sale will be capped at 200 horses, and consignments must be in by the last day of the month prior to the sale. Thompson said that the earlier sellers consign their animals, the better. “If consignors get those things consigned early and get us nice quality pictures and videos, we can market those horses worldwide.” Their first catalogue sale of the year this March boasted 163 horses, a turnout he was more than satisfied with to kick off the new era. He attributes a lot of this success to the Corsica marketing crew. “I feel like we have the best online marketing team in the world,” Thompson said, explaining that through their network of people, they’ve sold to buyers all over the country.

When it comes to buying horses, Corsica offers a unique setup for their catalogue sale. “We offer a full preview on Friday where you can see those horses ride, rope, cut whatever they do,” he said. Buyers even have the opportunity to ride the horses during the Friday preview and prior to the sale on Saturday. Both previews are also livestreamed on Facebook for buyers that can’t be there in person. “If you’re not able to come, you can at least watch horses ride two different times before seeing them in the auction,” said Thompson. He believes that this gives buyers a fairer opportunity to get to know the animals they’ll be spending their money on.

The open sale on Sunday is a little different. Thompson described it as a “free-for-all, old-fashioned horse sale”. There are no previews of the horses for sale at this one, and there won’t be any advertising. On the flip side, there is no deadline by which consignors must bring their horses. “If you just want to bring them and let the chips fall where they may, well, do that on Sunday,” Thompson said. The March Open & Loose Sale brought 115 horses to Corsica last month in the midst of a blizzard. Thompson was pleased by the turnout despite the weather, and predicts that the open sale will get even larger in the upcoming months. “There’s a need for both sales. Even though they’re at the same location, Saturday and Sunday are two totally different sales.”

Not only are the two sales vastly different, they also boast a vast array of equids. From Quarter Horses to Gypsy ponies to the occasional mule, buyers can find horses of every shape, size, and discipline. Whether they’re searching for cutting horses, reigners, racehorses, or ranch horses, buyers can find a horse to fit any need. These horses come from all over the country. In the March sale, Thompson and the crew received consignments from Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and North and South Dakota. Thompson believes that this diversity of seller locations is one of the greatest benefits of the sale barn’s location in Douglas County. “That’s the really cool thing about Corsica. It’s very centrally located, as of horse America. 12 hours or less from everywhere- you can drive there in a day,” he shared.

Buyers, too, come from everywhere, especially thanks to the online aspect of the sale. Because of this, the Corsica Sale Barn offers a unique service for customers. If buying online, the horse can remain in Corsica and be cared for until the buyer can arrange shipment. Thompson explained that most sale barns are unable to offer this, since they typically host sales of other species and are constantly hosting events. Since the Corsica Sale Barn is for horses alone, there’s no rush to get the horses out immediately after the sale. This opens up the sale for buyers from all parts of the country. Additionally, Corsica also has a veterinarian staff on-site to monitor the horses, pull Coggins, and perform vet checks at the buyer’s expense.

The Corsica Sale Barn has some unique features that have made it a standout horse sale in years past, and Thompson and the crew are excited to be part of the process of returning it to its former glory. They believe that the future of this business will play a large role in shaping the face of the equine industry in the region. Since Corsica is the only major horse market in that part of the country, Thompson hopes to turn Corsica into a base market for the national horse business. “I feel like it will be a cornerstone or pillar market for the equine industry,” he shared when discussing his goals for the business’s future. But whatever the future holds for Corsica Horse Sale LLC, it can’t get there without support from the equine community. “The horse market is better than it’s ever been in the history of the world,” said Thompson. “Right now’s a good time to bring your horses, and we’d love to have them at Corsica.”