Annual Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City

Imagine if you were to go to a cattle auction, and before you plunked down a couple grand for a cow, you wanted to see how the hamburger tasted. That’s kind of the idea at Miles City’s famous Bucking Horse Sale.

Held the third weekend in May each year, the Bucking Horse Sale is kind of a Bronc—a-palooza for the Stetson set. Rodeo stock contractors come from all over North America to see bucking broncos in action, so they can pick the best of the bunch to appear in rodeos and exhibitions all over the world.

But the Bucking Horse Sale is so much more than a simple “try before you buy” auction. The population of Miles City swells to more than double its size over the weekend, as rodeo fans, horse racing enthusiasts, and weekend cowpokes of all types gather for the festival that helps usher in the Montana summer season.

There are art shows, horse racing (both pari-mutuel and the wild variety), live bands, barbecues and street dances, and all kinds of cultural events to keep folk entertained all weekend long. Cowboy hats are not required, but pardner, it sure wouldn’t hurt.

I reckon if you want the lowdown on the Bucking Horse Sale, you can drift on over to their Web site: www.buckinghorsesale.com.