An Amish-raised Belgian stallion sold for a world record price of $112,500 US at a recent draft horse sale in Giffordville, Illinois.
The two year old was sold at auction at the Mid-America Draft Horse Sale, which drew consignors from across North America, said Bruce Roy, publisher of Feather and Fetlock, a draft horse magazine.
About 8,000 people attended the sale.
“They’re going to draw semen on the stallion and sell it for $1,250 per vial,” said Roy, who attended the Feb. 19-21 event.
The previous record for a Belgian stallion was $47,500 set in 1917.
Named grand champion Belgian at the Toronto Royal Winter Fair, the sorrel horse was consigned by Amish farmers William Helmuth and Allan Detweiller of Iowa and sold to another Amish farm run by James Raber and Orla Yoder of Indiana.
A total of 480 registered Belgians and Percherons sold, with about 70 percent of the animals bought by Amish farmers who still use horses on their operations.
Twenty-eight horses sold for more than $10,000 while the rest averaged around $4,000.
