Eleven stock horses bred and trained by students at the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's (NSW DPIRD) Tocal College have fetched a total of $168,000 in winning bids at the annual Approved Australian Stock Horse (ASH) Sale held over 2 and 3 November 2025.
Now in its 17th year, the sale event showcased the strength of Tocal College's equine training program and dedication of its students, with the horses achieving an average price of $15,272.
The top priced gelding and horse of the sale, Tocal What's Up Doc, was sired by the college resident sire Peelvale Maestro and out of the dam Tocal Kharisma, and fetched $23,000.
The top priced mare, Tocal With Style, was sired by the highly performed sire in Times Up and out of the dam Tocal Miss Malibu, and attracted a final bid of $19,500.
The buyer interest was positive with online bids received from as far away as the Northern Territory, Tasmania, and Victoria, and the animals bound for new homes around New South Wales and north-east Queensland.
Stock Horse Breeding and Training Coordinator Simone Harvey said the results from the 7 geldings and 4 mares on offer reflected the quality of the institution's horse husbandry training and breeding program held at the Paterson campus near Maitland.
"These impressive auction prices are proof of Tocal College's quality equine training program and the dedication of its students," Ms Harvey said.
"We're proud of the contribution our students made to each horse up until the day of sale including welcoming them as newborn foals, weaning, breaking, training, and caring for them daily.
The horses were selected from Tocal's Stock Horse Foundation Training Program, which is renowned for producing animals with excellent temperament, conformation, and trainability.
"Our breeding program is based on breeding horses that suit our students first so temperament and trainability take precedence." she said.
Each horse offered for sale completed a comprehensive training program that gives students hands-on experience in horse care, handling, and riding under the supervision of horse course staff Luke Collard, Grace Lawrence, and Simone Harvey.
The event was the culmination of months of hard work and learning and provided students from the Certificate III in Horse Care course (ACM30821) with a real-world platform to demonstrate their skills.
"The annual sale is an invaluable learning experience with students learning skills they will carry into future careers in the agricultural or performance horse industries," Ms Harvey said.
Tocal College reinvests the money raised from the auction into the horse husbandry program which allows it to keep course fees affordable for students to access the training.
The college held its first stock horse sale in 2008, and 2025 was the fifth time the event was held as an online auction.
Visit the Tocal College website to browse the full sale results or learn more about the agricultural and land management training and courses on offer.
