Ottawa, Ontario – The Equine Canada Breeds and Industry Division is pleased to announce the introduction of the Canadian Warmblood Online Foal Auction, to be held in the fall of 2005.

“This concept allows breeders the opportunity to market horses through one of our newest mediums: the internet. Creating a hybrid between the traditional auction format and an electronic bidding environment, is ground breaking,” said Barbara Daley, CWHBA Marketing Chair. “I’m very excited about the potential growth and expansion this offers for both domestic and export marketing of Canadian bred horses.”

The auction will provide potential buyers with direct and easy access to a geographically vast market place where they can assess, bid on and purchase registered Warmblood foals. The online auction format ensures secure and verifiable bidder registration, extremely fast updates, automatic bidder notification and proxy bidding. It is also able to handle a large amount of volume and activity.

“More and more, buyers and sellers are taking advantage of modern communication tools such as computers, internet and digital video. These tools make our world smaller, and give us the opportunity to connect with each other to a degree never experienced before,” said Karl Krammer, CWHBA member and volunteer. “Knowing this connection is facilitated by a reputable breed organization, nurtures a high level of trust and confidence for both buyers and sellers.”

Consignors and their entries will be from across Canada, whereas buyers may be from any location, globally. All viewing of the foals will be done online, although independent arrangements can be made directly with the consignor. Bidding is to be done in Canadian funds. All foals will remain at their home locations until transactions are complete.

For the first auction, consignments will be open to owners of registered Warmblood foals from any of the Canadian Warmblood breed registries. In the future, other formats will be explored as the amalgamation talks between other associations unfold.

“Taking on the risk and expense of producing a foal is a commitment that is not feasible to many horse sport participants. This program allows all horse owners the chance to participate in the dream of having their foal grow to become a champion, while by-passing the initial months of uncertainty,” said Chris Gould, Equine Canada Breeds and Industry Division Councilor. “Focusing on the foal's strength of pedigree, and reviewing optimal images to assess the foal’s conformation and movement, will enable buyers to improve their chances of reaching that dream significantly.”