Top yearlings and ridden horses headline CQ Performance Horse Sale and Campdraft

The CQ Performance Horse Sale has quickly established itself as one of Australia’s premier opportunities to secure top-tier performance horses.

Now in its second year, the event based out of Queensland’s Paradise Lagoons - Nine Mile location, is set to attract buyers and campdrafters from across the country, offering a selection of high-quality horses, held in conjunction with a full program campdraft.

At the heart of this success are Netty and Gary Wendt, the visionaries behind the event.

Netty and Gary Wendt with the 2023 Ray White Rural Gracemeare Open Campdraft Winner, Jason Lindley. Pic: Supplied

The Wendts, who own and operate Ray White Rural Gracemere, have long been immersed in the rural property and livestock industry. 

Their passion for horses and commitment to the local equestrian community inspired them to establish a sale that platforms the quality of horses in Central Queensland.

“We used to have a horse sale up here for years, called the Rockhampton Quarter Horse Sale. It was one of the biggest horse sales of its time in the country.

“We didn’t necessarily want to replace it, but we wanted to bring a high-quality horse sale back to this region,” Mr Wendt said.

“A lot of people asked us if we’d organise one since we had already started the dog sale, it took a little while to get off the ground, but CQ can certainly support a horse sale. We have a lot of great horse trainers and quality horses here.”

Beyond the horse sale, the Wendts are also the driving force behind the Ray White Livestock Rockhampton Dog Trial & Working Dog Sale, which saw a top-priced dog sell for $40,000 in 2024. This year’s dog sale is set to take place over April 24-27, 2025.

The 2025 CQ Performance Horse Sale will take place from March 6-9, offering buyers an exclusive chance to purchase high-performance horses.

The event will commence on Thursday with the first round of the open campdraft.

For the first time, the sale will include the CQ Invitational Gala Yearling Sale on Friday, featuring what has been described as "31 impeccably bred, registered led yearlings," – a type of sale rarely seen outside of the annual Magic Millions yearling sale series.

“We’ve introduced an invitational yearling sale where the yearlings must be bred from a mare that is an open age campdraft, cutting or challenge winner or who has produced an open age campdraft, cutting or challenge winner,” Mr Wendt said.

On Saturday, the CQ Ridden Performance Horse Sale will showcase 43 top-quality registered ridden horses.

Friday will also feature the ‘Rise Incentive Draft,’ open to five-year-old and under horses and the 'Resolute Incentive Draft, open to horses of all ages purchased from previous CQ Performance Horse Sales or Epic Horse Sales.

The Wendts have secured a strategic partnership with the renowned EPIC Horse Sale & Campdraft in Armidale, NSW, held in April 2025.

This collaboration has been described as the “bridge between Queensland and New South Wales, creating Australia’s most dynamic horse sale and campdraft circuit.”

The collaboration means those who purchase at CQ Performance Horse Sale can compete at the EPIC Incentive Campdraft and vice versa.