08/09/2026
๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐
To our incredible trainers, adopters, bidders, and supporters:
First, we want to address last night directly and transparently. We know many of you were disappointed and frustrated when the auction was postponed from 7:00 PM last night to 11:00 AM today. We completely understand your frustration, and we hear you.
This was a tough call to make - one that created unexpected hardships for trainers and bidders alike - and we want to share the "why" behind the decision.
This year marks a major milestone: ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ (starting as Mustang Mania and evolving into Branded Bonanza). But while weโve been doing this for a decade, this was our ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐.
If youโve been with us before, you know we go all out for our awards ceremony. We believe in recognizing every ounce of grit and dedication our trainers put in. We want everyone to go home with something - from the $500 incentive just for reaching competition, to age group buckles, to the oldest animal award. Recognizing and valuing our trainers takes time...especially when crediting ๐ต๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ in the arena.
As the awards ceremony ran much longer than expected, we realized that running a competitive bid event late into the night wouldn't honor the trainers who consigned their animals. Postponing until morning was a hard decision made to give trainers the best chance to maximize their investment, showcase their hard work in the light of day, and help each horse and b***o find the right home.
We had hoped the competitive bid event would slot seamlessly into our existing schedule, but clearly, we need to adapt - and if you know the Forever Branded team, you know we aren't afraid to pivot!
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ: We view this as a vital learning experience. Starting this coming week, our team will be hard at work revisiting our entire event schedule, taking in your feedback, and completely re-envisioning our flow to properly accommodate the competitive bid event moving forward.
We also want to extend a massive, heartfelt thank you to our partners at Longhorn Video Auction Group LLC. They took a huge chance coming all the way out here to support our inaugural competitive bid event, working tirelessly alongside us. We value their expertise immensely, will be incorporating their input into future event planning, and look forward to a long, successful partnership with their team in the years to come.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ดโค๏ธ
While growing pains happen, we cannot let a scheduling hiccup overshadow the incredible magic that happened here in Idaho this weekend.
Together, we pulled ๐ญ๐ต๐ด ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐.
That is ๐ญ๐ต๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ set up for a successful, long-term partnership. The trainers who stepped into the arena this weekend brought back animals that showcased mind-blowing talent, patience, and heart. Offering a platform for these trainers to showcase their horsemanship and give these wildlings a bright future - that is our mission.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Thank you for your grace, your patience, and your unwavering passion for these animals. Letโs finish this weekend strong, cheer on these amazing horses and b***os today, and celebrate 10 years of changing lives together! ๐โจ
๐ท: Lamberson Photography
