WHEN VIEWING THE CATALOG, MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON THE LOT NUMBER TO VIEW MORE INFORMATION, PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF THAT PARTICULAR HORSE!
Billings Livestock Horse Sales is honored to promote the 73rd Raymond Sutton Ranch Production Offering through our TIMED ONLINE ONLY platform hosted by Northern Video Livestock September 12-18.
Our goal is horses with superior dispositions, intelligence, conformation, and ability. We strive to produce horses that excel in looks and can perform in a number of disciplines.
– Georga and Heather Sutton
The following was written and published by the AQHA Journal and updated by AQHA March 2018
Mention the name “Sutton” to anyone who has been in the horse industry any length of time, and that person will know you are talking about a hard-working family raising top-quality American Quarter Horses, Hereford cattle and Bison on their Raymond Sutton Ranch near Gettysburg, South Dakota.
“Our goal is horses with superior dispositions, intelligence, conformation and ability. We strive to produce horses that excel in conformation and can perform in a number of disciplines,” says Georga Sutton.
The Suttons have done that successfully for more than a century, first with draft horses, and in 1948 with three mares by the Old Sorrel-bred stallion Yellow Wasp. They have raised American Quarter Horses for more than six decades.
Raymond Jr. was born August 13, 1944, to Beulah and Raymond Sutton. Raymond Jr. and Georga Unser met at South Dakota State University. The couple married July 13, 1968.
The couple’s daughter, Dr. Heather Sutton, received her bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State and her veterinary doctorate from Iowa State University. Raymond took over management upon the death of his father in 1993, but died September 5, 2005, at age 61 fighting a wildfire on the ranch. Georga and Heather now run the ranch, where they carry on the family tradition.
In addition to AQHA, both were active in the South Dakota Quarter Horse Association, where Georga was the first female president. Raymond was an international judge and a national director from 1985 until his death, serving on the youth activities, and the stud book and registration committees. Elected an AQHA director in 2005 and made an honorary vice president in 2013, Georga has served on the international and Hall of Fame selection committees and is now on the stud book and registration committee.
“I believe the emphasis on Ranching Heritage Breeders has helped to refocus on the reason Quarter Horses were developed,” Georga says “They are good all-around horses, multitalented … a horse can be a working partner one day, an event horse another day and finally a relaxing companion, someone who ‘holds your heart.’ ”
Georga and Raymond Sutton were inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2018.
The following is from AQHA May 4, 2022 News and Publications
The first AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder Top Production Sale Award goes to a historic sale that has provided good horses to customers for 70 years. The Raymond Sutton Ranch Production Sale has been hosted in Gettysburg, South Dakota, since 1955, and in 2021 the family produced production sale is recognized for its outstanding sale. The Top Production Sale Award honors those who have produced quality horses and recognizes their hard work and dedication to promoting the breed.
The Suttons’ ranch was founded in 1883 when Edwin Sutton and his family settled in the middle of South Dakota. In the late 1940s, the family beginning breeding registered American Quarter Horses, and their first sale was held in the fall of 1951. Raymond Jr. took over the reins of his family’s ranch with the help of his wife, Georga. Together, they were inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2018. The late Raymond Jr. was also recognized as a 2021 AQHA Legacy Breeder for breeding Quarter Horses for 50 consecutive years. Since Raymond’s passing in 2005, Georga and their daughter, Dr. Heather Sutton, continue to run the ranch, which is known for its American Quarter Horses, Hereford cattle and American bison.
“The Raymond Sutton Ranch Sale has a proud history of offering great working American Quarter Horses,” said Karen McCuistion, AQHA senior director of members programs. “We are honored to be able to their recognize to quality and longevity.”
2023 Inaugural AQHA Wrangler Women of Influence
In 2023 Georga Sutton was inducted into the inaugural American Quarter Horse Association Wrangler Women of Influence, recognizing trailblazers of AQHA. “Georga Sutton has dedicated her life to the western lifestyle and American Quarter Horse arena. She truly embodies the spirit of a Wrangler Woman of Influence. A member of AQHA since 1968, Georga has an extraordinary list of accomplishments and accolades as a horsewoman, leader, breeder and competitor. Georga has always been a proud supporter of the AQHA Ranching Heritage Young Horse Development Program, is an inductee to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, serves as an AQHA honorary vice president and director, and was named the first woman president of the South Dakota Quarter Horse Association, in addition to her service on numerous AQHA committees. She actively runs the Raymond Sutton Ranch, home to the oldest production sale in the world.”
