A standout price for a donkey mare, exceptional demand for miniature horses and affordable Braunvieh cattle were among the highlights of the Eduan Braunvieh and miniature horse auction presented by Gawie and Willem Naudé of Buttermead, Rhodes, and guest vendors on 4 June.
By Johan Norval
The annual auction, held at the Be Human Centre north of Bloemfontein, commemorated the Naudé family’s involvement in Braunvieh breeding since 1936. It was also characterised by lively participation from buyers on the Meerkat platform, who competed vigorously in the miniature horse section throughout the auction. The horse section made a significant contribution to the turnover of more than R2 million.
This year, the donkeys topped the charts as the most sought-after miniatures at the auction. In 2025, miniature horses achieved the highest prices, while in 2024 a donkey from Magnificent Miniature Creations (MMC) of Chris and Marina van der Merwe was the top-priced miniature at R35 000.
Their donkey mare, MMC Emmy, achieved an exceptional price of R200 000, while the donkey stallion MMC Houdini sold for R150 000. Marina was stunned by the prices achieved. She says miniature donkey mares are rare and seldom come onto the market. MMC Emmy is seven months old and originates from Mediterranean donkey genetics, a breed naturally known for its small stature.
The buyer of the donkey mare was Thys Grobler of Bloemfontein. The donkey stallion was purchased by Yolandi Botha and Danie Velthuizen of Yodan Investments and Boran breeders from the Waterberg.
The Van der Merwes offered two donkeys and four miniature horses at the auction. Their lot 3, MMC BTR Sunrise Serenade, was the most expensive of the four horses. Tour operators Andries Hendrik Potgieter and Wiaan Fourie paid R50 000 for her. She stands 75 cm tall and carries the silver gene.
The most expensive miniature horse was the pregnant mare Chargo-Co Triggers Olive, which sold for R90 000. She was offered by Tokka van den Heever of Kakamas and his son, Charles. The buyer was Dubie de Bruyn of Stilbaai.
The most expensive miniature horse of 2025, the stallion Chargo-Co Triggers Badger, and Olive are both descendants of the Van den Heevers’ stallion Trigger. Van den Heever sold six horses at the auction at an average price of R50 000.
Miniature mares achieved an average price of R28 214, pregnant miniature mares averaged R62 250 and miniature stallions averaged R22 133.
The most expensive Braunvieh bull, lot 5 from Albert Roodt of Dordrecht, one of the guest sellers, was sold to Harry Scheepers of Vryburg for R60 000. The nine stud bulls achieved an average price of R38 333, while the two commercial bulls averaged R27 500.
Pregnant females achieved an average price of R17 727, open heifers averaged R12 180 and cows with calves at foot averaged R22 250, while a 3-in-1 cow sold for R26 000.
The auction was presented by Vleissentraal Port Elizabeth in collaboration with the Meerkat platform and André van Zyl served as auctioneer.
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