Just interested to hear responses from horse folks with lots of knowledge and experience.  How do breeders decide which auction to sell their yearlings at?  Some breeders sell at Pink Buckle, BFA as well as Heritage Place.  lots of the horses are by the same stud.  

All of the big well known ranches did very well at the Pink Buckle sale. Small breeders didn't do well at all. I don't see how you can even break even if your horse sells for $3500 or even $8500. link to sale results. 

https://www.pinkbuckle.com/horse-sale/119/sale-results-by-hip

I agree. I'm glad I quit breeding. But after 25 years, I was ready. Yes I miss the baby's & my mom mares are healthy & happy & have forever home with us. The prices are unreal. I was that small breeder. It was hard even back in the 90's & early 2000 for me but I bred more for the love of horses and wanting to offer a well bred, handled prospect than to make a bunch of money. If you have the money to spend like the big breeders & have a good breeding program you'll be ok. We had the good breeding program, just not the money that many have. 

To help answer your question... breeders choose to sell their yearlings wherever it best fits them.  The pink buckle sale is typically closed to stallion owners but they can let other people consign horses in their spots, which is how you see some horses get consigned to the sale.  This year the ruby buckle sale opened up consignments to breeders and not just stallion owners. 

Usually it's a combination of - what the yearling is eligible to compete for, if there's any sale-graduate incentive, if you qualify to consign, how much the consignment fee and commission are, and how far away it is like if its justifiable to make the drive/spend the diesel to get there. 

When I consider consigning one I crunch all the numbers and estimate what they need to bring for me to break even at the price I want to get private treaty. It's always worked out for me to just sell privately as much as I would love to consign one.