10/13/2026
A lot of people ask me what I recommend when buying a horse. And we have bought a lot of horses over the years.
When I buy a horse, I don’t try it first. I buy with discernment.
I buy knowing that whatever I haul home belongs to me—the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s part of the responsibility.
And honestly I’m almost always grateful I didn’t know everything beforehand. If I had known every flaw, every quirk, every challenge, I probably would’ve passed on some of the very best horses I’ve ever owned.
Stop looking for every reason to not buy the horse. You’re possibly talking yourself out of the best horse you’ll ever sit on.
Normalize working with your horse after you bring him home and seeing him flourish.
My philosophy is simple: never spend more than you’re willing to gamble with - regardless of where they come from.
I choose the horse with my heart, but I choose the next steps with my head.
I know that sounds backwards, but if I had followed the traditional horse-shopping checklist, many of the horses I’ve had here that went on to change people’s lives would’ve never come home with me in the first place.
These days, I hardly ask questions anymore.
I get quiet. I watch their eyes. I watch how they carry themselves. I watch how they handle pressure of auction or being in the pen. I watch how they move.
People tell stories. Horses usually tell the truth.
I don’t buy based on someone else’s opinion of who a horse is, or the story they tell about the horse. I buy the horse I feel led to buy, bring it home, and then I evaluate it for myself. I decide who that horse is—not what someone else said it was.
Discernment isn’t ignoring problems. Discernment is recognizing that not every problem is a deal breaker.
Sometimes the horse you love just needs a trainer.
Sometimes it needs better nutrition, proper supplements, good veterinary care, and time.
Sometimes it needs someone willing to see what it could become instead of only what it is today.
I’ve got a 25-year-old horse that looks and feels like he’s 12 because we invested in keeping him healthy instead of writing him off because of his age.
Horses are living, breathing creatures. They can be trained. They can be treated. They can be managed. They can surprise you.
So don’t only look for reasons to pass them up.
Look for the potential.
Pray for discernment.
Then trust God to guide your next step.
Sometimes the horse that doesn’t check every box ends up checking every box that really matters.
