Hopeless Buckaroo

05/01/2026

🙌🏻

C**T STARTER SALARY BREAKDOWN

Let’s actually break down what the average c**t starter makes, risks, and deals with.
$1,000.00 ÷ 30 Days = $33.33 per Day
Now let’s break that down further...

That $33.33 isn't just the time spent riding or training on the ground. It includes:
• Catching, handling, grooming
• Tacking up & untacking
• Training (Mental & Physical)
• Warming up, cooling down, care before & after
• Taking time to monitor soundness, behavior, & progress

And that’s BEFORE we talk about what they don’t get paid for:
• Tack (that constantly wears out)
• Shavings & bedding ($7.00 a bag)
• Barn maintenance & cleaning
• Fly spray, shampoo, daily care supplies
• Power bills, facility costs, rent, etc.
• Fence/Stall repairs, broken boards, bent gates, broken buckets, wear and tear
• Feed store runs, vet & farrier schedules

Now let’s go a step further…

Some trainers include feed & hay in with the $1,000. for 30 days
That can easily take $400. out of the $1,000.
Now you’re looking at --> $600. for 30 days = $20. per day... NOT per ride --> EACH DAY

And we STILL haven’t factored in:
• Cleaning stalls
• Daily feeding
• Hauling & errands
• Time it takes to do repairs
• Book work, billing, scheduling, etc
• Time spent thinking through your horse’s progress and figuring out what's best for each horse.

Now the BIGGEST one... The RISK involved:

• Young, immature, unpredictable horses
• Getting hurt = No paycheck, no way to pay the bills or provide for the family
• Not being told the full story on a horse
• Reputation damage from unrealistic expectations & not being able to make certain clients happy no matter how truthful or hard you try for them and their horse.

And yet... we wonder why it’s so hard to find a good c**t starter?

The truth is... most of the good ones aren’t out there because it's a job where they’re underpaid, under appreciated, over stressed, and over worked.

Yes, for the really good c**t starters who's still out there taking in outside horses... it is a passion for them, but the reality is... they have to survive and be able to use their body to make a living.

So when you’re price shopping… You’re not just paying for 30 days. You’re paying for:
• Year's of experience
• Knowledgeable feel, timing, and balance
• The understanding of listening to each individual horse & working with each one as needed.
• Safety for you & your horse
• A foundation that can add YEARS to your horse’s future & save you lots of time, stress, heartbreak, and money

Cheap training doesn’t stay cheap. It usually shows up later… In retraining, soundness, or a horse that never reaches its potential.

I’m not sharing this to complain. I love my job, and I love the amazing people who step forward and give me the opportunity to work with them and their horse. This is my passion!

I'm sharing this because this industry doesn’t talk about it enough. If we want better horses, better trainers, and a stronger industry…

We have to start valuing what actually goes into it. At the end of the day, we’re all here for one reason... THE HORSE.

Post credit & copied from: Jeremy Anglin

03/31/2026

Getting ready to post a sale ad, but I got to know first. What catches your attention when you are looking for a new horse? Is it just a clean simple picture of the horse, maybe the horse is saddled? Or do you prefer a picture with a rider in it? What draws you into the ad?

03/21/2026

This.🙌🏻
It takes time.

“Want a Broke Horse? Give It Time.”

You don’t get a solid, reliable horse in 30 days.

You just don’t.

When people ask to cut a program short because they don’t want their horse gone that long or to spend that much, what they’re really asking is to rush a process that shouldn’t be rushed. And that’s how you end up right back at square one — or worse.

In our program, 60 days is the minimum. Not because it sounds good, not because it pads a bill — but because that’s about the point where things are finally starting to come together in a way we can stand behind.

Even then?
Most horses would benefit from more time.

This industry has a funny way of undervaluing the people doing the hard work. C**t starting isn’t just “hopping on and riding around.” It’s long days, consistent handling, and taking on real risk so your horse can leave here safer and more prepared than when it showed up.

And yet, one of the most common pushbacks is price.

Next time you send a horse for training consider:
You’re not just paying for rides.
You’re paying for experience, for consistency, for care, for communication — and for someone willing to take on the risk that comes with developing your horse.

If that feels expensive, that’s okay. But that doesn’t make it overpriced.

It just means it might not be the right fit for you — and that’s fine too.

But asking for less time, less money, and expecting the same result?
That’s not how this works.

If you want a horse you can confidently take home and enjoy, trust the process, respect the program, and give it the time it actually needs.

Good horses aren’t rushed, discounted, or shortcut.

They’re built — with time, consistency, and experience

So if you want something you can trust when you swing a leg over?

Give it the time… or be ready to deal with what happens when you don’t.

03/18/2026

Warm weather, calves being born, brandings are coming soon. What does your branding rig look like?

03/15/2026

A great read.

Marketing So They Sell – Part 3: Price (and why your horse isn’t selling)

One of the biggest reasons horses sit on the market?

Price.

And most people don’t realize just how volatile and time-sensitive the horse market actually is.

There is a very small window where each horse fits perfectly into the market. Miss that window — even slightly — and the value can drop fast.

Let’s break it down.

Weanlings

Most people price weanlings around three times the stud fee.

Then you adjust based on the mare:
• Proven money earner or producer? Add value.
• Nominated to programs? Add the nomination cost.
• Halter broke, handled, basic groundwork? Add value.

Some people sell weanlings that aren’t even halter broke — they just load them and go. Obviously those are priced differently than a weanling that’s been handled properly.

All of those factors matter.

Yearlings

Here’s where things start getting tricky.

If your weanling wasn’t nominated and you’re now selling it as a yearling, you’ve already created a problem.

Why?

Because nominations double in price once they become yearlings.

That means an un-nominated yearling instantly becomes less attractive than a nominated one — especially for buyers looking for futurity prospects.

Now your market is already smaller.

Two-Year-Olds

If you still have the horse at two, you have two choices:
1. Cut the price
2. Start the horse and raise the price

But if the horse is un-nominated, your buyer pool just shrank again.

Let’s be honest — most buyers are not going to spend thousands nominating a two-year-old when they could simply buy a weanling or yearling that’s already nominated.

At that point the math just doesn’t make sense.

Three to Six Years Old (Aged Prospects)

Most people don’t think of three-year-olds as “aged,” but from a sales standpoint, they are.

If you have a three-year-old that isn’t nominated, it better be going well under saddle if you want to justify any kind of value.

And when I say started, I mean at least 120 days of riding.

Otherwise the buyer is looking at a horse that’s already aged out of futurities without having any training to show for it.

That’s a hard sell.

Four-Year-Olds and Older (Unstarted)

This is where the market can get brutal.

If you have a four-year-old that isn’t nominated and has never been started under saddle, you’re basically back to weanling prices.

And I’m not talking about the fancy weanlings with nominations and handling.

I mean basic weanling prices.

Because now the buyer has to:
• start the horse
• take on all the risk
• and wait years for a return

And most buyers won’t pay a premium for that.

Mares vs Geldings

Mares are especially tricky.

Studs can be gelded. Geldings have a huge performance market.

But fillies and mares walk a very fine line between:

profit
and
losing your shirt.

Because if they don’t succeed in the performance market, they have to justify themselves as broodmares.

And that means they need exceptional pedigree, performance, or production to hold value.

Otherwise they fall into the category of horses that:

“life happened”

They weren’t nominated.
They didn’t get started.
Money ran out.
Plans changed.

And suddenly they’re competing with hundreds of other horses in the exact same situation.

The truth is this:

The horse market has very specific timing windows.

Miss the window…

…and the value drops fast.

That doesn’t mean your horse isn’t good.

It just means the market moved past the stage where that horse made the most sense to buyers.

Quick question for the breeders and sellers here…

Which situation have you run into the most?

A. Horse priced too high for the stage it’s in
B. Horse missed the nomination window
C. Horse aged out without enough training
D. Horse sat so long people assume something is wrong with it

Drop A, B, C, or D below. I’m curious how many people have seen the same patterns I have.

03/10/2026

Guess what time it is? The sun is out longer, the rides are getting longer, and the mountains are slowly starting to call!

03/08/2026

Something a little different stepped into the program. Can’t wait to see what she’ll become!

03/05/2026