Pick a Performance Prospect That Fits

TOP TRAINERS CASEY DEARY AND CLAYTON EDSALL OFFER 10 TIPS TO FIND THE RIGHT HORSE TO HELP YOU TO SHOW PEN SUCCESS.

- KATE BRADLEY BYARS

In today's horse market, there are multiple ways to find a potential prospect-private sale, online auction, in-person auction, and through a thirdparty sale site. But how do you know you're buying the one?

Whether you're able to put hands on a prospect or only evaluating from afar, advice and tips from National Reined Cow Horse Association Million Dollar Rider Clayton Edsall and National Reining Horse Association three-time Open Futurity Champion Casey Deary can help you make the most educated decision for the horse you'll take to the show pen.

It isn't easy to find a unicorn in the vast number of horses for sale and, unfortunately, not even being at the top of a trainer's game ensures a champion. However, Deary says it all comes down to focus, budget, and the end goal.

"What's your goal with that horse? Is it for a trainer to win a futurity or to buy a horse for you to fall in love with and show on weekends? You have to have an idea what you're after," he says. "A show horse, as a rule, I try to buy more horse than what they need at the time. If I have someone just learning to ride, I don't buy one that will only last a year."

Budget and the desire to have the right horse, right now, often drive a sale. For Edsall, wading through prospects for the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity can come down to his gut reaction. And, if the horse is for a client, it's more often that connection that makes a sale.

"If you see a horse and there is a connection between you and the horse, you'll get farther down the road than if a horse vets perfect and you don't get along," Edsall says. "If you like a horse, buy it-but I can't comment about the price because the horse market is what someone will pay for it. A horse that catches your eye and meets requirements doesn't have to do it all perfect, but if there is something you enjoy about watching that horse, then you're more than likely going to get along with it."