Growing Up Western
Horse and Rider|Summer 2023
It's never easy saying goodbye to a horse, whether it's because you had to sell them, or retire them after a career-ending injury. But each horse prepares you for the next horse that will come into your life
Jordon Briggs
Growing Up Western

YES, BEING A TRAINER and competitor is one of the most rewarding and amazing careers, and there’s no bigger dream for a horse-crazy kid than to grow up and get paid to do it. 

But one thing we understand is the pain of losing a horse‚ and sometimes, we lose that horse because, financially, there’s no other choice.

And in those moments, we feel every fiber of devastation that the recreational rider or amateur competitor feels, but we don’t always get to act on or show those feelings because we have bills to pay and obligations to every other horse standing in the barn.

Selling a Horse

Frenchmans Jester was the first horse I really had success on—he made my career at a very young age. He was my best friend, my partner. And at the peak of our success, I sold him.

This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Horse and Rider.

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This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Horse and Rider.

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