12/30/2024
It’s been a bit, so here’s my soapbox moment of the month.
Y’all have got to stop confusing a prospect as a project. I’ve seen this said before, but here’s my two cents.
Something has shifted in the last few years, and I notice more and more folks looking for “project horses”.
Fantastic! There’s tons of horses out there that have hit the back burner or are young and need lots of work!
“Oh no no no! I want a project horse that doesn’t buck, rear, kick, bolt, bite, isn’t buddy sour or barn sour, doesn’t pin their ears and make mare faces, or have any other bad vices. But it can need a little work!!”
Uh what? That’s the definition of a project horse. They’ve got issues to work through, probably need a lot of miles and confidence, probably some ground work, almost certainly weight/muscle/farrier care/bodywork etc. They may or may not buck, probably are buddy sour, or they’ve got other bad habits. They need work.
No, what you’re actually after is a prospect.
You want a horse that does all the normal horse things (lead/load/tie/walk/trot/canter/trail ride/started over fences/etc) but you don’t want to pay for a “finished horse”. That’s a prospect.
A prospect is one that someone else has already worked through all the basics, they’ve got a handle on the fundamentals, they’re usually pretty safe, and they’re ready to head into finishing on your chosen discipline.
One problem: the price tag.
See, someone else has already put their time/knowledge/physicality into this horse. They’ve fed it, they’ve housed it, they’ve vetted it, they’ve put it through the paces of becoming a functional member of equine society. They deserve to be paid accordingly for doing so.
So when they list this prospect for sale as “doing all the things, needs finishing” and get absolutely crucified for “asking insane prices for a project”, it’s a real kick in the pants. You’ve just told them that taking that horse from project to prospect didn’t change its value, and that their time spent was worthless.
Suddenly you can’t find a cheap “project” horse anymore. They’re all either rank and out of your experience comfort zone or they’re finished and out of your price range.
Now if I go out tomorrow looking for a project, I’ve got every right to ask for something without a buck. I can’t sit a big buck like I used to. But I can work through buddy sour and bolting and kicking pretty easy. And that’s fine. I know my limits.
So before you go looking for a project, ask yourself these questions: can I sit a buck, a rear, a bolt, a spin, a big spook? Can I keep my cool and work a horse through buddy sourness? Do I know the difference in a pain response or a behavioral issue? Do I have the resources to put weight on one, get it vetted, have the bodyworker or dentist out, keep the farrier paid well to try and correct those overgrown feet and bad angles?
Find the limit on what you can and cannot handle. And then decide if you really need a project horse, or if you’re more comfortable with the prospects. And adjust your budget accordingly.
