Free Beginner Guides
Everything on this page is free. There's no course you have to buy first and nothing you have to book — these are just the tools I wish someone had put in my hands when I was starting out.
Buying a first horse is one of those subjects where the advice is loud, contradictory, and usually coming from somebody who has a horse to sell. So I built these to help you think it through on your own, before anyone starts talking.
The First Horse Buyer's Pre-Purchase Checklist
Nine pages. Free. No email required.
Print it and put it in the truck. It's the same evaluation framework used for matching first-time buyers to horses: what to look at before you ever get on, the 25 questions to ask a seller before you drive out there, what to have your vet cover in the pre-purchase exam, and the red flags that mean you smile, say thank you, and go home.
That last part is the one people skip. Walking away from the wrong horse is the cheapest thing you will ever do.
Download the checklist (PDF) →
The First Horse Cost Calculator
Free. Real 2026 Texas numbers. Adjust every line to where you live.
The purchase price is the number everyone asks about, and it's the smaller one. The calculator starts with what board, farriers, lessons and routine vet care actually cost around us, lets you change each line to your area, and shows you the monthly number and the first-year total, including the emergency reserve most people forget to plan for.
If you want it as a spreadsheet you can keep updating, there's a free budget sheet on the same page.
What's Your Right Horse? — the quiz
Free. 21 questions. About five minutes.
Most people start horse shopping before they've worked out what they're actually shopping for. That's how you end up with a beautiful animal who doesn't fit your life — too green, too big, too much horse for the hours you have.
The quiz walks you through your goals, your setup, your budget and your honest experience level, then tells you the type, size, age range, breeds and temperament that genuinely match. It will tell you things you might not want to hear. That's the point.
Not sure where to start?
If you're right at the beginning, read How to Buy Your First Horse first. It's the long, honest version, and the checklist above makes far more sense once you've been through it.
If your real question is about money — and for most people it is — How Much Does a First Horse Cost has actual numbers instead of vague ranges.
And if you're still working out whether any of this is for you, that's a perfectly good place to be. Horses are a lot of work, a lot of money, and a lot of heart. Nobody should talk you into one — including me.