Starting with a young horse and bringing it up the levels can be such a rewarding journey. The youngest horse I have bought was less than a day old and the oldest was 9. I would say the newborn was an impulse buy because his full brother, Dream Boy, that I own was running his first 5* that very day, but all the other horses I have purchased have been with patience. After looking for over a year, I bought two horses within a few days of each other this year. Rather than buying trips, I enjoy looking for horses via videos, so I am always on the search.

Sydney Elliott is my rider. She only rides for me, so we really are a small operation with only a handful of horses. Because of that, I try to be as selective as possible. Right or wrong, I do not go on buying trips. I have the mentality that if I’m going to Europe to buy a horse, I will probably buy something that might not be exactly what I’m looking for.

I source my horses through Lara de Liedekerke in Belgium, who I found 12 years ago through an article about the top 20 up-and-coming riders in Europe. I messaged the contacts from that list that I could find. Some replied with varying comments, including Lara who replied, “I do not sell horses but if you will tell me what you're looking for, I will keep an eye out for you.” Two years later she found a 5-year-old for me that became the reserve at the 2024 Olympic Games. What a horse QC Diamantaire has turned out to be. When Lara sent the videos, I could tell he checked all the boxes and so, sight unseen, I said I will take him, which made her very uncomfortable as I was putting all my faith in her. But now Lara has figured me out and she knows what I like, so it’s a great partnership.

I have made plenty of mistakes and learned lots of lessons along the way. Patience is important in developing horses as well. Moving a young horse up a level too soon has not worked out for me. Sydney and I have the philosophy now that no matter how little or how much a horse knows, we start them slow with basics. I always look at the breeding, having passed on horses because they weren’t what I was interested in. However, I have also bought a couple that I have thrown the breeding out the window.

There are a few things I won’t budge on. I do not like a lot of knee action, and you can see that at a young age. A horse with a lot of knee action typically will not stay as sound when they get to the upper levels, though they are so tempting because they are such beautiful movers. Conformation is something I’m very interested in; I have a friend that has a great eye and knowledge for the build of the horse so there’s lots of talk about conformation. If a horse paddles in a certain way, I pass. When competing at the upper levels, horses can’t withstand the pounding on those legs. I have seen very nice horses that paddle, and have followed them through their careers, and they have not stayed sound. Same with the knee action.

I recommend us all to observe horses around us, follow them in their career and see where they end up.

Of course, the jump is important to us all. Does it have a good back end or a better front end? If the hind end is weak, can you look at her/him and try to determine if strength will improve the jumping? A horse's jump is its jump, but there are variables to the jump; who is riding it, where is it being ridden, how much work has it been in? When purchasing a horse of any age, we as owners cannot ask enough questions, dig and dig. Sydney, Elizabeth Abbott, and I are a little trio when it comes to the due diligence of a horse and it’s astonishing what you can actually find. Know what you like in a horse, know what you can give and take on, and do as much research as you can.