CONTACT US

ASK A PRO, with Ruthie Harbison
Professional Riders Organization
February 3, 2010

PRO Professional Member, Ruthie Harbison is an advanced level rider and trainer from Wellborn, Florida who is well known for importing, producing and selling upper level event horses and prospects to amateurs, young riders and professionals.

How did you start importing and selling horses?

The first horse I imported I bought sight unseen from New Zealand was a two star horse named Lucky Dip, and he sold almost immediately and was a very successful young rider horse for many years afterwards.  Then I started looking at importing from other countries as well and was lucky to develop great contacts and friendships in England, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and France.

Do you import horses for yourself to sell or do you import them for specific clients?

Both.  I try to bring over quite a few each year for me to compete and sell and during the past few years, I have branched out to making specific trips to find horses for clients.

How do you match horses to clients?

If someone contacts me looking for a specific type of horse, I usually look locally first to see if there are potential prospects. If I can’t find what they are looking for, than I will get in touch with my overseas contacts to get a list of potential horses and prices.  I’m usually able to find a broader selection of talented horses oversees.

How does an oversees buying trip usually work for a client?

I’ll usually fly over with the client and we will spend about five or six days travelling and looking at horses.  During that time, we are usually able to see about twenty horses a day that fit the buyer’s criteria.  We do a lot of driving and the days are long, but we always manage to see many fantastic horses.  If the buyer finds the perfect horse during that week, we are usually able to get the horse vetted and shipped to the US within a few weeks.

What are some of the horses you have found?

I’ve found horses that have been very successful amateur horses, such as one star winner Dun and Dusted; Training Champion Carolina Knockout. Equally, I’ve also found some horses that have gone on to be successful with top professionals, such as three star winner, Outlawed; an advanced winner, The Mistress.

What do you enjoy most about your horse business?

My passion definitely lies with finding, buying and selling horses and matching them up to the right people.  I really enjoy the whole process and feel lucky that I’m able to do something that I love to do and have made a lot great friends through.