Jeremy Buhler had a record year in the futurity industry, helping DT Horses’ Hickory Holly Time top $1 million in offspring earnings in 2025. Here’s the mental approach he’s taken to learning the futurity game.
Everything that happened for me this year came from deciding I wasn’t done learning. Even after winning last season, I hit a point this spring where I felt a big shift. I had a really big learning curve in the spring, and the only way through it was to reach out. I bet there were 10 or 12 guys I reached out to. Anybody who would stand still. We’d talk, ride, watch video—whatever it took.
That process changed how I see my job. I quit trying to force things. I’m always trying to find a weakness to touch on, but I learned that fixing holes starts with understanding the horse’s mind, not just its mechanics. I’ve been trying to figure out the softness and the balance and get more into the horse’s mind instead of trying to make them do it. That became the center of everything I did.
Both DT Hickory Stinger and SLR Swinging Hickory pushed that lesson deeper. Stinger taught me how fast a horse can progress when the mind is right. He’s got such a good mind. He’s 4, he won the Gold Buckle at only his second show and he feels like you’re riding a 15-year-old gelding. His natural frame made my job easier. He runs uphill… it’s not a manufactured frame you’re trying to put him in.
SLR Swinging Hickory made me slow down. She reminded me that the good ones don’t need to be micromanaged. They need feel and timing. She’s so honest and wants to be good, but I had to learn how to stay out of her way and let her strength show.
Both horses reflect the same thread. The majority of them have great necks, and every one of them wants to stay framed. Riding Hickory Holly Times forced me to sharpen my horsemanship because they give back exactly what you put in.
That’s why I don’t give them much time off. I can’t give up a day. I’m wondering how I can ride these things twice a day to keep up with everybody. The futurity world moves fast. Now that there are enough futurities, you don’t have to show the wheels off, but at the same time that’s the goal—to make the best horse and keep him intact.
—TRJ—
