We all have a friend or a family member that is so passionate about showing horses that they exhibit extreme cases of tunnel vision to reach their ultimate goal. These people live and breathe horses and going to horse shows. This dedication to the industry is extremely commendable, but it is also risky.
Even as a three-time AQHA World Champion and 12-time Congress Champion with greats such as Skips Special Barb, Beretta McCue, Good Version, Radical Rumors, Zippos Tiger Bar and Elis A Sleepin on his resume, Compton admits that being a horse trainer is not without its challenges.
“I’m lucky that I have never been injured, and I
still feel good and love being with the horses,” says Troy, who is based
in Purcell, Oklahoma. “It is a hard industry because people expect you
to win. If you stop winning, people will just take their horses
elsewhere.”
Troy says that horses are in his DNA and that he is miserable without them. While John Briggs, in our first article in this series, discussed having a back up plan and different revenue streams–Compton prescribes to a different philosophy.
Compton also explains that “back in the day” a lot of talented trainers could win on a less talented horse because they had the abilities to bring out the best in that horse. However, in today’s industry, he believes that it has become more of a horse buying contest and that customers are more apt to look for horses that are bred right and easy to train than rely on a trainer to work their magic. 
Additionally, Troy mentions that the time when trainers could rely on selling horses to help supplement their income is less certain today than it used to be. He credits the rise of the internet, Facebook and online auctions rather than word of mouth as why horse sale commissions are harder to come by. Compton explains that he isn’t buying and selling as many horses these days because they aren’t selling as fast mainly due to the economy and horses being overpriced.
Approaching 50 years old, age has started to play a role for Compton. “It is
tough to be older because people aren’t rooting for you as much when you
are new on the scene. People love the new faces and the underdog,”
admits Compton.
What is Compton’s advice for young trainers? “I would tell them that if they don’t love the horses and this isn’t their dream job–then they shouldn’t become a trainer,” Compton bluntly states. “They need to keep their overhead low…there are no guarantees, no pensions and if you are getting into it to make money, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.”
