Horse whisperer

It was a scene made for Horse Country, U.S.A.

Drivers stopped and snapped pictures as Bob Boyd and Krissy Peterson took turns trotting their horses around The Square Tuesday.

Peterson and Boyd are horse brokers who buy horses from people who are no longer capable caretakers and sell them to prospective buyers.

Peterson’s business is located in Dallas and Boyd’s ranch is based out of Pilot Point. The two have been partners for the past five years.

“We pick horses up from ranchers with a variety of things that prohibit them from riding like they’d want to,” Boyd said. “They love their horses and want to see them find a good home so that’s what we aim to do.”

Boyd and Peterson inspect the horses by taking them out and determining whether they’re safe for riding.

“They’ve got to be safe,” Boyd said. “Whenever we get a hold of a horse we want to make sure they’re safe.”

Peterson said their biggest clients are trail riders and parade coordinators.

Boyd’s passion for horses stems from over 25 years of thoroughbred and quarter horse racing.

“I’ve been raised in this,” Boyd said. “I’ve been around horses for over 63 years. After I retired from racing, I decided to go back to my roots and started this business.”

Peterson recently moved to Dallas from Arizona and she has a passion for riding and enjoys finding the perfect match.

“I love putting the right horse with the right rider so they can have a happy life together,” Peterson said. “There are too many people selling junk horses that will get people hurt so we try to sell gentle horses that will take care of them.”

It takes a special kind of horse to pair with a trail rider, Boyd said.

“They have a different mentality and are able to take care of his partner. We ride them out here in these circumstances to find where their niche is,” Boyd said. “Every horse isn’t cut out to be a trail horse or parade horse. We sell those horses to cowboys that may use them in pastures.”

Peterson said their client base features barrel racers, ropers and cutters who are interested in finding horses.

“We’ve got buyers from California to New York that ask for all different types of horses,” Peterson said. “We’ve got a strong reputation that’s grown over the years; it’s all about networking.”

“Each horse has a different mentality,” Boyd said. “You can ride a horse for a little bit and they’ll tell you what they like.”