38 • The WRANGLER • May, 2024
The Power of Perseverance
I
N THIS AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, the average
human spends hours daily consuming online highlight
reels of their peers, competitors, family, and friends.
This disconnect from reality has made it far too easy to
forget that no one is an overnight success. Beneath the
exterior of impeccable marketing and multiple six-figure
high sellers, I found a tale of one tenacious individual who
refused to give up on his dream. That story belongs to
none other than Duane Yoder, of Buckeye Acre Farms.
Recently home after a cross country batch of sales and
shows, Yoder graciously agreed to share his story with
me. A well-spoken, humble man, Yoder emphasized many
times that his family and team are crucial to the success of
Buckeye Acre. His story has plenty of unexpected twists,
but Yoder wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm thankful for all the di«erent phases, because it gave
me experience. We could say it's been peaches and roses,
well there have been thorns along the way."
In 1995, Yoder purchased his first pony for $240. He
laughed, "I didn't have the total okay from my dad, but it
wasn't a hard no."
Yoder was immediately hooked, "I did things with that
pony that I didn't expect I could, but always dreamed of
doing."
After a year devoted to riding and trick training, Yoder
sold the pony to a local family for $1,500.
The early success only pulled Yoder in deeper, "I always
joke, when I sold that pony, I was in retirement stage! I
had made all the money there was to make and I had
everything figured out. But the feeling it gave me to create
something like that, it was like 'this is what I want to do."
At age 13, Yoder announced that he had chosen his
career path. Possibly some of the most sage advice ever
given, Yoder's father told him, "Honesty and true facts will
always win."
By Teal Stoll
Geneva Yoder & a 9-year-old gypsy-cross gelding named Leo. Photos courtesy of Duane Yoder & Buckeye Acre.
BUCKEYE ACRE FARMS DOMINATES THE HORSE SALE INDUSTRY
