How to Become the Black Horse

In recent years, we've seen a sharp rise in interest from women in their 20s and 30s seeking what many call the “black horse” — the underestimated, often overlooked man who, while not yet fully formed, holds the core traits of a high-value partner. This shift marks a quiet rebellion against the short-term “alpha” dating culture, where women chase already-polished high-status men who are, statistically speaking, often unwilling to commit (Buss & Schmitt, 1993; Apostolou, 2015). Instead, many forward-thinking women now pursue long-term returns: identifying men with upward trajectory, integrity, and depth before they "peak."

This article is intentionally crafted for both Marriage Hunter and Perfect Breakup audiences. For women, it offers a practical guide to recognizing these high-potential men before they become widely desired. For men, it lays out a map for becoming one — regardless of starting point or age — by identifying the deeper structures that create sustainable desirability, commitment potential, and long-term masculine value.

Wealth vs. Creative Intelligence

Many women unconsciously follow what evolutionary psychologists have called the “winner effect” — they wait at the finish line to “snatch the winner,” often gravitating toward high-status men in their 30s or 40s who have already proven themselves. But this behavior is frequently misunderstood, even by the women themselves. It's not the raw wealth that attracts; it’s what that wealth represents. Women are not simply wired to desire money — they are wired to desire a man who can generate value, especially under changing conditions. From an evolutionary standpoint, this reflects underlying creative intelligence, adaptability, and agency (Miller, 2000; Buss, 2019).

Wealth acquired through lottery wins, inheritance, or mere luck rarely carries the same subconscious weight as wealth built over time through skill, ambition, and resilience. What many women truly respond to — whether they realize it or not — is not the existence of wealth but the proof of a male's long-term creative strategy and capacity to deliver results. In that sense, financial status functions as a proxy signal for traits like intelligence, determination, and future security — all crucial for female mate selection (Geary, 2000; Li & Kenrick, 2006).

This distinction is central to identifying high-value men in the making. Women who train themselves to look beyond static wealth and instead spot early markers of creative problem-solving and long-range thinking are far more likely to succeed in forming meaningful, upwardly mobile relationships.

The Black Horse Strategy (BHS)

The Black Horse Strategy refers to the intentional act of identifying and investing in a man before he becomes an obvious winner. While many women gravitate toward high-value men who have already achieved status and wealth, this approach comes with a predictable problem: competition. When a man’s value is evident — wealth accumulated, lifestyle refined, influence established — he naturally attracts multiple contenders. This creates not only rivalry but also a significant power asymmetry in the early dynamic.

The BHS, by contrast, is a more strategic and future-oriented approach. It means spotting not the man who has already succeeded, but the man who is destined to succeed — the so-called “black horse” no one else sees coming. This strategy doesn’t just rely on passive prediction but includes a bold element: placing the relational equivalent of a bet on someone whose value is not yet socially validated. It’s not unlike venture investing — early engagement with high-risk, high-return potential.

This approach aligns well with what evolutionary biologists have noted: women are subconsciously attuned to indicators of long-term resource acquisition ability, not just current resources (Buss, 2019; Miller, 2000). A man in his 20s who displays traits such as drive, creative problem-solving, structured risk-taking, and vision often offers more reliable long-term value than an already-established man who may have become complacent or already emotionally entangled.

While the metaphor may sound mercantile, it’s psychologically sound. Instead of seeking a 20-years-older sugar daddy whose value has plateaued, women would be far better served — emotionally and practically — by learning to recognize the behavioral signals of upward mobility in men closer to their own age. A black horse today may become a stallion tomorrow — but only if you learn to spot the gait.

The signs to spot

When it comes to identifying a true “black horse” — a younger man who has not yet accumulated wealth or power but has a high likelihood of doing so — there are three foundational traits to look for. The benefit of this strategy is that these traits are primarily rooted in biology and are remarkably stable over time. In other words, these are not transient behaviors but enduring characteristics. A man who possesses them in his 20s will very likely retain them in his 30s and 40s — with increasingly visible results.

1. Intelligence (especially general intelligence/IQ)

Although modern self-help culture loves to market “brain-boosting” methods or programs that claim to raise intelligence, the science is unequivocal: general intelligence — often measured as g-factor or IQ — is highly heritable and extremely stable over time. According to longitudinal twin studies (Plomin & Deary, 2015), IQ is one of the most genetically anchored traits in psychology, with heritability estimates ranging from 50% to 80%. Moreover, by early adulthood, a person's IQ remains largely unchanged for life (Deary et al., 2000).

In practical terms, this means that if a man in his 20s demonstrates a high level of verbal acuity, problem-solving capacity, abstract reasoning, and systems thinking, these are not temporary states. They are reliable indicators of high creative and analytical intelligence — traits that consistently correlate with future success, particularly in entrepreneurial, scientific, technological, and leadership domains (Gottfredson, 2002).

For the Black Horse Strategy to succeed, this is the first and non-negotiable foundation. A man with average or below-average IQ may still become stable or hardworking, but is extremely unlikely to become exceptional in influence or wealth accumulation — unless due to sheer randomness (e.g., inheritance, lottery, or nepotism). Women who aim to bet on the future need to understand that intellectual horsepower isn’t just a bonus — it’s the engine.

2. Industriousness (a key sub-trait of conscientiousness)

The second defining feature of a “black horse” in the making is industriousness — a subfactor of the Big Five personality trait conscientiousness. While conscientiousness encompasses traits such as orderliness, responsibility, and self-discipline, industriousness specifically refers to the intrinsic drive to work hard, persist through challenges, and derive satisfaction from productivity.

Scientific research has consistently shown that industriousness is one of the strongest predictors of long-term career success, income growth, and goal achievement (Duckworth et al., 2007; Roberts et al., 2005). Unlike general conscientiousness, which can be displayed in routine behaviors like neatness or punctuality, industriousness is marked by a relentless internal drive to create, build, or contribute — often independent of...