The meaning and relevance of the title phrase ''Fresh Horses'' is that it is a term used for horses that riders use to replace their tired horses during a long ride. This is referred to by Tipton, who argues at one point that men have an urge to want to switch out their tired used up horses for fresh unridden ones, horses meaning women in this case.
Allan Marcil, executive producer on the picture, according to the film's production notes, wanted to shoot the picture near the Ohio-Kentucky border region where his wife grew up. This was because the geographic boundary provided a cultural and social dichotomy necessary to the story.
The film was was made and first released about two years after its source stage play by Larry Ketron had been first performed Off Broadway on 11th February 1986 at the WPA Theatre in New York where it starred in its lead roles Craig Sheffer and Suzy Amis. They are played in the movie by Andrew McCarthy and Molly Ringwald respectively. Larry Ketron penned this screen adaptation of his own play.
Mary Stuart Masterson was attached to star in the lead female role of Jewel with her father Peter Masterson attached to direct the film according to an article published in the 20th March 1987 edition of show-business trade-paper 'Daily Variety'. However, neither ended up working on the picture with the Columbia Pictures studio executives going for the re-teaming of the stars of 'Pretty in Pink' (1986), who were Andrew McCarthy and Molly Ringwald. That movie had been a big box office success. Interestingly, about a few years earlier, Andrew McCarthy and Mary Stuart Masterson had both starred in 'Catholic Boys' (1985) (aka 'Heaven Help Us'). Molly Ringwald and Mary Stuart Masterson later both appeared in the 'John Stamos' (2004) episode of the television series ''Biography''.
One of the few PG-13 rated movies that allowed the use of the word f-word more than one time and still maintain its rating. Neither use was in a sexual connotation.