"White Horse" garnered generally positive reception from critics. August Brown of The Los Angeles Times compared the song with Dolly Parton's "Jolene" (1973), saying Parton would have recognized her own predicament in "White Horse" and may have congratulated Swift for attempting to move on.[16] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine called "White Horse" a "lovely ballad" with a prominent hook and deemed it "easily the best song" on Fearless. However, Keefer stated, "Even 'White Horse' [...] makes use of a well-worn, clichéd image that Swift doesn't use in any novel way."[11] Josh Love of The Village Voice thought "preternatural wisdom and inclusiveness" shined through the lyrics and theme of "White Horse"; Love also mentioned that it was one of Fearless' "great songs".[13] Lucy Davies of the BBC said it demonstrated how repetitive the lyrical themes on Fearless were. She noted Swift recycled the phrase "face of an angel" from the album's previous track, "Hey Stephen".[17] An uncredited review from Billboard stated, "The second single from Taylor Swift's top-selling CD is a beautiful, understated ballad that showcases her skill with a lyric and shines a spotlight on her signature tender, heart-on-her-sleeve vocals." The review stated that the latter was accomplished by the song's production, which made Swift's vocal performance more palpable and emotive. The review also complimented the song, as something everyone could relate to.[10] Kate Kiefer of Paste recognized it to be one of Swift's best songs.[15] Sean Dooley of About.com attributed the track's effectiveness to be in how Swift captured the heartbreaking moment.[12] While reviewing Fearless, Dooley selected "White Horse" as one of the best tracks on the album.[18] At the 52nd Grammy Awards, "White Horse" won the Grammy Awards for Best Country Song và Best Female Country Vocal Performance.[19]