The accompanying music video for "White Horse" was directed by Trey Fanjoy, who directed the majority of Swift's prior videos. Swift commented that Fanjoy was her first choice to film the video because she understood the direction Swift wanted to take and how to make the video different than the prior ones they filmed.[2] The video's plot centered on infidelity. However, because the theme had appeared on the video for "Picture to Burn", the scenario was reversed, rather than removed entirely, for Swift thought it was inevitable to include it. It was conceptualized so that Swift was not the person who someone was unfaithful to, but rather the one who someone was unfaithful with: "This girl falls in love with this guy and he's perfect. He's adorable. He's charming. He's endearing. She falls in love with him. Then, she comes to realize that he's been leading a double life. He was already in a relationship years before he ever met her [...] You find out that I'm the one that was ruining a relationship without even knowing it."[2] Swift chose actor Stephen Colletti to portray the role of her love interest. She had previously seen him on the reality television series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, where she acknowledged him to be "cute", and later on One Tree Hill, where she was impressed by his acting skills; thus, Colletti was contacted to portray the character.[2] Swift chose Colletti primarily because of his sweet and endearing demeanor. As a result, the character would seem very loyal, as though he would never betray his partner. Therefore, others did not expect for him to betray Swift either. "That's always the hardest thing, when someone has you fooled so much that you think they're never gonna hurt you. And then they do. That's when you get the worst heartbreak", Swift said.[2]

The video was shot in one day in January 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee.[2][38] Frolicking scenes between Swift and Colletti were filmed first; the lunch, outdoor, and indoor scenes followed.[2] Coincidentally, on the day of filming, it rained heavily, something which Swift was enlightened by, since it corresponded to the video's gloomy and dark feel. Swift said it aided in making the video less colorful lighting-wise, and more fixated on muted tones.[2] The last scenes were more difficult for Swift because they involved crying. She attributed the difficulty to the number of people surrounding her and watching, something she was not accustomed to. However, Fanjoy, who was once an actress, guided her into thinking about what made her most solemn, and completing the scene effectively.[2] Fanjoy said the scenes demonstrated what an exceptional actress Swift was, adding she took direction very well.[2] The scene took approximately three hours to film.[38]

The video premiered on February 7, 2009 on CMT.[39] The video starts with close-ups of Swift's and Colletti's mouths as they speak via telephone. He begins, "All I want is you. Do you love me?" She affirms, and he asks for another chance. The video transitions to Swift sitting on the living room floor, next to a fireplace. She performs as she flashbacks to memories with Colletti. The two frolic on a brown couch and play with a deck of cards. The video then transitions to Swift and her friend having lunch at a restaurant, where Swift's friend informs her of Colletti's betrayal. Then, Swift is seen walking on the streets during nighttime. She sees Colletti arriving at a house with groceries and, after staring at each other, a redheaded woman walks out of the house. In a panic, Swift runs away and the video transcends to the phone call, which commenced in the beginning of the video, with Colletti repeating, "Will you give me another chance?" A rapid flashback of cut-scenes is played and, after its conclusion, Swift denies his request, hangs up, and cries. To date, the video has over 136 million views on YouTube.