We worked extensively from the ground for the first 2 years together, slowly introducing work under saddle. He's got a lot of promise in many disciplines. I hope to have a long future with this guy, my first "I've-done-it-all" horse that has been brought along with training done by me and only me since the beginning. I've never had a horse that adored me so much. He is a true people-lover and people-pleaser. It will be fun to see where things go with him in coming years.
Griffin is supposedly ½ Arabian, ½ Tennessee Walking Horse. However, a DNA test done by a lab at TAMU suggested he may be Warmblood x Arabian. It's hard to say for certain in either direction, but he has never had any gaited tendencies and is not built much like any TWH that I've encountered. Regardless, he's well put together and a great mover, which is all that matters.
He has a phenomenal temperament and an insatiable need-to-please attitude when it comes to training. No matter what, I have no regrets in taking him on as an ugly youngster. He has taught me a lot that I didn't know about horses and I've loved every minute of our ground work. I'm hesitant to ever want to buy a started horse again knowing that if I can commit to putting groundwork on a horse and raising them, that I will have exactly what I want in a horse - and that's what Griffin has become.
He has great natural instinct and movement within jumping exercises, so perhaps we will pursue that in coming years. Any and all dressage exercises have been tackled with grace, balance, and rhythm. Additionally, he is forward on the trail with a great fast walk and easy-going 12 mph trot - so maybe endurance, too? To top it off, when I put him on a dog the way a QH is put on cattle, he chases and cuts them all on his own like the gamest of cowhorses - I can't wait to see if he'll respond to real cattle the same! The future is wide open and I couldn't be happier about the options we have. He's so fun.
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