He was a nut case as a 3-6 year old. Despite the fact that the owner at the time purchased him as a foal and he was worked with regularly and started by a professional, whose half-brother imported at the same time went on the win the NA 70-stallion test, this guy was the apparent outlier. He was afraid of the world to the point that it really interfered with his starting and early years under saddle. The breeder wasn’t much help with my inquiries or very nice describing them after the fact.
He needed an alternative route of training after he bucked off an established trainer and she broke her collar bone. No area dressage riders would ride him as a 4 year old. I invested in alternative training to help him think through problems. Happy to send you a video of why.
He’s 10 now and has matured considerably. He has 3 good gaits, loads of “try”, a big and affectionate personality. He’s one of the smartest horses I’ve ever ridden, but also one of the spookiest/most reactive ones. He notices everything out of place and can get very upset by this - it is my job to convince him that he’s working and shouldn’t be upset. We have a great relationship now (words can’t describe what we’ve been through together) and he has very much taken care of me when we came back after his falling with me… Laaaaaaazzzzzyyyy as he can be until, for example today - a lady bug flew diagionally in his path and he elevated in front to see it and then splayed his front legs and wanted to spook. At a lady bug. Sure gave energy to our ride! I was able to harness this for a fantastic ride.
He is simultaneously very reactive/forward and lazy. Mr. 90%. He can easily get with the program and work, and has lots of talent and is very athletic. But he’s EXTREMELY insecure and needs a rider who can “hold his hand”. Right now, I love this horse to death because we have developed a great relationship, he’s really talented/athletic, and looooooooves to interact with me - try for me. He anticipates a lot because he’s smart, and this sometimes gets in the way, but we work to overcome this. I work with his personality to get the best I can from him, and I really REALLY enjoy this horse now. As a 4 year old? Not so much. Again, I think he was an outlier. And age really helped him.