Rohan and Griffin
Journey: Never used
Breed: Rohan (Badakhshani cross), Griffin (Afghani-Kabuli stock)
Age: Rohan - 8 years, Griffin - 10 years
Afghanistan is a bleak, barren and mountainous place where the people are hardy, tough and spirited and so are the horses. What would the day in the life of an Afghani horse be like? Typically there could be two possibilities. One could be plodding over remote mountain passes, illegally shipping arms from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Whilst the other could be racing across the open grasslands carrying a slain beheaded goat in the Afghan game of Buzkushi.
Neither is exactly true of either horse. But it goes part way to describing them. Rohan and Griffin are both Afghani horses, white in colour and with long Afghan style flowing manes and tails. Both were once used to ship arms over the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan and who knows if they were ever used in Buzkushi matches! But it's that spirit and gritty toughness about each horse which made each purely suited to the journey over the mountains to China and really endeared them to me.
is the truly spirited one of the two, with a seemingly endless reservoir of playful energy and a strong penchant for the ladies. He's a joy to ride and possesses that sheer raw energy of his home country.
couldn't be more different. He's typically tightlipped and unexpressive but as broad-chested as an ox and with an even bigger heart. Whereas Rohan likes to ride off into the sunset Griffin is just happy plodding along at his own pace. He's almost the perfect packhorse.
Afghani horses are known for their endurance, their stamina and their courage. The harsh extremes of their home climate mean that they can go for days without food or water, which is exactly the conditions we may encounter on the ride through Pakistan.
Unfortunately, Rohan and Griffin never did see the terrain they were destined for. As the 2005 Summer got hotter this pair of rouges became more and more unmanageable until I had to sell them at the end of June 2005. They are now in the hands of a trusted friend to be used for riding through Kashmir . Yet this made way for a calmer pair to come along.
