OUTSIDE THE BOX

If you’re not in the middle of the horse-training mecca of Scottsdale, Arizona, the name Shawn Grant might not mean much to you. But if you pay attention to great rope horses, you’ve seen the fruits of his labor through the DT Horse program, championed by owner Dean Tuftin and shown by the likes of legendary horsemen CR Bradley and JD Yates to American Quarter Horse Association world titles and American Rope Horse Futurity success. Grant, the man who spends the early years with those great horses, though, has chosen to spend his time out of the lime light and in the arena. But it’s been his methods and his foundation that have set those great ones up for success, and it’s Grant’s meticulous attention to detail that makes him the perfect fit for Tuftin’s program. In fact, Grant might just be the greatest rope horse trainer you’ve never heard of.

FROM THE START

Grant, now 45, came to Arizona after a childhood in Alaska, where he grew up in a rodeo family.