In Memory of Rampal

Our weekend certainly did not go as planned, and we had yet another reminder about how quickly life can change.  In the span of a 24 hour period Rampal went from being perfectly normal and fine to being euthanized.  He was 28 years old. 

Rampal

Rampal joined us for retirement over two years ago. He was one of those horses that we thought we live forever.  He was one of those rare horses that seemed to be made of iron. He was tough as nails, very stoic, scared of nothing, and retired 100% sound from FEI level dressage at the age of 25.  

enjoying another perfect day being retired

Rampal, a Swedish Warmblood, was born in Maine and started his dressage career there.  He competed through the Intermediare I level before being purchased by a new owner when he was 11 years old.  He moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area and remained with the same trainer, with two different owners, until he retired with us at the age of 25. he competed through the Grand Prix level in dressage.

Rampal and Tiny being frisky

During his career Rampal competed in an impressive 192 recognized dressage classes throughout his career. He earned multiple championships and year end awards at 4th level, Prix St. George, Intermediare I and II and Grand Prix.  He competed in New England, the midwest, the Florida circuit, and Dressage at Devon. He helped several riders, including his mom, earn several USDF (United States Dressage Federation) medals.  He earned his riders two USDF silver medals (his mom and a junior/young rider) and three USDF bronze medals (his mom, the junior/young rider, and his other amateur owner).

the team getting Rampal and his mom ready to go in the show ring

saluting the judge

some trot work in a Prix St. George test

The fact that Rampal competed successfully and retired sound at 25 is impressive enough. The fact that he spent almost his entire competitive career doing the demanding work of FEI level dressage, right up until he retired, puts him in a very special category.

Tiny, Rampal and Johnny

showing off his trot this summer

grooming with  Johnny

Rampal's mom always said the he was born during the wrong generation. His mom always said that he would have been the perfect General's horse.  She could see him standing calmly on the battlefield with cannons exploding all around him.  I have to agree with her.  Rampal was scared of nothing and never spooked at anything.  He had more self confidence than I have ever seen in a horse.  He was not interested in being told what to do by people or horses.  He had plenty of opinions on everything and never hesitated to express them to any person or horse.  If any horse made the mistake of questioning his authority he would swiftly remind them that he was in charge, period, end of discussion.

Kennedy and Rampal enjoying another day in horse paradise

Rampal and Rocky making their way in for breakfast early one morning

grooming with Claytong

Rampal surprised us some during his retirement with us. He had so much self confidence and self assurance we were not expecting him to be one of the ones that became overwhelmingly herdbound.  We were wrong. As soon as you took Rampal out of the pasture he would immediately begin screaming to his friends, dragging you around, and generally being rude and unmannerly. This response could be somewhat mitigated by bringing one of his friends in with him, but he still wasn't happy about it.  He would stand in a stall as long as he had one of his buddies next to him and food in front of him. But the second the food ran out he would literally start slamming himself against the stall walls, screaming, and he would keep it up until someone put him back out.

Stormy, Rampal and Clayton

Tiny, Johnny and Rampal

Bergie and Rampal

Rampal led a charmed life literally from start to finish. He enjoyed every minute of his retirement. He loved to play, groom, graze and simply hang out with the other horses. For such a macho man he was very, very attached to his friends.  It is strange to think that Rampal will no longer be standing at the gate, pawing, nickering and telling us to hurry up at meal times.  I think his only complaint about his time with us is that we never brought his food fast enough for his liking.  Other than that I think he would describe his last couple of years as pretty much perfect.  I'm glad we had the chance to get to know him and his mom.  Everything changed so quickly everyone is still getting used to the idea that he is gone.

Goodbye Rampal, I am sure you are continuing to graze in green pastures, and I have no doubt you are doing it on your terms.

_____________________________________

Rampal and friends having fun December 2010

grazing with Tiny

Oskar and Rampal

Rocky, Rampal, Johnny and Tiny

enjoying a good roll

Rampal napping, Tiny is right next to him and Rocky is in the background

napping hard in the hay

another naptime with Clayton keeping watch nearby

Rampal and Clayton grooming with Johnny grazing

2012 In Review

I usually write a year in review post, and for the most part I always enjoy reminiscing while writing.  I have to admit this year is kind of different.  There were a lot of wonderful, fabulous things that happened in 2012. I am lucky to lead such an amazing life and without question and that certainly did not change. However, as most of you know 2012 came with a tremendous amount of loss for me.  We always experience loss, each and every year. Running a retirement farm it is a given that loss is part of your experience.  Sometimes the residents pass due to complications from old age, sometimes they are young and are euthanized because their reasons for retirement have caught up with them.

I miss Ivan and his practical joker personality.

I  miss Fuzzy, AKA "The Fuzz," because he was simply an unforgettable personality.

I miss Zeus and his overwhelming enthusiasm for life.

Since I've mentioned it about five million times in the last few months everyone knows I lost my father this year.  That has left a hole in my life that is almost incomprehensible to me.  I feel very lucky in the relationship I had with my him.  Aside from Jason I spent more time with my dad than anyone else. I saw him every day. He filled a unique role in my life of both parent and best friend.  He was my father, my confidant, my mentor and a very close friend - all wrapped up in one person.  We were also a lot alike, so we could say things to each other that we couldn't say to anyone else, and neither of us would take offense.  I struggled a lot after he passed, and it made me realize just how much he was a part of my daily life. I'm finally starting to get used to the idea that he is gone.

When you throw Jason's surgery and two month convalescence in the picture immediately, as in days, after my father's passing, it goes without saying that 2012 wasn't my best year ever. Jason could do nothing around the farm, could not lift Carter, literally could not do anything for two solid months.  This came at about the worst timing one could have possibly imagined. When you also add in the fact that we had just brought Carter home from Russia 8 weeks before all of this came to pass it is amazing to me that I even kept functioning. In my humble opinion that was too many life changing experiences that all happened at the same time and I wouldn't recommend it.

I also lost my horse Hoffy this year.  I have loved all of my horses, but I've had a truly special relationship with two horses in my life and he was one of them.  My father's coon hound Bush passed a few weeks after he did, he basically grieved himself to death. Bush's pictures have been on the blog many times throughout the years.   I also wrote about our stray rooster, The Don, many times on the blog through the years.  The Don also passed this year. It may seem odd to be sad about the loss of a stray rooster, but he had been with us for a long time, and as Faune's mom said so perfectly, he was an epic rooster.  Finally, as if this blog post could not get any more depressing, we ended 2012 with euthanizing our dog Bear on New Year's Eve.

As I re-read all of that it seems self explanatory as to why I can be a touch on the moody side these days!  Poor Jason has had to deal with some pretty awe inspiring mood swings from me. He has done an admirable job of dealing with them.

Of course 2012 also had an incredibly memorable event. Jason and I brought our son home from Russia.  That was a long, stressful and exhilarating journey that took over a year, mounds of paperwork, every kind of background check imaginable, and three trips to Russia.  Welcoming Carter into our family has been wonderful in ways that I never even imagined.  I am already on the lookout for the perfect leadline pony despite the fact that Jason keeps pointing out to me that Carter is only 1.  In my opinion you can never start looking too soon, right?

As always we had a lot of things going on at the farm.  We filled our hay barns, both with hay we cut ourselves and with hay we purchased. We cleared some land as we prepare to build another pasture.  As always we had gravel trucks coming and going from the farm throughout the year. We added on to two of the barns so we could have more stalls.  Every year I seem to manage an odd wildlife encounter, sometimes more than one.  Of course the horses kept us entertained with their ever fascinating herd dynamics.  Not to be outdone we also manage to keep the horses entertained as well. Jason stunned me with his taste in music (he still claims he only listens to the song because it makes him think of our fainting goat Miss Lyle).

If I had to sum up 2012 in one sentence I would say it was a year of life changing moments.  There were a lot of moments in time, both happy and sad, that will be replayed in my memory forever.  It was a good reminder that you can make all the plans in life that you want to, but they should be written in sand. It makes me think of the saying that you should write your goals in concrete and your plans in sand.  At this point I would not even dare to make any predictions as to what I will be writing about as I reflect a year from now on 2013.

Whatever this year brings I hope I continue to lead my charmed life with my wonderful friends, family and farm. I also sincerely hope to experience less loss and sadness.  Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing my journey with me this past year.  Your comments, notes and emails always mean a lot to me, and I look forward to sharing the events of this year with you.

________________________________________ 

Moe and Trigger

Oskar and Tiny

Leo

Winston and Faune

Merlin, Noble and Fabrizzio

Right after I took the picture above the flock of birds that had been scattered around the horses decided to take off all at once. They didn't even lift their heads. You and I both know if we had been riding them and that happened that it goes without saying we would have been dumped.

Silver and George having some playtime (with Faune watching below)

Bergie, Kennedy and Oskar; this picture reminds of the computer game Tetris. The horses look like they are falling down the screen in different patterns and I need to arrange them into a line. Yes, I realize I am rather odd.

Thomas and Leo were having an intense play session

In Memory of Bear

I think our Schipperke, Bear, had more fans and admirers than all the other horses, dogs, goats and various pets on our farm put together.  He had a magnetic personality that was irresistible to both adults and kids and people were drawn to him like a magnet.  Bear was with me for a little over 13 years, but yesterday was our final goodbye.    

Bear

Bear and I met at Judy's Tack Shop in Franklin, TN over 13 years ago.  As I walked into the tack store one day my friend, who happened to be managing the tack store at the time, hung up the phone and announced that she was just in the middle of leaving me a message.  I asked her what she was calling about and she held out her hand and said "would you like to have this puppy?"  A cute, black puffball of a puppy was in her hand.  Of course I said yes, just like anyone else would have done.

Bear and Carter; he was wonderful with Carter and always chose to sit right next to his carseat in the car

To be frank Bear was hell on wheels as a puppy.  There was a period of time in his life where he really thought his name was Damn It Bear because he heard that phrase so often.  He was willful (that trait never waned), highly energetic and had a chewing phase that was unbelievable given his tiny stature.  In his first six months Bear had chewed up a blue ink pen in the den and left a permanent stain on the floor, chewed the corners off the floor molding all through the house, eaten the handles off the bathroom cabinets, eaten the couch, eaten a zillion pairs of shoes and destroyed who knows how many pillows.  He went through countless rawhide bones and nylabones.  

One time my parents dog-sat Bear as a puppy and in a 24 hour period he chewed through (as in completely through) several of the hand carved spindles on the railing of their balcony, chewed up an ottoman and pulled up a section of carpet in their house.  Needless to say it was a long time before they offered to be Bear's babysitter again.   

Bear the day he came into my life, he was six weeks old. Note his size in relation to the outlet behind him.

Bear spent his first couple of years going to work with me every day back when I still owned my recruiting company.  Even as a puppy he was always on his best behavior at work.  Most of the time Bear liked to sit on the sofa or one of the wing chairs in the lobby and greet everyone that came in.  If he got tired he would wander back to my office and nap on his bed for awhile.  Bear was such a cool dog he inspired a few other people in our building to get their very own Schipperke.  Like I said, people have always been drawn to Bear like a magnet.

Bear after one of his many surgeries. He was very, very familiar with wearing a cone. I always think of that picture that floated around on Facebook for awhile with the caption "It's all fun and games until someone winds up in a cone."  The story of Bear's life.

Bear was a very experienced horse show dog and traveler.  He had been to 13 states and had traveled in cars, airplanes, trains, and ferries. Bear had no fear whatsoever (hence his multiple surgeries) and would happily ride around on any mechanized vehicle. If he were a person Bear would have traveled around to amusement parks, always sitting in the front seat of the biggest, baddest roller coaster he could find.  He would often accompany Jason on the tractor and he loved it when my dad would put him on the back seat of his motorcycle and drive him around on the driveway. I think Bear knew how fast the motorcycle could go and was always hoping that my Dad would take him for a real motorcycle ride.

riding on the tractor with Jason

When I sold the recruiting company Bear "retired" from the corporate world and spent the next decade enjoying his retirement.  He always wore a "Life is Good" collar because in Bear's world life was always good.  He was a legend in his own mind and continually picked fights he couldn't win. Every 2 to 3 years Bear wound up having a major surgery as a result of his tendencies to get into bar fights.  Through the years he had over $12,000 worth of surgeries, 4 sets of drain tubes, wore the cone of shame countless times, had over 200 stitches and 30 staples.  Given that he weighed all of 13 pounds these are some impressive statistics.

Bear was not thrilled to be dressed up as Santa Claus

Bear saw me through a lot of major life changes in our years together.  I really wasn't sure how he was going to feel about Carter joining our family.  He was always good with Carter but the first few weeks I joked that Bear would have happily taken Carter in his walker to the top of the driveway and given him a nice push.  After a few weeks the dynamic changed and Bear became Carter's champion and defender.  The feelings were mutual as Carter adored Bear. 

Carter was a very unhappy pumpkin on Halloween . . .  

. . . until Bear came along. Then Carter became one happy pumpkin.

   

Bear was only 13 years old which makes his loss even harder to take, our family tends to have pets with very long lives.  However his years of bar fighting and being a legend in his own mind were catching up to him.  He was in pain all the time and it was getting worse.  He had two herniated discs in his back and Jason and I had already decided that we would not be putting Bear through a fifth major surgery. The recovery was going to be too long and too hard, especially at his age.  His vet that had seen him through his many traumas through the years felt this surgery was not in his best interests so we went the pain management route instead.  That was successful for several months but in the last few days it became apparent that his decline was reaching the crisis stage, and the only humane option left was euthanasia.

waiting to go for a ride in the Kubota

I could sit at my computer typing out Bear stories for days.  He led a rich, full life and absolutely lived every day as if it was going to be his last.  The list of funny Bear stories is almost endless.  At this point the loss is still to raw and the stories just make me cry.  Much of 2012 has not gone the way I envisioned it to say the least, and after all the losses we've had this year I find it sadly ironic that on the last day of the year we had to  lose another family member.  Bear was, without question, a member of our family and his huge personality and his antics will be missed.  People are already asking me if I am going to get another dog.  I will at some point, but right now I can't even think about it.  I get some comfort thinking about Bear being reunited with my dad and his dog Bush. I hope they are all together again, driving through green pastures in their Gator.

I started to end this by telling my little man to rest in peace. However Bear always preferred to raise hell, so have fun raising hell little man, I really miss you.

   _______________________________

in the back of the truck

celebrating his 10th birthday

getting dirty

on the run

Jo the goat checking Bear out after one of his many surgeries. Jo is saying "wow, you look different!"

drain tubes, stitches and staples everywhere

hanging out with Trooper

Sledding with Jason after our big snow a few years ago; note the pricked ears.  Bear was a perpetual thrill seeker.

giving Jason a hug