Triumph…MaryAnn Schafer riding her gorgeous Morgan mare Rikki on an Australian Beach…Heralding another one of MaryAnn's dreams fulfilled. Photo courtesy of Noni Martin.
17th September 2011. Well good morning everyone and welcome once again to Heavy Thunder. The Morgan horse is in the hearts and minds of many people worldwide. They are strong, adaptable and easily handled. This has once again bought us back to the Morgan Mare Rikki. But Rikki, along with her owners, is a powerful team. A team who share…
A Winning Attitude And The Triumph Of A Morgan Mare…
You may all remember the story of Diane Howard, MaryAnn Schafer and their morgan mare called Rikki? It was the heart warming story of two women who worked together to bring valuable Morgan Horse blood lines to Australia. Rikki travelled those miracle miles across the Pacific Ocean from America.
For those of you who may not be familiar with this story please go to www.heavythunder.com/the-miracle-miles-pt1
Well, Diane and MaryAnn have been working together now for many years. There is a day in each year that will stay in the hearts and minds of both these women. August 25th. In August 25th 2008 the battle was on to save Diane’s stallion from a bout of colic. Which, we might add…He won!
August 25th 2009 brought a new day and Diane and MaryAnn discovered their beloved mare, Fox Brush Custom Design, aka Rikki, was lame in the paddock. Now most of us who own horses have all had lame horses and we have mostly managed to heal them. But as time went on and when Rikkki didn’t improve Diane decided to investigate. MaryAnn was visiting from America for an upcoming Inaugural Beach Ride at the time.
So Diane and MaryAnn did what most of us would have done. Put Rikki on a float to take her to the vets. But not without first leading her over some trenches Diane and her husband Jock were having done on their property. This was the only way to get her out of the paddock.
Rikki kindly and willingly jumped over these trenches as her owners asked. She also travelled for Diane and MaryAnn which, we might add, isn’t her favourite thing. At the initial veterinary consult it was thought the mare would improve over time, as with most lameness’s.
After MaryAnn went home, and when Rikki didn’t improve, Diane decided to continue the veterinary investigations. X-ray after x-ray revealed no abnormality…Until Diane requested an x-ray be performed on Rikki’s hind cannon bone rather than on her hock.
The final test revealed, to Diane’s horror, a fracture. But the good news was the fracture was an “S” shape. There were a couple of bony “spurs” or “hooks” if you like which helped “stabilize” the bone. And although Rikki’s recovery wasn’t going to happen too quickly, the nature of the fracture saved Rikki.
Diane and her husband stabled Rikki to follow her vet’s advice to restrict her movement while her leg healed. Diane and Jock built a stable amongst the hubbub of the Howard’s daily life and kept Rikki in the loop as it were.
Rikki calmly watched the daily proceedings and allowed herself to be pampered during what was a very stressful time for Diane and her family as well as for MaryAnn. Did we mention here Rikki was in foal for part of this time? So added to everything else going on, the Stress Factor was probably off the Richter scale for everyone!
But in amongst all of this Rikki managed to successfully carry the foal. And as time went on, Rikki’s leg healed and she produced a bouncing, baby bay boy. Diane and MaryAnn both adore the colt, Wirraway Copyright, and is not only an achievement but quite something to look at.
As most of us would be aware, Diane and MaryAnn are dreamers. Life went on and Rikki’s working career didn’t come to an end once her leg was fully healed. So true to form, once Rikki had fully recovered, and her leg was totally healed, Diane decided to enter her in the Australian National Morgan Horse Show. In harness!
MaryAnn just loves combined driving events and had an unfulfilled dream at this point regarding her Morgan’s. So when MaryAnn travelled to Australia Diane made it her mission to plan for the show. Maryann ended up travelling to Australia to compete with Rikki in a horse drawn vehicle in the scheduled harness events. Rather than be sidelined as a spectator. And the rest, as many of us have said in the past, is history.
But what was most impressive for the Howard Family and MaryAnn Schafer is August 25th is no longer a dark day. August 25th 2011 passed uneventfully as will many more to come. So the 25th of August is now a dark day conquered. And the winning attitude and the triumph of a Morgan mare would now be recorded in the annals of history.
So the words “Miracle Mile” is so apt for Diane, MaryAnn and a Morgan mare called Rikki. As every mile the mare has travelled has truly been a miracle. And it was all thanks to two women whose dreams were not only to fulfil personal goals but to expand the Morgan horse’s horizons in Australia.
And we at Heavy Thunder think it is now safe to say, ‘Well done guys and congratulations on having the courage of your convictions to achieve your goals.’
Well thank you for joining us on this superb spring day here in Ravensbourne Australia. And we’ll look forward to your company next time.
Cheers
Paul and Jann
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