The two horses that full filled two dreams for two women and long time friends across the miracle miles.  Rikki ridden by MaryAnn Schafer and leading Rikki's colt Brikki.  A great source of joy for both MaryAnn and Diane Howard. From America to Australia with love.  Photo courtesy Barbara Mottern.

28th June 2011…G'day Everyone and Welcome to a story of perserverance and commitment.  Pull up something to sit on and a cuppa, you'll really enjoy this story we promise you.  Please note as this was quite a long tale we have split it up into two parts we'll post the rest in a couple of days…But in the meantime please enjoy…

The Miracle Miles from America to Australia…Friendship, fun and a Morgan Horse Mare called Rikki…Part 1…

Have you ever sat and dreamed about something you would really love to have or achieve but perhaps has taken a while?  Well, if you have you will definitely identify with this story.  It is a success story that has spanned across the miracle miles from America to Australia.  This story involves friendship, fun and a Morgan horse mare called Rikki.

We reckon it gives sea horse a different meaning…As Rikki came from across the Pacific Ocean.  But if you have ever had the nail biting experience of importing a horse across great distances, you’ll relate to the almost impossible horse dream that became a horse reality…To Australia (from America)…With love.

It all began back in 1995 when Australian Diane Howard dreamed of importing a Morgan Horse stallion by the stallion Funquest Erik.  Diane wanted these performance lines as Funquest Erik was the second Morgan Horse in history to win the coveted American Morgan Horse Association Sport Horse Award. 

This event is open to all breeds and is a combination of riding and driving events.  Any horse that wins this award would have demonstrated versatility, stamina, heart and would have won events in many equine disciplines.

So Diane persisted, without success, for around ten years when one day she got an email from a lady in America.  Her long time friend and fellow Morgan horse breeder…MaryAnn Schafer.

MaryAnn had been involved in Morgan horses since the 1970’s when she was just 13 years old.  She had riding lessons at a Morgan Stable at Philadelphia PA.  From those humble beginnings MaryAnn Schafer went on to win the prestigious American Morgan Horse Association Sport Horse Award with a pure bred mare she bred, Bowood Elusiv Dream affectionately known as Dream.

But across those miles MaryAnn still had an unfulfilled lifelong dream of her own.  To compete at the Morgan Grand National Horse Show in Oklahoma City with either Dream or Rikki…Whose registered name was Fox Brush Custom Design.   However MaryAnn saw an opportunity for the Morgan horse, but more importantly for her mare, Rikki. 

This mare was by Funquest Erik and she decided to send her to her Australian friend Diane Howard.  So MaryAnn offered this valuable American mare to Diane to flourish in the Land of Oz.  The decision was prompted by a vision of continuing this particular Morgan horse line in Australia.  MaryAnn decided to email Diane and offered to lease Fox Brush Custom Design (aka) Rikki to Diane. 

Overwhelmed and overjoyed Diane took MaryAnn up on the offer of a lease arrangement that eventually led to part ownership.  Diane now owns half of Rikki while MaryAnn retained the other half.

Owning a horse like Rikki, that carried those much sought after blood lines, was part of Diane’s dream come true.  Being a wise and insightful woman Diane decided to breed Rikki before making the epic journey to Australia.  

So she decided to breed her to PKR Primavera Brio.  Bingo…In these two horses Diane achieved ownership of the blood lines she dreamed of and strived for…For over ten years.

And this is where the dream team really swung into action…You may recall Diane initially looked for a colt to import.  Well in life, we all want to be careful what we wish for as…MaryAnn foaled Rikki out for Diane in America which was, you guessed it, a colt. 

MaryAnn handled the strapping colt foal, Wirraway Trademark, affectionately called Brikki, in preparation for exportation.  So in September 2008, MaryAnn put what she called a “treasure chest of blood lines,” onto the truck for exportation to Australia. 

So Diane’s dream was fulfilled when she took delivery of Rikki and Brikki somewhere over the rainbow, in the Land of Oz…

If you would like to know more about the Morgan Horse please go to http://heavythunder.com/the-morgan-horse-little-giant

Well we hope you enjoyed the beginning of the story of Rikki and Brikki.  It does pull at the heart strings…It certainly did ours.  For Part 2 of this story please go to http://heavythunder.com/the-miracle-miles-from-america-to-australia-friendship-fun-and-a-morgan-horse-mare-called-rikki-part-2  See you in a couple of days.

Cheers

Paul and Jann