Passing of a great horseman....

An old friend died Wednesday morning. Dick Osborn. He spent his life riding and training horses and running a boarding stable. He gave lessons to young and old. In his youth he rode cutting horses.

This picture is of Holly, Dewey (his dog) and Dick, around 1995-96, taking a break at Bear Lake in the Indian Heaven wilderness, here in Washington State. I really enjoyed that day riding with Dick, his ready smile and his pipe, his faithful dog, and beautiful Holly.

My first memory of Dick is when I was about seven years old. My Dad was a farrier back then, and he had taken me out to the job with him that day. Dad was to put shoes on Dicks cutting gelding, Hoppy. I still remember Hoppy tied to the hitching rail in front of the red barn. Hoppy was a little blood bay, all of 14 hands.

I remember Dick telling me that day to "Stay away from that mule, he kicks" There was a big white mule tied to a rail by the old old big white wooden barn. This barn has long been torn down to make room for the boarding stables that were Dicks lively hood.

I also remember going inside the red barn and seeing Dicks photos and awards on the wall, by the door to the tack room. A young child dreams of the things in those photos.

In later years my sister and I would venture back out to Whipple Creek Riding stables. My sister and her husband at the time, worked the boarding stable for Dick. Her ex is still there. I kept a horse there for around 8 months, cleaned 23 stalls a day to earn my board, with baby Meghan in a backpack on my back. That horse is Easy, our 26 year old mare. I also bought Mickey there, she is the daughter of Dicks stud, Hollywoods Dynamo. Son as he is called, is the son of Hollywood Gold Bar, a famous cutting stallion. Son is 32 years old now. Holly, the mare in the above photo is one of Sons foals.

I always loved Dicks quiet ways, he was quite the hand with a horse, and always quiet and kind.
I wish I could share all the wonderful pictures in my head that I have of him and his horses. Son has a very strong Palomino gene, I know of only 3-4 foals, out of at least 30, that were not Palomino.

My Mom bred her mare to a buckskin stallion Dick owned and later sold, only to get him back, to starved to save. Moms mare had Dusty when I was 8 years old, the first foal I had seen born, in our pasture. My Moms Creamello gelding is out of Dusty and Son.

I think its amazing to think about how long that I knew Dick, 37 years! He will be missed.

Rest in peace dear friend, ride the trails and that winning cutting horse again. You are now with your Hoppy and your Dewey.

 All my love.