CHAMP: Champ was a Tennessee Walking Horse my husband purchased as a two-year-old, and with the brief exception of about a year, owned his entire life. This wonderful animal more than typified the excellent reputation this remarkable breed has; in a nutshell if you didn't know how to ride, he was a natural-born baby-sitter. But if you did, boy howdy would he give you the ride of your life! His gaits were smooth as silk, and he could 'walk out' at a pace other horses would have to do a fast lope to keep up with. He had an inherent understanding of the frailties young humans possess, more than once being seen standing stone-still, flies crawling up and down his legs, not so much as twitching a muscle in order that my daughter would come to no harm. As a toddler she would always sneak out to see Champ in his lot, and loved to stand under his belly, arms wrapped around his hind legs, peeping out at the world through his tail.
My husband was a 33-year member of the Des Moines Police Dept, and one of the founding members of its Mounted Patrol unit. Of course Champ was getting up there in years at this point, but this didn't stop the ol' guy; he served on the patrol until the age of 28, and was then retired. We still rode him, though, and he would still perk up his ol' head and 'walk out' for us, purely for the joy of doing so and making his humans happy. He passed on to that Big Pasture in the Sky in 2005, at the 'tender' age of 34.
I had the Stone Company memorialize this great horse by taking advantage of their Christmas Warehouse 'design-your-own' horse offer, with the intention of giving him to my newly-retired husband as a Christmas present. Unfortunately he passed away before he could receive him; I like to think of him riding this great Walking Horse all over the Great Beyond, and looking down every once in awhile with a smile to see how realistically his favorite buddy was replicated.
Champ has a custom tail and forelock, and a tweaked mane. His name and dates of birth and death are on his belly, and he is signed by Peter Stone. Designed by Laurre Breman.