Ode To Sammy Lobell --

Sammy's dad

Jared writing today. Kimmy's horse Sam Lobell, who's dad was Nobel Victory, passed away today at 1:15pm. Sam aka Fat Sam aka Sammy aka Sammy Lammie was an amazing horse. He came from a line that was fast, very fast. His dad Nobel Victory held the state record in the mile for a time. Sammy raced til he was 14 years old and won his last race too! He retired to being a therapy horse. Here's where the Schaard family entered the picture. Kimmy volunteered to help out at a horse therapy class as a side walker. Her sister Melissa was having health issues at the time and was in this horse therapy class. In came a tall dark and handsome horse named Sam Lobell, aka Fat Sam aka Sammy. Melissa rode Sammy during these classes and Sammy started to be come quite famous and loved. The owners of Sammy saw the love and care Kimmy provided Sammy and they decided to give Sammy to Kimmy. Sam was a horse like no other 1 in 10, 000, 000. Anyone could ride Sammy, Mykenzie at the age of 3 would ride Sammy around and then loved sliding down off his butt. She was quite a pro at exiting off of Sammy via the slide off the butt move. He was bomb proof. We have so many wonderful memories of Sammy. God brought Kimmy and I together via Sammy. We'd go riding and ride through some large puddles/ponds the water would come up to Sammy's belly. He'd stop right in the middle and then start pawing at the water effectively soaking the legs and torso of Kimmy. It was a riot. We did a lot of riding during the early years. Once it had been several years since Sammy had seen the harness and cart of his racing world. We were sort of curious if he'd remember what to do and Jeanne and Leonard gratiously hooked him to a cart. Wow did he take off, just like he was back at the races. He looked so proud and tough. Leonard remarked at how much he really wanted to go go go. I'd of loved to of seen him during his hay day.

From race track to therapy horse to match maker to retirement in the country. So Sammy finished his life today peacefully. What a plush life living in the country, waking when he wanted ,sleeping when he wanted, roaming pastures and grazing from dawn to dusk. Ah the life. Sammy... ah what a horse.