The End of an Era

Mike Nichols, said as a tribute to Bask, “ What is greatness but to go on and go on and go on.” On March 20, 2005, we lost our beloved Aristo Kaprys. God loaned her to us for 28 years. Each day was full of nickers, nuzzles and her playfulness. At 28 she decided to jump a fence and trot around after Avatar with her tail over her back; snorting and blowing her neck arched high. I went to get her and asked her, “Did no one tell you that you’re an antique.” I got my answer with a snort. Kaprys produced four National Champions and numerous halter and performance champions as well as winning race horses. She had 12 foals and 58 grandchildren. She left us with a legacy to carry on her greatness. There remains a huge hole in our hearts.

The Measure of Your Success is the Quality of Your Product

The Beginning

Pam and Jimmy

On a snowy Christmas morning in Montana, a father quietly leads a yearling filly into the farmhouse and ties herto the Christmas tree with a large red ribbon around her neck. A six-year-old girl on the thin edge between sleep and dream imagines she hears a horse’s hooves crunching on the snow. Sleepily rubbing her eyes she gets out of bed and opens her bedroom door. Tied to the Christmas tree was Bess. Badly scarred from barbed wire, Bess’s owner gave her to Pam’s father for saving the filly’s life. Bess was the beginning of a life long love affair with horses.

Breeding Arabians since 1974, Pamlyn Kelly has owned or bred six National Champions. Horses like Credyt, Just Incredible, New Magic, Barbary ’s Pirate and CF Fire Magic, mother to Mammage, National Champion English Pleasure.

With the motto, “The Measure of your Success is the Quality of Your Product.” I have always tried to breed beautiful athletes with heart “For me, anyone who doesn’t breed disposition ultimately does a disservice to the industry. Horses like people must have integrity as individuals.”

Special moments occur everyday but the birth of a foal is always new even after over 200 deliveries. Both, Carl I and I love to ride in the hills. Our new ranch is nestled in the tall pines and makes it challenging to leave for our separate professions.

CF Avatar’s Triumph

In March of 2003, he colicked and had surgery which showed his small intestine had become lodged between the spleen and the stomach wall. He was in the ICU unit for ten days. Carl and I drove the eighty some miles daily, of course I’m always about the psychological and did not want him to feel unloved.

Shortly after returning home, he developed severe diarrhea. He became dehydrated and it was again off to the hospital. For ten days he stood in his stall hooked up to an IV. Toward the end of his stay, he was so depressed that he just stood in the stall facing one corner and refused to look at us.

At this point his weight was down to 780 lb., normally well over 1000 lb., he looked like a Holocaust survivor. The vet’s diagnoses was probably cancer but not certain without additional surgery. Three vets recommended putting him down. I decided to fight the odds, no more surgery and I certainly wasn’t going to put him down without a valiant effort. So Avatar came home and we installed an IV in his stall and the long battle for d butt, give meds, etc. His disposition improved and soon we got him off the IV. The diarrhea continued but not as bad. We tried all kinds of treatments: vitamin supplements, different feeds, feed additives, acupuncture, etc., etc. We took him on daily walks around the neighborhood to give him a change of scene and some exercise. He did settle two mares and slowly gained weight, as we fed him four times a day. All of our neighbors became involved in his recovery and would call and ask how he was doing. About three months ago I began to ride him around the neighborhood.

Reviewing the plethora of treatments, there were three that made a difference: steroids, acupuncture and the Panacur PowerPak. At the end of November, I gave him another PowerPak. Et, voila, the first week in December after eight months of uphill battle, he began producing normal fecal balls, Road Apples!!!! He is back to his normal weight. This was indeed a true Christmas Miracle.

Happy New Owners

Addictyon’s three-year-old full brother Khalid Kid was entered in the Futurities. His first show in Santa Barbara he won and in the Championship showed us his other side and bucked halfway across the arena. However, some friends, Scott and Sidney Dolquist, liked him. Following Santa Barbara, they called and bought him three weeks before Nationals.

We sat together in his first class and in the finals Sidney went off to pace and gnaw on her arm during the finals. All were ecstatic when Khalid Kid was called into the Top 10. When the announcer said “the National Champion from Yakima, WA....” Scott and Sidney thought, “Who else is here from Yakima?” Finally, dawning that Khalid Kid had won, they were totally dumbstruck and needless to say very happy new owners.

For more information contact:

Dr. Pamlyn Kelly or Carl Riemann.
Phn 530-271-0370 Fax  530-271-0369
e-mail: drpammy@earthlink.net.