“That’s How My Horse Saved My Life”
Karen and Danette at the 2016 AQHA L1 Championships.
By: Brittany Bevis
For 72-year-old Karen Loesch, it was a freak accident, during which she was bucked off her typically trustworthy and bombproof gelding, that helped save her life. How could being bucked off a horse be good for your health? The answer is incredible, but to truly understand, we must begin at the beginning.
Karen and her daughter Danette belong to a fifth generation family of farmers that reside about 30 miles outside of Spokane, Washington, in a small farming community called Rosalia where they grow wheat, peas, and lentils. Just down the road from the Loesch family farm is Colleen Riedle, Karen’s longtime friend and horse trainer.
“I’ve known Karen and her daughter Danette my entire life,” Colleen says. “When Danette was 11, they came to me to work with her horse, and that was only the beginning. Several horses and a very successful youth career followed. Then, I moved, and Danette pursued a career. Years later, when I moved back into the area, Danette once again entered the show arena with a Halter mare. At the time, Karen had suffered from a stroke and was dealing with depression.”
One day, Karen decided she’d like to try her hand at competing in Halter. After a Top 10 finish at the Select World Show, she was hooked. “There was no stopping her after that!” Colleen jokes.
At an AQHA World Championship Show not long after, Karen was browsing through the World Show Sale catalog; in fact, it was the last year a sale was held at the World Show. “I saw a horse I really liked,” Karen says. “I’ve had a slight stroke, and my trainer thought he would do wonderfully for me. He came in under budget, and we brought him home. His name was Sheiks Country, aka ‘Jet.’ He had 192 Western Pleasure points.”
“When I called my husband, after I bought the horse, I told him he needed to sit down. He asked why. I told him we bought a horse. He said he didn’t know we were looking. I told him we were always looking!”
So Karen, Colleen, Danette, and Jet went on the road, traveling to horse shows around the state, competing in Novice Amateur Western Pleasure. Karen praises Jet as a trustworthy and gentle horse, who is accommodating of her physical limitations and a great teacher. That’s why the behavior he exhibited at a horse show in Caldwell, Idaho, was so out of character.
“After showing Jet for quite a while, we were at a show in Idaho,” Colleen says. “I warmed him up as always, and I put Karen on to practice. Out of the blue, he took off bucking across the pen and hurled her to the ground. We immediately called an ambulance.”
Karen was taken to a local trauma center where doctors did a full body scan to look for broken bones. She sustained a concussion, but luckily, nothing was broken. Doctors did, however, discover a lesion on her kidney. Once she arrived home, she went to a urologist for another scan. After a biopsy, doctors suggested robotic surgery. However, Karen insisted they postpone just a few weeks because she’d qualified to attend the AQHA Select World Show. “Then, when I came back, the doctor asked if we could do the surgery then. I said, ‘No, now I have to go to the Novice Championships in Las Vegas!'”
After Karen returned home from the show, she underwent surgery. “I spent two nights in the hospital, and I had six punctures wounds that they had to glue shut. I came back in two weeks later and the pathology report showed that I had stage three cancer. However, they said they got a good margin around my lesion. I didn’t need to have any chemotherapy, and I should be cancer free. I came back in another month, had another body scan, and it was still clear one year ago.”
“That’s how my horse saved my life.”
Colleen confirms that Jet has never once experienced any behavior like he did at that show in Idaho. Could it be coincidence? Certainly, but Colleen and Karen believe it’s something more.
“He has never done it since, nor has he been anything but a saint to her,” Colleen says.
“I think it’s such a miracle that I picked out that particular horse. Then, for him to do something like that was so out of character,” Karen says. “I had no clue that I had cancer, but I guess Jet knew! He’s been very good since then. He’s very nice to be around, and he’s very gentle. He doesn’t shy at anything, and he’s very trusting. He knows his job. He just puts his head down and goes.”
Karen recently had her six month follow up, and she’s cancer free. She’s planning to compete at local shows this year and possibly at the Select World Show in the fall with one of the family’s Halter horses.
Colleen’s advice to older novice competitors, who are hesitant to get back into the show pen or who might have physical limitations, is to go for it. “Don’t live wishing you’d tried but never did. There are no limits. AQHA has so many levels and types of showing that there is usually a way to pair up teams to fit their limitations.”
“As trainers, we need to realize that there is more to showing than just winning. Sometimes, the road getting there can be just as important. We need to realize what our clients’ personal goals are and the importance they hold for people. There are different ways of winning. Age is not a barrier. We just need to work with it and make sure we partner horses and humans to achieve goals. Winning comes out of the good and the joy they gain from being part of the show world.”
Karen echoes these sentiments. “They need to get a good trainer, a nice horse, and just go do it. This is probably the best time I’ve ever had with my grown daughter. Going and showing with her has been a very special time.”
