The WRANGLER Horse and Rodeo News is an equine and rodeo publication with circulation in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Utah and Idaho.
Issue link: http://thewrangler.uberflip.com/i/1522136
June, 2024 • The WRANGLER • 37 Blue Valentine was the perfect ranch horse in Dick's eyes. A striking blue roan stud, originally from Arizona, had made his way north and was an all-around ranch and rodeo horse. His progeny were big-boned and strong, conformationally sound, and were perfect for covering the vast miles of northern plains ranches or for performing in the rodeo arena. This year, Blue Valentine is being inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame alongside Frenchman's Guy and Shining Spark. As a banker, Dick worked closely with the Merritt Family, who were some of the original breeders of Blue Valentine. When Chip and Kathy Merritt along with Randy Dunn (Bath Brothers Ranch in Laramie) decided to have a Blue Valentine Horse Sale, Dick and Dianne decided to join them. The first Come to the Source Sale was held in 1998 and they have had a sale every year since with the exception of the Covid year. This year the sale will be held August 24 at the Albany County Fairgrounds. Dick maintained the balance of cowboy and businessman well. The Laramie Economic Development Corporation was founded in his living room and is now the Laramie Chamber Business Alliance. He helped run the first Businessman's Rodeo, a Chamber of Commerce fundraiser that paired local businessmen with local ranchers to compete in events like ribbon roping and wild cow milking. He was active in the community in other ways such as United Way, Cowboy Joe, Steer A Year, Kiwanis and Rotary, but his participation as board member for the Cathedral Home for Children might have been the closest to his heart. He served on the Board for 32 years and was instrumental with other board members in obtaining donations and gifts to start the Horse Program at the home. Equine therapy is a proven therapy for all kinds of people and Dick wanted to share its value with the kids of the Cathedral Home. Dick and the board raised the funds to build an indoor arena at the Cathedral Home, located just north of Laramie. The barn has a classroom in it and children living there can learn about horses and ride year-round. After spending most of his life at 7200+ feet, a pulmonary specialist discovered that Dick had lost about 30% of his lungs and recommended moving to a lower altitude. So, in 2017 Dick and Dianne moved to Wickenburg, Arizona. Since then, their mares are with Vernyce Weber in Burwell, Nebraska and continuing to foal outstanding horses. Nothing in Dick's life had stood in the way of his love for horses, and this diagnosis certainly wasn't going to be the first. He enjoyed roping and riding and making many new friends in Wickenburg until 2021 when his lungs continued to fail. "At the very end he was strapping his oxygen tanks on his horse to go out and rope," Dianne remembered. Dick's final roping horse, a 14-year-old stud named Wyatt, is still in Wickenburg. Dianne is looking for a good home for Wyatt, and any inquiries can be sent to Tommy Thompson at 661-496-8729. Dick passed away September 29, 2023, from COPD. He is buried in the team roping capital of the world, Wickenburg, Arizona. Dick is remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and steadfast in his love of God. He lived the Code of the West, and his handshake was his word. Dick spent his life working to better his community and preserving and developing the Western way of life. He is remembered with fondness and respect by all whose lives he touched. A Celebration of Life will be held in Laramie July 17, 2024, at Black Fox on Welsh, 1000 Welsh Lane, Laramie, Wyoming from 4-7. More details on the Come to the Source Sale can be found at www.cometothesource.com. All Photos Courtesy of Dianne Van Pelt.