Farewell to a very special horse and family member, RW (Richard Wayne). I was blessed to be the first person to welcome him into this world nearly 27 years ago. He was born under the 5th wheel trailer I was living in while I was going to college. His dam was named Blue, an Appaloosa mare on my mom's outfitting string of 50+ horses and mules. My sister was installing a bamboo arbor in Yelm, WA when she first laid eyes on RW's sire, a big dapple gray gorgeous Andalusian stallion. This was the start of how RW came to be. Mom and Swede (Richard Wayne and RW's namesake) traded a 3-day mountain pack trip for exchange for the stud fee. I remember going along on the trip as a wrangler. RW's arrival was much anticipated, especially by Swede. He had dibs on this colt as his next mountain horse. Unfortunately, Swede never got to meet RW, because he passed away one month before RW was born. As a colt, he spent his Summers at High Country Outfitters basecamp and turned out with the herd during the Winters. By the time I moved to Ellensburg, RW was 4 years old and he moved with me. He was mine from that moment on. His life from the very beginning was intentional and a family collaboration. I feel so blessed RW was my trusted companion for all these years. He was my rock. He was a gentle giant with a dash of naughty and a ton of humor. He LOVED people. He taught me so much about life, especially to not take myself so seriously and to always laugh. He will be missed. RIP big guy, my Cadillac. Thanks for ride!♥️