Russian Revlution+// 1991-2014

(Amurath Baikal x Shades Of Summer ASHA)

Russian Revlution+//, aka “Louie” to all who knew and loved him, was bred by Vivianne & Diana MacDonald of Arthur, Ontario. Louie, ridden for many years by Shawn Wardell, was well-known on the Ontario Arabian sport horse circuit, winning many local and regional championships in over-fences classes. Louie’s lifetime wins include Top Tens at Sport Horse, Canadian and U.S. Nationals, plus two Canadian and one Sport Horse Reserve National Championship.

At one point, after many successes on the Arabian circuit, Louie was sold to owners who were competing on the open circuit and weren’t interested in transferring his papers. He came up for sale again several years later, but by word of mouth his lineage had been forgotten – he was thought to possibly be an Arab/Trakhener cross. Through serendipitous chance, Michael Yingbull, while visiting family in Ontario, took a lesson on Louie and fell in love. Michael and his wife Melissa bought Louie, and, determined to track down his papers, were told they should contact Allan Ehrlick. To their surprise, Allan not only remembered the horse, he had Louie’s papers on hand as he had helped with the original sale! After some back and forth with the Canadian Arabian Horse Registry, Louie’s status was reinstated and his Arabian horse show career resumed.

In his later years, Louie enjoyed the company of first Sydney and then younger sister Brooke Loessin. He would take care of Brooke in her walk/trot classes and, later in the day, win a championship with Sydney in the hunter ring. Louie’s wins culminated in back-to-back Overall Provincial Hunter Championships with Sydney in 2011, and in 2012 & 2013 with Brooke.

“He was an amazing horse,” says the girls’ mother, Dawn Loessin. “He was a gentle soul who we sometimes called our grumpy grandpa, but he was entitled. He truly loved his job… and that was to fly over those fences!! Louie wasn’t just a horse. He was a true member of our family and we will miss him forever.”

Photos provided by Dawn Loessin.