QUICKSILVER
MEMORIALS

Leroy

Please click here for the New Almaden Times story on Lord Fauntleroy (Leroy), the winner of the 1976 Great American Horse Race and revered equine member of the Quicksilver Endurance Riders Club.

Najo

November 25, 2002

Pete and Joann Le Mond's Najo was euthanized today. Najo had been retired for many years but if you are old enough to remember him, Najo was the great big Morgan horse that Pete liked to call the Cadillac because of his incredibly smooth ride. He was Joann's horse and then Pete rode him for many years and then the kids got him. Pete's grandkids, Michelle and Danya, Julie Caprino, and I think even Heather Reynolds rode him a time or two. He went at his own pace which was whatever he happened to feel like doing that day but was usually pretty slow. When I sponsored Julie Caprino, who rode him when she was just starting, he decided that was one of his "slow" days. I was also riding with Heather, Megan, Breanna, Stephanie and Holly and they kept telling Julie to kick him and make him stay up. But Julie would not kick him cause she did not want to hurt him, so he got his way and we went at his pace. Najo was retired with over 4300 miles. I know that Joann and Pete will miss him a lot. Maryben

Miriam Plaggmier

October 24, 2002

One of the original founders and first members of our club in 1978 died today in San Jose. Miriam is the mother of members Melissa Ribley, Jennifer Plaggmier and Pam Villa. Miriam was the first recipient of the club's highest honor, the Eleanor Norton Award.....

The Plaggmier family has been a huge part of my life for over 25 years. I am invited to every family dinner from Thanksgiving to Christmas and in between and I can't even begin to imagine how much I will miss Miriam.

Maryben

KHAZEN+/

Khazen died on April 28, 2003, at the age of 33. He had been healthy and active and was giving two to three lessons a week to little kids and seemed to enjoy it.

Khazen was 63/64 arab. We always thought he was 1/124 standardbred and 1/124 appaloosa. He was narrow and we used to joke that his front legs looked like they grew out of the same hole. But he moved with such grace and with absolutely no wasted movement.

I remember a lot of funny things about Khazen but two stand out. He was the only horse I knew that would be perfectly happy with food and water and no other living creature on earth. He just did not care about other horses or people for that matter.

He used to be hard to catch and we would have to take all of the horses out of the pasture, in order to catch him. But, being smart, he figured that out soon. One time Becky hid in the bushes while Courtney and I left with the horse trailer so he would think he was safe and go into the open. Of course that did not work many times.

Khazen also suffered the vets examining him during the rides but when enough was enough, he would rebel. Unfortunately for him he picked the trot out for BC at one of the rides and reached out and bit Becky on the shoulder. She turned around and started yelling at him and he knew he was in trouble. Have you ever seen a horse run backwards across a parking lot. I think he did win the BC that time though.

His AERC Hall of Fame plaque reads: “Stronger, Swifter, Braver – the once in a lifetime horse” and he was that. I always did think he was amazing……….mb

Please contact Maryben if you have something to add.