Richard Warren “Dick” Osborn of Ridgefield, Washington, passed away on September 18, 2011. He was 82.
Born in Vancouver, Washington, on July 7, 1929, Dick was the youngest of three sons born to Amos and Claribel Osborn. He grew up in the Walnut Grove area of Vancouver, where he attended Walnut Grove Elementary School. After graduating from Fort Vancouver High School in 1947, Dick worked as a roofer for a few years, then enlisted in the U.S. Army as a radar equipment specialist stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. When not on duty, Dick helped to exercise and to train polo ponies at a nearby equestrian club and also across the border in Mexico. He returned home in 1953 with a polo-trained thoroughbred mare named “Lady Dee,” who he promptly cross-trained as a barrel racer. The pair held the time record in barrels at the Clark County Saddle Club for many years, and thus began the story of Dick Osborn – an equestrian icon in Clark County Washington.
Dick was a long-time member of the Clark County Sheriff’s Posse, serving three years as captain. The posse was Washington State’s champion drill team in 1958. As Dick added more horses to his herd, he became a top competitor in the Northwest Cutting Horse Association. In the mid-1960s one of his stallions raced at Portland Meadows then went on to become a champion cutting horse: Dick admired versatility and strived for it in his horse breeding program.
To support his horse habit, Dick opened “Dick’s TV and Repair” on Fourth Plain Boulevard in Vancouver. He operated the business for more than 30 years, when he “retired” to build his dream. He purchased his parent’s farm in Ridgefield in the mid-1980s and began construction, one section at a time, on the Whipple Creek Riding Center, a large equestrian facility west of the Clark County Fairgrounds. His arena was the first home of the Handicapped Equestrian Learning Program (HELP), and later the Vanridge Therapeutic Riding Center, of which he was an avid and generous supporter for 16 years. He also supported many other youth organizations such as 4-H and high school equestrian teams. As the stable grew, so did Dick’s reputation as a gentle, caring horseman. Soon he had a gaggle of students riding five nights a week; it’s said that Dick Osborn has started more young riders than any other trainer in the county. His students have gone on to win titles in a variety of equine sports, and they always remember and credit Dick for sharing his knowledge and love of “all things horse.” Many a rider, young and old, enjoyed Dick’s annual trail rides through Indian Heaven in the Mt. Adams wilderness. His quiet, horse-whispering nature was admired, and he was sought as a trainer to break out younger colts and fillies. His own breeding program produced quarter horses known for their athletic ability, heart and work ethic – “the biggest little horses you’ll ever ride!”
Dick returned to the competitive spotlight in 2005 after a nearly 20-year break, placing fourth in the nation in open specialty cutting with the National Foundation Quarter Horse Association. He remained in the top ten rankings for the next several years riding his stallion “Pocos Mr. Doc.” In 2008 he received the “Longevity Award for 96 Years of Experience” – he was 79 years young; his stallion a mere 17.
Although he loved adventure and surprises, you could set your clock by Dick’s schedule. He enjoyed classical music, crossword puzzles, straight-up farm cooking, RFD-TV, and Jeopardy. He encouraged people to set high goals, to seek higher education about their horses and about the world. Ask anyone what they remember about Dick Osborn and you’ll hear: “He was such a gentleman, always smiling, always glad to see you, and he loved his horses.”
Dick was much loved by many and is greatly missed. He is survived by his brother, Dale Osborn and Dale’s wife, LaVerne Osborn; six nieces and nephews, 11 great nieces and nephews, and 10 great-great nieces and nephews, He was preceded in death by his parents Amos and Claribel Osborn; brother, Eugene Osborn, and his wife, Alma Osborn; and nephew Devin Heitzenrader.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 1st, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 309 West 39th Street (corner of 39th and Columbia), Vancouver, WA 98660. Graveside honors will follow at Northwood Park Cemetery, 14607 NE 15th Avenue, Ridgefield, WA 98642. Family and friends will then gather for a straight-up-farm-cooking lunch at a place to be determined. All are welcome. Funeral arrangements are by the Vancouver Funeral Chapel, 110 E. 12th Street, Vancouver, WA 98660. Memorial donations may be sent to the Clark County Executive Horse Council, Adopt-A-Horse Program, P.O. Box 65008, Vancouver, WA 98665. Please sign Dick's Guest Book at www.columbian.com/obits.
Arrangements under the direction of Vancouver Funeral Chapel, Vancouver, WA.
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