Ronnie and Vickie Kent lose AQHA Select world champion Ill Be RV Radical a month after trailer accident.

The 2009 Select trail world champion Ill Be RV Radical (ridden by Ronnie Kent) succumbed to laminitis recovering from trailer accident injuries.

“Time ran out on us,” Ronnie Kent said, simply. “We tried to get that bad leg better, but her good leg went out on her. If we had just a few more days, it would have been OK.”

In the end, it was founder that ended his 2009 Select trail world champion Ill Be RV Radical’s struggle to overcome injuries she sustained in a trailer accident on September 12. “BeBe” survived the accident 40 miles east of El Paso that killed her half brother, 2009 Select showmanship world champion Wonit Ona RV Version.

Fresh from the Bayer Select World Championship Show, Ronnie and Vickie Kent were hauling their homebred horses to Santa Barbara when the accident happened. Read the story here.

Initially treated by Brock Veterinary Clinic in Lamesa, Texas, BeBe had been quickly transferred to the care of Cliff Honnas, D.V.M., in Bryan, Texas. Her left hind leg had the most damage.

“We wanted to get the bad leg sound enough so she could start putting some weight on it,” Ronnie said. “Dr. Honnas said that the mechanical build of a horse just can’t stand that weight on one leg. We were hoping we’d beat the clock, but we didn’t.”

On Sunday, October 11, BeBe developed laminitis (founder) in her good, right hind leg. It was the same scenario that eventually overcame 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro (TB).

“(Dr. Honnas) tried everything,” Ronnie explained. “He got the best veterinarian farrier he could find and e-mailed x-rays to him to try to get some help. He had already put a wooden shoe on to try to save it.

“There’s nothing you can do,” he continued. “We’re not far enough with medical science to cure those problems yet.”

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“It was just not humane to keep her suffering,” Ronnie said, and his voice broke.

On Thursday, October 15, the Kents gave Dr. Honnas the go-ahead to euthanize BeBe.

Currently in Columbus, Ohio, for the All American Quarter Horse Congress, the Kents last saw the mare on October 2.

Vickie Kent and Ill Be RV Radical at a 2008 show in Venice, Florida.

“It really has (been good to be at Congress),” Ronnie said. “A lot of people have wanted to give us their condolences and concern personally,” he paused then added, “We really appreciate that, even though it has been hard.”

Despite all, there is good news and a special hope for the future: BeBe’s foals. The mare’s ovaries were harvested and eggs were retrieved. By Saturday, October 17, the eggs had been inseminated with frozen semen at Texas A&M University. The Kents are waiting to hear how many embryos develop that can be transferred to recipient mares.

“Kim Dean was gracious enough to get some frozen semen to Texas A&M from A Good Machine,” Ronnie said. “We wanted to try to get semen from some (other stallions, too), but time just wouldn’t let us. She’d never been bred, and we like to breed to different studs. But this time of year – if it was breeding season, all of these people would be at home rather than at the Congress.

“Dr. Honnas, when he first got BeBe, he said, we don’t know what God has in store for this mare, but it must be something great somewhere,” Ronnie added. “Then we get eggs out of her even though we had to put her down.”

From Graceville, Florida, the Kents are very involved with raising, starting and training their homebred show horses – it makes this loss especially hard.

“We just hope for the best and keep going,” Ronnie said. “It’s hard to win (a world championship) and start over again; it takes years to do that. But we’ve been there, and we still have our health, and we can do it.

“Let’s just keep going. That’s all I know to do.”

Christine Hamilton Editor, American Quarter Horse Journal

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